Live Scoring - Western Force -v- Crusaders Trial Match

[travelling_gerry]

Fulltime: Crusaders 28, Western Force 12 at MC Labour Park, Melbourne


The Crusaders have beaten the Western Force 28-12 in the pre-season match in Melbourne tonight, scoring four tries to the Western Australians' two in front of a good sized crowd.


A full match report will follow shortly here and on the Rugby WA website

[fulvio sammut]

Not angry, just agitated.

[Burgs]

Bummer, sounds competitive though.
Look forward to word of actual performances.

[blueandblack]

crappity..something

[Burgs]

Not angry, just agitated.

Reckon you'll be more agitated knowing now

[travelling_gerry]

A big thanks to Rugby WA Media Manager Tom "Badders" Baddeley for putting up with our phone calls to him and to his Media Officer Crispin Roberts for arranging.....

Also thanks to Canterbury Crusaders for some text content.

Thanks all for watching....

[slomo]

damn! but lets hope some positives came out of this game.

[hatchie]

14-12 at half time is a positive according to EJ

[travelling_gerry]

Match report from the Crusaders

http://www.crfu.co.nz/main/index.cfm...of-the-Crusade


Western Australians Feel the Force of the Crusade
January 19, 2007

Two tries during a strong final quarter have propelled the Crusaders to a pleasing 28-12 win over the Western Force in tonight’s pre-season match at MC Labour Park in Melbourne, the home ground of the Carlton AFL team, played in front of a crowd of 7000 enthusiastic fans.

The Crusaders had led just 14-12 into the final quarter of the game, after having conceded the opening try of the contest, until a try by winger Brent Ward allowed the reigning Rebel Sport Super 14 champions to ease to a 21-12 advantage.

Ward added the conversion to push his side beyond a seven point margin.

The lead was then extended when the Force messed up a clearing kick, and young Crusaders lock Isaac Ross quickly claimed the rebound to score his side’s fourth try, which wrapped up the game.

Although the Force tried desperately to respond before the match concluded, some resolute Crusaders defence held the Western Australians at bay, allowing Robbie Deans’s men to repeat last year’s pre-season win over the new Australian franchise.

As was the case in Greymouth a week earlier, Deans used the game to give playing time to a large number of players, with 28 fielded during the contest.

Although the personnel changes understandably created some disjointed patches, the Crusaders still found enough polish to hold off their opponents.

There were also some exceedingly positive signs on attack, especially when it is considered that the Crusaders of 2007 remain a relatively new combination, and one which should only improve with more match time as a unit.

The Force should also improve greatly with the outing, as John Mitchell’s men return to Western Australia to host Samoa.

Next up for the Crusaders is a game against the NSW Waratahs at Aussie Stadium in Sydney on Thursday night.

The Force made the stronger start to tonight’s contest and opened the scoring, providing the only points of the first quarter when the recently returned ex-Sydney Roosters rugby league flier Ryan Cross marked his return to rugby union by scoring under the posts.

A former Australian schoolboy rugby union rep, Cross was a key off-season recruit for the Force, and his overall performance tonight in Melbourne suggests that he could represent money well spent.

The Cross try was comfortably converted, which allowed the Force to lead 7-0 after the opening 20-minute period concluded.

After an uncertain start, the Crusaders asserted some dominance for periods of the second quarter, posting their first points when No 8 Jake Paringatai scored a try on debut for the side.

The five-pointer capped a big week for the genial Northlander, coming as it did in the same week where he became a father for the first time.

Paringatai had missed the Crusaders’ first pre-season outing against the Regional XV in Greymouth so that he could spend time with his pregnant partner back in Northland, in the lead-up to the child birth.

Paringatai’s try was converted from close range by Crusaders first-five-eighths Stephen Brett, who was also on target 10 minutes later when winger Scott Hamilton scored to take the Crusaders into the lead.

The 2006 All Black winger’s try took the Crusaders out to a 14-7 advantage with just two minutes of play remaining in the spell, but the Force weren’t finished and struck back immediately.

This time, the Western Australians’ try was scored by the opposite winger to Cross, Cameron Shepherd, who continued his rich run of form in matches against the Crusaders.

Shepherd, who’d provided the conversion for Cross’s game-opening try, bagged 18 of the Force’s 23 points during the draw with the Crusaders during last year’s inaugural Rebel Sport Super 14 meeting between the two teams.

On that occasion, as in tonight, a try contributed to the point’s tally of the 2006 Wallaby tourist.

The game lost some of its momentum as the second half commenced, with both sides making a number of changes.

This was especially the case for the Crusaders, who turned over a raft of players, with the newcomers including squad skipper Corey Flynn.

The 2003 All Black Rugby World Cup hooker, who has been appointed to lead the Crusaders until All Black skipper Richard McCaw becomes available again, returned to the field tonight for the first time since he suffered a season-ending ankle injury during Canterbury’s Air New Zealand Cup top six victory over Auckland at Jade Stadium in early October.

The Crusaders had been led in the first half by the 21-year-old flanker Kieran Read.

The third period ended with the Crusaders narrowly failing to add to their advantage after the ball was lost in contact just short of the Force goal-line.

Crusaders 28, Western Force 12

At MC Labour Park, Melbourne, Friday January 19, 2007

For the Crusaders: Tries by Jake Paringatai, Scott Hamilton, Brent Ward and Isaac Ross; conversions by Stephen Brett (2) and Ward (2).

For the Western Force: Tries by Ryan Cross, Cameron Shepherd; conversion by Cameron Shepherd.

Halftime: Crusaders 14, Western Force 12

[fulvio sammut]

Doom, doom, doom. Sack cloth, ashes and self immolation.Doom, doom doom.

[Thequeerone]

C'mon must be full time now - who from the force converted what ?

[Burgs]

A bit more Australian orientated coverage care of Fox Sports:

Cross makes instant impression

By Melissa Woods, c/o Fox Sports
January 19, 2007

RUGBY league convert Ryan Cross made an almost instant impression on his new code as he opened the scoring for Western Force in its Super 14 trial against the Crusaders in Melbourne tonight.

While Cross proved a success in his first rugby game since schoolboy days, the Perth-based Force went down to the defending champions from Christchurch 28-12.

Cross, who defected to rugby from Sydney Roosters after almost a decade in the National Rugby League, touched down in the ninth minute when he smartly changed his angle to run on to a ball from inside centre Junior Pelesasa.

Australia hooker Cameron Shepherd converted the try to give Force an early 7-0 lead.

Trying to cement a position in a red-hot backline, outside centre Cross showed some other nice touches as he brought his kicking game into play.

Other Force stand-outs for included tireless skipper Scott Fava, exciting 18-year-old flanker David Pocock and hard-running wing Digby Ioane, who made a number of breaks.

Ioane, however, contributed to the Crusaders' first try in the 29th minute.

He failed to ground a kick into the in-goal by winger Scott Hamilton, which was pounced on by No.8 Jake Paringatai, with promising five-eighth Stephen Brett adding the extras.

With the Crusaders forced to rest six New Zealand players from the first half of the competition, Brett showed he has the ability to fill the breach left by star Dan Carter.

He and Hamilton combined to put the Crusaders ahead before the Force closed the gap to 14-12 just before the break through Shepherd.

Pelesasa again made a break, shrugging off some flimsy defence before he found Shepherd, who had returned to the field after treatment for a head gash.

After making a number of changes, the Crusaders stepped up a notch in the second half, posting two unanswered tries to full back Brent Ward and lock Isaac Ross.

Ross' try came after a charge-down on a kick by Force halfback Chris O'Young, although a penalty could have been awarded as five-eighth Scott Daruda appeared to have been held back.

AAP

[Burgs]

Specially for you thequeerone

Crusaders 28, Western Force 12

At MC Labour Park, Melbourne, Friday January 19, 2007

For the Crusaders: Tries by Jake Paringatai, Scott Hamilton, Brent Ward and Isaac Ross; conversions by Stephen Brett (2) and Ward (2).

For the Western Force: Tries by Ryan Cross, Cameron Shepherd; conversion by Cameron Shepherd.

Halftime: Crusaders 14, Western Force 12

[Ecky]

Australia hooker Cameron Shepherd converted the try to give Force an early 7-0 lead.

He's the hooker now? And there was I thinking we already had two great hookers, when Cam steps up to add another string to his bow! He'd have to be first picked each game now.....

[Thequeerone]

thanks Burgs - kid bouncing on knee as I read this - so I missed page 3 - what a bummer for the lads - sounds like Chris O' Young put up a sterling performance !! and Ryan has found his form - no mention of our courageous forwards winning ball - why aren't these things on telly - thanks to all who orgainised the scores etc..