The Western Force crashed the RaboDirect Rebels’ final round party, with a Willie Ripia penalty securing a last-minute 27-24 victory at AAMI Park. The 14,681 crowd was in full voice throughout and despite a late rally from the home side they were unable to cheer on a victory in the last match of an historic debut campaign.
The final match of the year at AAMI Park fell short of being a classic. The match-up, between the two lowest try-scoring sides in the competition, was unlikely to be a high-scoring affair and skill errors littered the contest. Both sides lacked continuity and a scrappy game developed.
The tone of the contest was set as early as the third minute, when Danny Cipriani missed a makeable penalty. The chance came as the home side dominated the early exchanges with probing kicks and a more expansive running game suggesting an open contest.
The Rebels did notch the opening score, after eight minutes, when Cipriani kicked the first of his four penalties. That served only to rouse the Force, who responded with their first spell of possession and an equalising penalty from the boot of James Stannard. The outcome could have been worse for the Rebels as the Force crossed the gain-line at will.
Midway through the half an optimistic Cipriani shot for goal fell short for as the game continued to offer little in the way of fluency. The Rebels saw more of the ball and enjoyed marginally more territory but mistakes at crucial times prevented clear scoring opportunities.
Two further Stannard penalties punished the Rebels’ indiscipline but Cipriani responded shortly before half-time to ensure there was little in it at the interval. The Force could well have taken a decisive lead but for a try-saving tackle from Nick Phipps as a Force counter-attack threatened the Rebels line.
The exchange of penalties continued at the start of the second half with first Stannard, then Cipriani, twice kicking three-pointers. Cipriani’s second for the half left the scores even at 12 apiece with just over half-an-hour remaining.
That became a four-point lead for the Force just after the hour mark as David Smith ran in the game’s first try. In a rare passage of continuous play the Force advanced close to the Rebels line, from where substitute Willie Ripia threw a delightful cut-out pass to catch the Rebels defence unawares and allow his winger to stride into the left corner.
Stannard missed the difficult conversion but any negative thoughts were pushed far from his mind just a couple of minutes later as the influential five-eighth scored his side’s second try in the opposite corner. A decisive Force break saw the ball find its way into Mitch Inman’s hands and he offloaded on his outside to Stannard who added the finishing touches to a sweeping move. Ripia assumed the kicking duties from the awkward angle and he made no mistake to hand his side a 21-12 lead with just 15 minutes remaining.
The Rebels threw everything at the Force on their next attack, willing themselves back into the contest. As the tight five inched the ball forward the crowd increased the volume, urging them on. Eventually, substitute and fan’s favourite, Adam Freier, made a decisive lunge and heaved his side back in the contest. Captain, Stirling Mortlock, kicked the extras in place of the temporarily sidelined Cipriani. The game was back to just four points with less than ten minutes to go.
The Rebels sensed this was their opportunity and smashed straight back into the Force from the kick-off. They quickly reclaimed possession and camped deep in Force territory. Wave after wave of attack formed and was repelled until a sharp burst from Richard Kingi broke the Force line. His pass to Cooper Vuna went to ground and from the ensuing scramble Mortlock fed on the scraps and like a rampaging bronco hauled himself and his tackler over the line. The inspirational skipper was unable to add the extras, leaving the game poised at 24-all with minutes remaining.
It was now a grandstand finish in the now established Rebels tradition but it was unclear which side the result would favour. Unfortunately for the majority in attendance, the balance swung decisively the Force’s way, and so late the Rebels were denied another comeback opportunity. A 45-metre Ripia penalty sealed the outcome and the Force players’ celebrations that greeted the ball sailing between the posts were those of a group that knew they were match-winners.
The disappointing finish for the Rebels could not dampen the spirits of the Rebel Army who roared their heroes on until the end. Special ovations were reserved for Greg Somerville and Kevin O’Neill, who played their final games for the club, as a peaceful invasion of the AAMI Park pitch began celebrations of a promising debut season that would continue long into the night.
RaboDirect Rebels
1. Nic Henderson, 2. Ged Robinson, 3. Greg Somerville, 4. Alister Campbell, 5. Adam Byrnes, 6. Jarrod Saffy, 7. Michael Lipman, 8. Gareth Delve (vc), 9. Nick Phipps, 10. Danny Cipriani, 11. Cooper Vuna, 12. Stirling Mortlock (c), 13. Afusipa Taumoepeau, 14. Richard Kingi, 15. Mark Gerrard
Reserves: 16. Adam Freier, 17. Laurie Weeks, 18. Kevin O’Neill, 19.
Tim Davidson, 20. Lachlan Mitchell, 21. Peter Betham, 22. James Hilgendorf
Head Coach: Rod Macqueen
Western Force
1. Kieran Longbottom, 2. Nathan Charles, 3. Matt Dunning, 4. Ben McCalman, 5. Sam Wykes, 6. Matt Hodgson, 7. David Pocock (c), 8. Richard Brown, 9. Brett Sheehan, 10. James Stannard, 11. David Smith, 12. Rory Sidey, 13. Mitch Inman, 14. Alfie Mafi, 15. Patrick Dellit
Reserves: 16. Ben Whittaker, 17. Tetera Faulkner, 18. Tom Hockings, 19. Jono Jenkins, 20. Mark Swanepoel, 21. Willie Ripia, 22. Cameron Shepherd
Coach: Richard Graham
Referee: Garratt Williamson
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