Western Force aim to end Brumbies hoodoo

The Western Force are riding a wave of belief after coming from behind to beat the Queensland Reds 26-19 in Perth on Thursday night.

After finally ending their 10-match losing streak at home, the Western Force have set their sights on busting another hoodoo - the Brumbies.

The Force notched their first home win in 663 days by beating the Queensland Reds 26-19 at nib Stadium on Thursday night.

Their last win at home before that was on May 9, 2015 when they beat the Waratahs 18-11.

Force coach Dave Wessels praised his team's fighting spirit against the Reds.

Not only did his team have to overcome a five-day turnaround between games, but they were without injured star forwards Matt Hodgson (hamstring) and Ben McCalman (thumb).

Lock Adam Coleman (calf) and flyhalf Jono Lance (ribs) added to their injury woes during the match, but the Force held on grimly to register their first win of the Super Rugby season.

The Force will be aiming to continue their solid form when they take on the Brumbies in Canberra on Friday night.

The Brumbies have won the past six clashes between the two sides, averaging more than four tries a game across that period.

But 34-year-old Wessels, who is in his rookie season as a senior coach, hopes that run of losses is about to end.

"The Brumbies have been one of those bogey sides for us," Wessels said.

"For a lot of the guys in the group it would be nice to go there and try to do something special."

Coleman, who could barely walk after tearing his calf, will undergo scans to determine the extent of the injury.

Wessels expects Lance to be fit to take on the Brumbies, while Hodgson will return from a hamstring injury.

McCalman, who underwent thumb surgery during the off-season after suffering a dislocation during training, will miss one more match.

Wessels was delighted to come away with the win against Queensland.

But he knows his team still have plenty of room for improvement.

A glut of handling errors almost cost the Force dearly, while Wessels said their maul defence needs to get much better.

The brightest aspect of the win was the form of winger Chance Peni, who scored a second-minute try and made a series of blistering line breaks in a standout performance.


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Source: AAP



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