Winger Ella Pietsch has suffered an injury on debut as the Western Force coughed up a sizeable lead in a 29-24 Super Rugby Women's loss to the Fijian Drua in Fiji.
The Force led 24-10 in the 53rd minute of Saturday's match in Churchill Park in Lautoka before the Drua unleashed a mesmerising three-try blitz to snatch the victory.
In a thrilling finish, the Force spent most of the last few minutes just metres away from their tryline, but the Drua's strong defence held firm.
The Drua's consequence-free mindset played a crucial role in the win, with their mesmerising passing game and attack-at-all-costs mantra leaving the Force scrambling for most of the second half.
"Just their last 20 minutes, they really changed momentum and the crowd got behind them," Force captain Trilleen Pomare said.
