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Despite The Sharks dominating ball possession and for long periods, field territory, a determined Western Force team’s outstanding defensive effort kept them off the scoreboard.
The first thirty minutes of the game belonged to the Australian outfit who scored three tries in the opening half hour, but the remainder of the match saw matters evening out, and the introduction of all 11 substitutes leveled the clash, with a final minute try to Wallaby James O’Connor the only score of the second half.
Sam Wykes scored the Force’s opening try with Ryan Cross scoring the second. Cameron Shepherd scored with 10 minutes of the first half remaining and with former Lions and Springbok flyhalf Andre Pretorius adding two conversions, the Force led 19-nil at the break.
This saw the introduction of all 11 substitutes - Adrian Jacobs the 12th but failing to pass a late fitness test and dropping out of the squad. This signaled their ascendancy and dominance in the game, but stern defense from the Force kept the scoreboard intact. O’Connor scored in the closing minutes of the game, converted his own try under the posts and the converted try gave his team the 26-0 victory.
Coach John Plumtree admitted afterwards that he hadn’t expected any fireworks, given that this is a preseason game. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting that much but we were able to dust some of the cobwebs out the system which was important. We didn’t do that much tonight and unfortunately weren’t accurate enough.”
The Force return to Perth with a 50% win rate, having lost to the Stormers and beaten The Sharks. The final match of the series takes place between The Sharks and Stormers on Friday evening, kick-off at 7pm. The match will be televised on SuperSport.
