Blues repel Force with 17-13 win in Super Rugby basement battle
Last Updated: 21/05/16 1:35pm
The Blues claimed a hard-fought 17-13 victory over the Force in the battle of the Super Rugby strugglers in Perth.
Tana Umaga's Blues led 17-3 at half-time and fended off the Force, despite not scoring a point in the second half, for their sixth win of the season.
The visitors dominated the opening half with tries from Jerome Kaino and Tevita Li, but had to defend for long periods as the home side hit back after the interval.
Force skipper Matt Hodgson ploughed over from close range in the 54th minute and former Reds centre Ben Tapuai kicked the home side to within four points with a penalty 16 minutes from time.
The home side were camped in the Blues' quarter in the closing stages before they lost possession in a driving maul, allowing the Kiwis to kill off the game.
The Blues saw out the game with 14 men after replacement forward Nic Mayhew was yellow-carded for collapsing a Force maul close to the try-line.
The Blues were bouncing back from last week's 43-5 thumping by the Lions in South Africa but remain bottom of the New Zealand Conference.
The Force, who prop up the Australian Conference, remain without a home victory this season and were denied back-to-back wins after beating the Sunwolves in Japan two weeks ago to snap a seven-game losing streak.
