Force wing Zac Lomax is tackled against Fijian Drua.
Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images
Robbed.
That was how former ‘Flying Fijian’ and world sevens star Waisale Serevi described the Fijian Drua’s 19-15 Super Rugby Pacific loss to Western Force in Perth on Saturday night.
Serevi asserted Mac Grealy’s final pass for Zac Lomax’s try in the corner was way forward, and should have been reviewed by referee Paul Williams and video official Aaron Paterson.
TV commentators even said they could not believe how the late Force try was allowed, when they reviewed on screen.
Grealy was on the five-metre mark when he released the ball and Lomax caught the ball two steps ahead of the five-metre line.
“That’s so sad and cost my Fijian Drua the game,” Serevi said. “That should not have been allowed.
“Thank you Drua for the game.”
Serevi said the result was disappointing, as the Fijians had fought hard to stay in the game and looked like they would win their second road game this season.
Head coach Glen Jackson told the media the try spoiled what would have been good celebration for the team, especially flanker Kitione Salawa, who played his 50th game for the club.
“Really stoked for the boys,” Jackson said. “They put their hands up.
“Probably should have won there, if you take away what was a forward pass that led to the try. I think everyone else thought that, but really proud.
“Kiti Salawa playing 50 games is massive achievement for the club. I thought he was outstanding and a lot of the boys put their hands up for him.”
While acknowledging the wrong call, captain Temo Mayanavanua also pointed to the team’s inability to finish off their own opportunities, putting the blame for the loss squarely on the players.
“We are all human beings and, at the end of the day, we all make mistakes,” he said. “It’s important that we move forward and move on.
“There were couple of moments there where we could have been a lot better. That break down the sideline, if we had just shifted the ball on with one more pass, there was a huge overlap.
“As much as we want to blame officials and stuff, I thought they did an outstanding job. At the end of the day, the players are also a part of it.”
Drua were playing for pride, while the Force needed a bonus-point win to keep their chances of a top-six finish alive.
Lomax’s 69th-minute try put the Force ahead, but the home side needed another two tries to snare the winning bonus point.
Captain Jeremy Williams looked to have given the Force finals hope, when he touched down in the 78th minute, but the video official rubbed it out, after finding an earlier knock-on.
The Force desperately tried to score another try to keep the bonus point in play, but it wasn’t to be.
The result means the Force are six points adrift of the sixth-placed Queensland Reds, with only one round remaining.
Carlo Tizzano’s 10th-minute try from a rolling maul gave the Force the perfect start, but Drua levelled terms with a 17th-minute try to Kitione Salawa, who barged over next to the posts.
Hooker Zuriel Togiatama found himself free in the corner, after a well-worked lineout move, and Drua led 12-7 at halftime.
The second spell started strongly for the Force, who took the Drua scrum to shreds, setting up No.8 Vaiolini Ekuasi to bust over.
Veteran and former Wallaby Kurtley Beale made his 186th Super Rugby appearance, when he entered the game in the second spell and was instrumental in moving the Force attack straight away.
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