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Force hold off Waratahs for first Super Rugby victory since 2017

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Western Force got their first win in Super Rugby AU with a 20-16 victory over the New South Wales Waratahs at Western Sydney Stadium on Friday despite playing with 14 men for the last quarter-of-an-hour.

The Perth-based side lost all of their matches in the competition at the first time of asking last year but held onto a slender advantage with some desperate defence after replacement hooker Andrew Ready was shown a red card.

It was the team's first win in Super Rugby since they beat the Waratahs 40-11 in Perth on July 2017 in the final match of their final season in the international competition, which fell victim to the global health crisis last year.

"I don't think it's sunk in yet," said captain Brynard Stander, one of a string of foreign recruits brought in to strengthen the Force squad this year.

"The last 20 minutes was really tough, a lot of character shown. We live live by the motto of 'family' and I think you saw that tonight."

It was a third straight defeat for the inexperienced Waratahs, who conceded more than 100 points in record losses to the Queensland Reds and ACT Brumbies in their first two matches.

They put in a much-improved performance for their first home match of the season but it was not quite enough to beat a Force side featuring experienced test veterans like Rob Kearney, Tevita Kuridrani and Richard Kahui.

The Waratahs took an early 10 point lead on the back of a David Porecki try but the Force hit back when flanker Tim Anstee charged through the defence and fed Fergus Lee-Warner for the lock to score after half an hour.

The home side led 13-10 at halftime but Anstee forced his way across the line off the back of the lineout 14 minutes after the restart to put the Force ahead.

Ready was dismissed for throwing a punch at a prone opponent to set up a frantic last 15 minutes but the Waratahs were able to manage just one Will Harrison penalty, which Ian Prior countered with a late three-pointer for the Force.

"It's been 1,300 odd days (since our last win)," said Anstee. "We definitely knew we were capable of it ... but to get the win, it's massive."

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Toby Davis)