Western Force recorded their second win of their South African Super 14 trip with an 18-16 victory over the Lions at Ellis Park on Friday.
In an error-ridden encounter, the Australian side enjoyed the majority of possession, especially in the second period, to pick up four points to the Lions' one.
The Perth-based team outscored the hosts two tries to one in the first period, but still trailed at the interval after the home team's No. 10 Louis Strydom had converted three penalties.
The Lions were kept scoreless in the second 40 minutes, while the Force only managed a three-pointer in that period to go home the happier team.
The Lions were first on the board in a see-saw affair with a Strydom penalty in the sixth minute, but the visitors struck back in the 12th minute when fullback Cameron Shepherd galloped over the line after a sweeping move which started at the halfway line.
When the ball was shifted to the right after a quick tap-penalty, the Lions defense was caught napping, allowing Shepherd to run in untouched, the conversion by Matt Giteau making it 7-3 for John Mitchell's men.
Strydom and Giteau then swapped penalties before the Force jumped into a 15-6 lead after No. 8 Tamaiti Horua went over in the left corner after taking a wonderful pass by Giteau, who had broken the first line of defense by rounding Springbok loose forward Joe van Niekerk.
The Lions though, who put up a much braver effort than was the case a week earlier against the Blues, maintained their composure and enjoyed the majority of possession in the later stages of the first period.
Strydom closed the gap to just six points with a third three-pointer on the half-hour mark and then minutes later they crossed for their first try.
Lions center Doppies la Grange charged down a Scott Daruda clearance kick, picked the loose ball up and his quick offload to his midfield teammate Jaco van Schalkwyk allowed the center to run in and score under the uprights.
Strydom added the extras to ensure the home side lead by a solitary point at the change-over.
While the Force dominated in both the territorial and possession stakes in the second period, all they had to show for their superiority over the home side was a long-range penalty by Shepherd, who edged his side into the lead, 18-16, in the 55th minute.
The visitors threatened for much of the half to add to their two first half tries, but their forays into Lions territory were halted by some quality defending, while the home team never did enough to threaten the Australians' line.
They did not even get close to winning a penalty in Force territory, such was the dominance by the Australians, who have now won two of their three games in South Africa.
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