Coach fumes as Force blow win in Zac Lomax's debut as star code-hopper makes promising cameo
Updated . First published
Western Force coach Simon Cron threw his headset in disgust after watching his players botch a golden opportunity to secure an upset win over the Fijian Drua in Lautoka on Saturday.
The Force trailed 24-22 after 80 minutes but fumbled an attacking lineout as the relieved hosts kicked to touch to take the shine off Zac Lomax's Super Rugby debut.
The ex-NRL star had a promising 20 minute cameo off the bench, sparking a counter-attack that led to Will Harris' try and a yellow card to opposite winger Ilaisa Droasese.
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Lomax also showed his aerial prowess with a good high ball catch and was clearly given a licence to roam around Churchill Park.
But goalkicking proved costly for the Force.
Veteran substitute Kurtley Beale - who had thrown the intercept pass for Isikeli Basiyalo's try - missed the conversion for Harris' try which would have locked the scores at 24-24.
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Simon Cron shows his frustration. Stan
And Ben Donaldson then misfired with a 45m penalty attempt in the 78th minute which would have likely given the Force a win.
Lomax is a more than handy goalkicker and his boot may come into Cron's calculations in games to come.
The loss leaves the Force 10th of 11 teams with their finals hopes all but over.
Zac Lomax after the match. Stan
"Really tough game. Really physical game, I think we knew we were going to get that," Force captain and try-scorer Jeremy Williams said.
"I thought we did really well in our set-piece. That's something we were going to in the first and second half there and we put ourselves in an opportunity to be able to win that.
"I think if we nailed a few other things, we could have won that game. It was probably great to watch for the fans, unfortunately we didn't win. I'm really proud of our boys and the way we've prepared this week and the performance we put on out there."
