As it happened: Force v Lions

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Commentary by Sport24's Herman Mostert

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PICTURE

Nick "Honey Badger" Cummins is a strong runner but should perhaps stay clear of kicking... (Getty Images)

KEY STATS

Metres run: Force 414-279 Lions
Carries: Force 147-76 Lions
Defenders beaten: Force 15-9 Lions
Clean breaks: Force 5-3 Lions
Tackles made: Force 59-162 Lions
Missed tackles: Force 9-15 Lions
Turnovers won: Force 12-9 Lions
Kicks in play: Force 26-25 Lions
Rucks won: Force 111-50 Lions
Rucks lost: Force 9-4 Lions
Mauls won: Force 5-3 Lions
Lineouts won: Force 12-7 Lions
Lineouts lost: Force 1-1
Scrums won: Force 9-6 Lions
Scrums lost: Force 0-1 Lions
Penalties conceded: Force 9-5 Lions

Thanks for tuning in!

The Force have moved up to fourth spot overall and second in the Australian conference, while the Lions remain in 14th spot on the overall log.

In next week's action, the Force play the Crusaders in Christchurch, while the Lions host the Bulls in Johannesburg.

Remember to follow our live commentary on the later game between the Stormers and Cheetahs at Newlands (kick-off 17:05).

TWEET

Sad that a game has to be decided by the stupidity of match officials - Jan de Koning

FULL-TIME: Western Force 29-19 Lions

The Force perhaps deserved their win. They dominated most stats, but the Lions will argue that the Corne Fourie's dubious yellow card swung the game. The Force scored 12 unanswered points during that period...

79'- CONVERSION by Jayden Hayward.

Force 29-19 Lions

78'- TRY! Short joy for the Lions as the Force hit right back from the ensuing kick-off.

Captain Matt Hodgson barges over under the posts for his second try.

That's also the four-try bonus point for the hosts.

78'- Boshoff CONVERTS the easy conversion to keep the Lions in the hunt!

Force 22-19 Lions

77'- TRY! 30 seconds later Jantjies scores to make amends. The Honey Badger tried a horrible kick inside his own in-goal area before Jantjies pounced.

Worst kick ever from Cummins there!

76'- NO TRY! Replays show Jantjies dropped the ball as he was about to ground it. Heartbreak for the Lions. 

76'- But wait, the TMO is called into action...

76' - TRY! Elton Jantjies scores for the Lions after a brilliant backline move in which they ran from halfway.

75'- Faf de Klerk has replaced Ross Cronje at scrumhalf for the Lions.

75'- CONVERSION by Jayden Hayward, who takes over the kicking duties as Ebersohn has been replaced.

Force 22-12 Lions

74'- TRY! The Lions dam wall has finally broken as centre Chris Tuatara-Morrison barges over under the posts.

73'- TMO correctly rules NO TRY!

The Force will get an attacking scrum five metres out.

73'- It wasn't a double movement, but doesn't look like a grounding.

73'- TRY OR NO TRY?

Force replacement back Zack Holmes goes over, but the TMO must decide if he grounded it correctly or whether it was a double movement.

71'- The hosts have an attacking scrum inside the Lions 22. Can the Lions again hold on?

71'- Hollenbach limps off for the Lions in what looks like a knee injury. Elton Jantjies replaces him.

70'- Boshoff tries to run it out from deep inside his own territory but drops it to give the Force a chance to attack...

69'- The Aussie commentators think Britz is a Honey Badger lookalike...!

68'- With the Force now back inside the Lions half, the Lions have brought on Willie Britz for lock Rudi Matthee.

PICTURE

Ross Cronje runs into Sias Ebersohn (Getty Images)

66'- The Lions are back inside Force territory. Momentum shift in this game now?

64' - PENALTY converted by Boshoff.

Force 15-12 Lions

63' - Lions win a penalty right in front! 

63'- Stefan Watermeyer has replaced a bloodied Coenie van Wyk for the Lions.

62'- The Lions finally get a chance inside the Force 22m area...

61'- After 61 minutes, the Lions have made 132 tackles and the Force only 43.

60' - AMAZING STAT

The Force have spent seven-and-a-half minutes inside the Lions 22m area, while the Lions have only been in the red zone for 27 seconds!

59'- Former Shark Brynard Stander is now on at No 8 for the Force. Ben McCalman off.

59'- After 9 phases in the red zone, the Force again lose it. Superb defence by the Lions!

56'- The Lions steal it before butchering it twice - first via a charged down kick - and then one of their players accidentally dotting it down dead. Madness from the Lions!

Five-metre attacking scrum to the Force!

53'- After a long rolling maul the Force win a penalty. However, they again opt for a five-metre lineout...

53'- My word, Nick "The Honey Badger" Cummins is starting to impress here with a few strong runs in the last few minutes. He is clearly busting for a bit of meat! Maybe upset that his earlier try was disallowed...

52'- After 11 phases, the Lions steal possession before Cronje clears to bring relief.

51'- It's all the Force here in the second half. They are back inside the Lions 22m area...

49'- Volmink drops a simple Ebersohn high ball in front of his own tryline, but recovers well, before Hollenbach gets the Lions out of trouble by kicking it out on the halfway line. Solid punt!

47'- The Force scored 12 points in Fourie's absence. It could have been more though...

45'- 15 AGAINST 15

Lions prop Corne Fourie is back from the sin-bin.

44'- TRY CANCELLED! Walsh sees it on the big screen. He says there was obstruction.

That wasn't obstruction in my book, but the Lions deserve some luck.

44'- TRY! Nick Cummins scores in the corner for the Force.

However, referee Walsh wants to check for obstruction and a possible forward pass.

43' - After 11 phases, the Force win a kickable penalty. They opt against the 3 points and set up an attacking lineout.

Remember, the Lions are still down to 14 men.

42'- Force back on the attack inside Lions territory...

40'- The Lions have four more minutes to negotiate before Fourie comes back.

12:41 - Welcome back for the second half! Boshoff starts play.

TWEET

All Super Rugby officials should be neutral, including the TMO. Have been so many home town decisions in this year's tournament - Simon Borchardt

12:37 - In-studio SuperSport commentator David Campese also says it was a poor call to send Lions prop Corne Fourie to the sin-bin.

The TMO is Peter Marshall from Australia, who on his own decided to advise Steve Walsh to dish out a card. Rather stay out of it Mr Marshall!

FIRST HALF STATS

Metres run: Force 178-123 Lions
Carries: Force 62-41 Lions
Defenders beaten: Force 6-4 Lions
Clean breaks: Force 2-1 Lions
Tackles made: Force 34-70 Lions
Missed tackles: Force 4-6 Lions
Turnovers won: Force 6-5 Lions
Kicks in play: Force 12-10 Lions
Rucks won: Force 48-28 Lions
Rucks lost: Force 2-2 Lions
Mauls won: Force 1-1 Lions
Lineouts won: Force 3-4 Lions
Lineouts lost: Force 1-1
Scrums won: Force 4-4 Lions
Scrums lost: Force 0-1 Lions
Penalties conceded: Force 5-3 Lions

HALF-TIME: Force 15-9 Lions

40'- A horrible conversion attempt by Ebersohn.

Force 15-9 Lions

38'- TRY! This time it's a try as fullback Jayden Hayward dives over in the corner. The Force clearly cashing in on their one-man advantage.

37'- NO TRY. TMO rules that Ebersohn was held up. Correct call.

37' - From the ensuing kick-off, the Force run all the way back into Lions territory. Ebersohn jinks his way though and goes over under the posts, but he looks to be held up...

TMO to decide...

TWEET

Fourie gets a yellow for no arms tackle. Really disagree and so do the commentators - Lions Rugby

36'- CONVERSION by Ebersohn.

Force 10-9 Lions

35' - TRY! Force captain Matt Hodgson barges over next to the posts. 

It came after another dominant Force scrum.

35'- The Force opt for another scrum...

34'- YELLOW CARD

Lions prop Corne Fourie is off for 10 minutes. The TMO advised Walsh to send him off. He said Fourie used no arms in his tackle on Charles. Harsh call in my book!

34' - Play is halted though. Force hooker Nathan Charles is down with a blow to the head.

34'- Another superb scrum by the Force sees them win another penalty. Referee Walsh played advantage but the hosts couldn't go through, before Walsh went back for the penalty.

33'- The Force have an attacking scrum five metres from the Lions tryline...

32'- The Force win a TIGHTHEAD at scrum time! It gives them another attacking chance.

30'- The Force probe for 10 phases before knocking it on. Relief for the Lions.

But the Force aren't the greatest attackers! They went absolutely nowhere during those 10 phases.

29'- Ebersohn boots a high up-and-under, which Ross Cronje drops to give the hosts an attacking chance just outside the Lions 22m area...

PICTURE

Nick "Honey Badger" Cummins (Getty Images)

27'- Boshoff lands the PENALTY from the touchline.

Force 3-9 Lions

26'- Boshoff attempts a drop goal close to the touchline, but misses.

However, there was a penalty advantage and Boshoff will get another chance to stretch his side's lead.

24'- Another Lions penalty at scrum time. Pek Cowan the Force man in trouble.

Boshoff boots down-field and into Force territory...

23'- The Force, looking to spread it in a rare attacking chance, butcher a big chance when a pass out wide goes forward...

22'- The Lions have had 86% possession in the last five minutes!

21'- A bit of an aerial kicking duel at present. The Lions won't mind this...

18'- Boshoff curls his PENALTY attempt in beautifully to put the Lions in front.

Force 3-6 Lions

17'- Boshoff boots down-field and the Lions win a kickable penalty...

Boshoff to line up, about 15m in from touch.

17'- But the Lions are off the hook when Force prop Pek Cowan is penalised for coming in at the side at a ruck...

15'- A clever chip in behind the Lions by Ebersohn sees Nick Cummins chase hard, but Jaco Kriel gets there first. He is bundled out though... Force lineout in the Lions 22m area...

TWEET

Doesn't Steve Walsh just love himself - always prancing and making sure he gets good airtime on TV - Jan de Koning

12'- Ebersohn's penalty attempt from 39m out is away to the left...

11'- Kickable penalty to the Force as the Lions are again caught off-side.

Referee Steve Walsh warns the Lions. "Mate, this is your second penalty for off-side," he tells Lions captain Warren Whiteley.

8'- Some trouble at scrum time in slippery conditions. Don't expect the props to get things right...

5'- Boshoff hits the posts but his PENALTY attempt is over.

Force 3-3 Lions

4'- Lions win a penalty from in front after the Force are penalised at scrum time. Strong set piece start by the Lions!

3'- Heavy rain coming down now. Expect a few handling errors tonight!

2' - Ebersohn slots a PENALTY from in front in driving rain!

Force 3-0 Lions

1' - An early kickable penalty to the Force as the Lions are caught off-side. The Lions were dumb from the kick-off, trying to run from their own 22.

11:40 - Force No 10 Sias Ebersohn starts the game!

11:38 - The Force are wearing pink shorts tonight in aid of breast cancer awareness.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Lions v Force: Lions won 1, lost 5; 127 points for, 208 against, 10 tries, 23 conceded.

Average score: 30-18 to the Force!

TWEET

Change to our line-up tonight. Francois van Wyk has replaced Tetera Faulkner in the number 17 jersey - Western Force

CAN THE LIONS FINISH ON A HIGH?

It's a final chance for the Lions to record their first win abroad since May 28, 2011, when they beat the Highlanders by 26-22 in Dunedin.

Their last victory in Perth came in 2007 (25-24) thanks to a last-minute penalty by flyhalf Andre Pretorius.

LOG STANDINGS

Ahead of kick-off, the Force find themselves in third place in the Australian Conference and 8th in the Overall standings.

The Lions are currently bottom of the South African Conference and 14th in the Overall log.

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OFFICIALS

Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant referees: James Leckie (Australia), Ian Smith (Australia)
TMO: Peter Marshall (Australia)

RECENT RESULTS

2012: Force won 17-11, Perth
2011: Force won 27-15, Johannesburg
2010: Force won 33-12, Johannesburg
2009: Force won 55-14, Perth
2008: Force won 18-16, Johannesburg
2007: Lions won 25-24, Perth

TEAMS:

Force

15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Chris Tuatara-Morrison, 12 Luke Burton, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Ian Prior, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Matt Hodgson (captain), 6 Angus Cottrell, 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Kieran Longbottom, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan

Substitutes:16 Heath Tessmann, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Ollie Hoskins, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Brynard Stander, 21 Justin Turner, 22 Zack Holmes, 23 Patrick Dellit

Lions

15 Coenie van Wyk, 14 JW Jonker, 13 Deon van Rensburg, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Rudi Matthee, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Armand van der Merwe, 1 Corne Fourie

Substitutes: 16 Robbie Coetzee, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Julian Redelinghuys, 19 Willie Britz, 20 Stephan de Wit, 21 Francois de Klerk, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Stefan Watermeyer

Welcome to Sport24's LIVE scoring and interactive commentary on today's Super Rugby match between the Force and Lions in Perth!