'Phenomenal' Force lived on a sniff
Western Force coach Michael Foley said his team was "phenomenal" and "showed a lot of character".
This follows an unprecedented fifth consecutive Super Rugby win – when they turned around a 21-43 loss in their opening round match to beat the Waratahs 28-16 in Perth at the weekend.
The win was build on a rock-wall defensive line, with wing Nick Cummins capitalising on the limited possession to score a hat-trick.
Starved of possession throughout the first half, the Force held a narrow 13-9 lead at the break – with Cummins crossing for two of his three tries in the second half to extend the final margin to 12 points.
The win lengthens the Force's most consecutive wins in the franchise's history (five) and resulted in the franchise's first victory over the Waratahs in Perth.
"I think the thing we learned over the first two games," Foley said.
"We had it reiterated to us when [former West Coast Eagles AFL coach] John Worsfold came and spoke to us before the Highlanders game.
"He said momentum won't always be your way, but you have to hold each other accountable at those times so you can capitalise on it when it does come your way.
"We lived on the sniff of an oily rag to some extent in this match and when the opportunities came we pounced on them and that was a real credit to our guys.
"They kept trying even though things weren't coming our way and they showed a lot of character.
"What is being reinforced every week is the more effort we put into those sorts of games, the better results we're getting.
"If you go back and look at the last five games, we found different ways to get results and that's important for us."
The Force travels to Melbourne this week to take on the Rebels on Good Friday, April 18.
