RESULT | Super Rugby – Waratahs 13 v 25 Force

The Western Force completed a weekend of shocks with a 25-13 win over the Waratahs in Sydney on Sunday.

After some of the scintillating rugby we’ve seen this weekend, this match failed to live with what had come before it. The Force didn’t even need to be at their best to beat the defending champions, who were desperately poor.

In the corresponding fixture last season, Israel Folau ran in a hat-trick. On Sunday, he was anonymous. As were most of the Waratahs game-breaking backs, who were undone by numerous unforced errors.

The Force enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and territory, which they utilised to outscore their opponents by four tries to one.

In a dire first half, it was the Force that held the advantage, after a 36th minute try from flank Chris Alcock handed them an 8-3 lead.

The Waratahs were simply never at the races. It was a listless performance, as they were outplayed in every facet of play, apart from the scrums.

The upset was well and truly on the cards when Angus Cottrell crashed over to make the score 15-3 early in the second half.

A try from Rob Horne ten minutes later, after the Force had gone down to 14 men, briefly raised hopes of a comeback. But two further tries, from Luke Morahan and replacement prop Francois van Wyk, sealed the victory for the Force – their first opening day win in their history.