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Western Force coach Tim Sampson was left to bemoan a “whistle happy” referee after watching his side crash to a 27-11 loss to the Brumbies in Perth on Friday night.
The Force conceded a whopping ten penalties during the first half, with the home side giving up vital field position time and again to set the platform for the Brumbies’ win.
The Brumbies conceded nine penalties themselves in the second half at the hands of referee Graham Cooper, and Sampson wasn’t thrilled by the stop-start nature of the game.
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THE ACT BRUMBIES launched their Super Rugby AU title defence with a clinical win over the Western Force, for whom Rob Kearney debuted at fullback, while the Queensland Reds inflicted a record winning margin over the NSW Waratahs on Friday.
The Brumbies came out on top of a torrid contest against Kearney’s side, winning 27-11 in Perth in what was Force’s first home match in almost four years.
The Reds earlier kicked off the new season with a record 41-7 derby bonus-point win over the Waratahs in Brisbane.
The Brumbies always had the measure of the fired-up Force, capitalising on their ill-discipline and icing victory with two second-half tries.