Force have the power
James O'Connor kicked six penalties as the Western Force shocked the defending champions Bulls 26-21 in Perth.
Last Updated: 23/04/11 3:51pm
Australia utility back James O'Connor kicked six penalties as the Western Force shocked the defending champions Bulls 26-21 in Perth.
O'Connor, who was sinbinned in the first half for a dangerous tackle, missed only one shot at goal. Willie Ripia slotted a penalty while O'Connor was off the field and Cameron Shepherd scored a second-half try for the Force.
Bulls' fly-half Morne Steyn kicked three penalties and a conversion, while Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson scored tries for the South Africans.
The Force were winless from their opening four home games of the season but moved off the bottom of the Australian conference with their second straight victory, a result which puts a massive dent in the Bulls' finals hopes.
The champions remain seven points outside the top six after nine games, having gone winless on their three-game road-trip.
O'Connor, who is expected to make an announcement on his playing future next week, gave his side the lead with a fifth-minute penalty before the Bulls were denied when what looked like a well-worked try to Basson was called back for a forward pass.
It mattered little as the Bulls won the subsequent scrum against the feed and after nine phases Ralepelle crossed the line, before O'Connor quickly responded with another penalty.
Just seconds later, O'Connor was sent to the sin bin for a dangerous tackle and the visitors were quick to take advantage as Basson scored their second try. After the teams traded penalty goals, the Bulls reached the break with a 15-12 lead.
Pressure
A try-saving Shepherd tackle denied Stephan Dippenaar early in the second half, but the Bulls maintained the pressure and extended their lead to six with a Steyn penalty.
The Force had a Ben McCalman try called back in the 57th minute for obstruction, but the referee had been playing advantage to the home side and O'Connor converted the resulting penalty, before tying the score with another just minutes later.
The hosts maintained the pressure and after several phases Shepherd scored a try in the corner to give the Force a 23-18 lead with 10 minutes left, before an O'Connor penalty with four minutes left sealed their victory.
"Not good enough, I thought we played well in the first half but in the second half we could not keep the ball," Bulls captain Victor Matfield said.
Force captain Nathan Sharpe added: "I thought our defence tonight, for 70 minutes of that game, was absolutely outstanding. The boys are enjoying it."
