MISTAKES COSTLY IN QUEENSLAND
Sunday, 14 March 2010 8:03pm
RugbyWA
The Emirates Western Force have felt the impact of multiple errors at the set-piece as the Queensland Reds took full advantage of a glut of possession in the round five Investec Bank Super 14 match at Suncorp Stadium.
The home side had a strangle hold of the match soon after the opening whistle and could thank their West Australian rivals for the opportunity to mount waves of attacks as the Force struggled to keep control of the ball.
“Clearly we struggled at line-out time,” Coach John Mitchell said after the match.
“We gave away eight pieces of play out of nine in the first half which equates to about 16 minutes extra of defence and as a result our defence suffered. I think it was another 13 minutes before we got another piece of possession after the first line-out overthrow, that’s game over.”
The in-form Reds executed their plan to perfection on home soil and Mitchell was left to lament his side’s inability to find their rhythm after a solid week of preparation.
“We have to congratulate the Reds, I thought they played very well and deserved their victory,” Mitchell said.
“It was built on some excellent momentum and a great platform which allowed Will Genia (Reds scrumhalf) to perform and service his back or his forwards really well.”
The Queenslanders raced to a 33 half time lead but a more solid defensive effort in the second half from the Force limited any significant further damage but still found themselves on the wrong end of a 50-10 scoreline.
“The boys showed some pride in the second half even though things didn’t go our way and we didn’t get a lot of momentum,” Mitchell said.
“Morale will come up based on executing accurately, confidence comes from delivering accurately and the line-out tonight basically cost us momentum.”
West Australian hooker Ryan Tyrrell had a tough introduction in his run-on debut for the club but Mitchell has backed the hard working rake to rebound and show the form that caught the eye of coaching staff in the pre-season.
“Ryan is a young footballer at this level. He trialed very well for us and threw outstandingly well. He has done it before and he can do it again.
“It is just a matter of overcoming this situation and learning from a pretty hard lesson tonight,” said Mitchell.
New recruit Jono Jenkins’ Super 14 debut lasted just a few minutes with the young flanker rolling his ankle after coming on as a second half substitute. The 23 year old was forced from the ground and will have scans this week to determine his availability for Saturday’s match against the Waratahs at ME Bank Stadium.
Hooker Pek Cowan was another casualty after receiving a blow to his shoulder and will be assessed on the club’s return to Western Australia on Monday.
New flyhalf David Hill was solid in his debut but wasn’t given significant opportunity to showcase his playmaking skills.
“David has been really good and it was just unfortunate that we didn’t have a platform for him tonight,” Mitchell said.
“There were several examples of where he cleared very well from the back fifty. I guess it would have been better to give him a stronger first entry but that’s not to be. He is a strong character and he’ll look at ways to improve us going forward.”
Next Match
Emirates Western Force v Waratahs
Saturday, 20 March 2010 at ME Bank Stadium
Kick-off 7.10pm Grab your tickets now by clicking here.
This match is in support of the Breast Cancer Foundation of Western Australia and limited edition hats are available with all proceeds from their sale going to help the great work of the foundation. You can also put yourself in the running to win some great prizes - Click here for more details.
