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          Super Rugby Pacific 2024
          BluesBluesBLU
          50
          05/04FT
          3
          Western ForceWestern ForceWES
          • Ofa Tu'ungafasi(13')
          • Ricky Riccitelli(20')
          • Laghlan McWhannell(30')
          • Taufa Funaki(37', 51')
          • Hoskins Sotutu(43')
          • Corey Evans(55')
          • AJ Lam(76')
          • Harry Plummer(14', 22', 31', 39', 55')
          • Ben Donaldson(29')
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          Western Force brushed aside in 50-3 Blues thrashing

          • AAP
          Multiple Authors
          Apr 5, 2024, 08:35 PM
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          A woeful Western Force have copped a Super Rugby Pacific thrashing, held try-less in a 50-3 belting by the Blues at Eden Park.

          Bashed up front by a powerful Blues pack on Friday evening, the bottom-ranked Force were never in the contest as they slumped to their heaviest defeat of the season.

          It was the seventh time in the past three seasons the Force have been beaten by 35 points or more, and their biggest-ever loss against the Blues.

          AJ Lam of the Blues celebrates after scoring a try. Hannah Peters/Getty Images

          Halfback Taufa Funaki nabbed a double for the Blues but it was their forwards that got the job done, overpowering the Force on their way to four of their side's eight tries.

          In hindsight, the Force would surely regret taking a penalty goal shortly before the half-hour while trailing 14-0 instead of pressing on in search of a try in a rare venture deep into Blues' territory.

          Five-eighth Ben Donaldson knocked over the goal and the Blues gathered their own restart, with second-rower Laghlan McWhannell crossing to make it 21-3 seconds later in a moment that seemed to drain the fight out of the Force.

          If that didn't end their chances, silky interplay between brothers Akira and Rieko Ioane that ended with a try for Funaki to give the Blues a 28-3 lead at halftime surely did.

          The Blues' scrum forced penalties at will and produced the match's first try for Ofa Tu'ungafasi, with hooker Ricky Riccitelli crossing off the back of a rolling maul to make it 14-0.

          Any thought of a second-half fightback was quickly snuffed out when No.8 Hoskins Sotutu powered over on 43 minutes, before centre Corey Evans picked off a loose Force pass and crossed untouched soon after in one of the Australian side's more embarrassing moments.

          Soft defending was a theme throughout, the Force missing a whopping 28 tackles compared with the Blues' six.

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          Standings

          Super Rugby Pacific
          RTeamGPPDP
          1CHI9+10931
          2HUR8+18431
          3BLU9+7929
          4ACT9+4925
          5QUE8-3622
          6CRU9+3921
          7NSW8-2819
          8FIJ9-9316
          9HIG9-5516
          10WES9-2614
          11MOA9-2224
          Full Table