Players led the way – Force coach

Editor

Western Force Head Coach Michael Foley hailed his side's determination after Saturday's shock win over the Crusaders.

Western Force Head Coach Michael Foley hailed his side's determination after Saturday's shock win over the Crusaders.

The Perth team responded in the best possible manner to last weekend's loss to the Rebels by claiming the franchise's second Super Rugby victory over the Crusaders, winning 16-14 at nib stadium.

A resilient defensive effort from the Force paved the way for the victory with the home side repelling countless waves of Crusaders attack and holding their nerve in the final 25 minutes to maintain the eventual two-point advantage.

In an often brutal contest, the Force was well served by the front-foot ball provided by man of the match Richard Brown, while newcomers Ed Stubbs, Junior Rasolea and Rory Walton made their presence known against a significantly more experienced opposition.

“We weren't happy with what we put on the field last week and the players led the way in terms of critiquing themselves and making the decision that they wanted it to be a lot better this week,” said Foley.

“It's a real testament to them to see that difference out there tonight – I thought they were fantastic.

“Every player that took part in the game, which was the whole 22, did very well. You can look at games in different ways but to me there was a real unity in terms of what the players did on the field and it didn't matter who we put out there, they were aligned to that drive that the team had to get the result.”