Injury to insult for Force
The Western Force were dealt a cruel blow when flank Angus Cottrell suffered a leg fracture that will rule him out for the rest of the season.
The injury setback came on top of the demoralising 7-30 loss to a fired-up Crusaders team in Christchurch on Friday – a result that could see the Force drop dramatically down the standings as the Round 16 action unfolds.
Cottrell was taken to hospital after his lower left leg twisted awkwardly under the weight of two Crusaders defenders in the dying minutes of the match.
The injury capped a disappointing match for the Force, who started the round in fourth spot.
Cottrell has been one of the Force's most consistent players this season.
Force coach Michael Foley said he proud of his side, despite the injury setback and the result.
"Our execution was off in that first 20 minutes and that allowed them to get momentum," he said.
"[The Crusaders] are a very good side and they force you play out of your half and we didn't do that as well as we have done at other times this season.
"On the flip side, I think our guys put in a massive effort.
"There had been a lot of talk leading into the game about the four weeks we've just gone through and on top of that the injuries we've had, and I thought the guys came out after half-time and battled on.
"They really launched into it and there wasn't much in that game. When you play a team like the Crusaders, they only need a couple of little errors to get in there and while we gave them that leg up early, they kept on fighting and I'm proud of the effort tonight."
