A woeful Western Force have copped a Super Rugby Pacific thrashing, held try-less in a 50-3 belting by the Blues at Eden Park.

Bashed up front by a powerful Blues pack on Friday evening, the bottom-ranked Force were never in the contest as they slumped to their heaviest defeat of the season.

It was the seventh time in the past three seasons the Force have been beaten by 35 points or more, and their biggest-ever loss against the Blues.

Halfback Taufa Funaki nabbed a double for the Blues but it was their forwards that got the job done, overpowering the Force on their way to four of their side's eight tries.

In hindsight, the Force would surely regret taking a penalty goal shortly before the half-hour while trailing 14-0 instead of pressing on in search of a try in a rare venture deep into Blues' territory.

Five-eighth Ben Donaldson knocked over the goal and the Blues gathered their own restart, with second-rower Laghlan McWhannell crossing to make it 21-3 seconds later in a moment that seemed to drain the fight out of the Force.

If that didn't end their chances, silky interplay between brothers Akira and Rieko Ioane that ended with a try for Funaki to give the Blues a 28-3 lead at halftime surely did.

The Blues' scrum forced penalties at will and produced the match's first try for Ofa Tu'ungafasi, with hooker Ricky Riccitelli crossing off the back of a rolling maul to make it 14-0.

Any thought of a second-half fightback was quickly snuffed out when No.8 Hoskins Sotutu powered over on 43 minutes, before centre Corey Evans picked off a loose Force pass and crossed untouched soon after in one of the Australian side's more disappointing moments.

Soft defending was a theme throughout, the Force missing a whopping 28 tackles compared with the Blues' six.
 

Blues 50 (TRIES: Tu'ungafasi, Riccitelli, McWhannell, Funaki 2, Sotutu, Evans, Lam; CONS: Plummer 5, Cashmore) def Western Force 3 (PENS: Donaldson)

 

BLUES (1-15): Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Ricky Riccitelli, Angus Ta'avao, Josh Beehre, Laghlan McWhannell, Akira Ioane, Dalton Papali'i (c), Hoskins Sotutu, Taufa Funaki, Harry Plummer, Caleb Clarke, Corey Evans, Rieko Ioane, AJ Lam, Cole Forbes

RESERVES: Soane Vikena, Joshua Fusitu'a, Marcel Renata, Anton Segner, Adrian Choat, Sam Nock, Lucas Cashmore, Caleb Tangitau

FORCE (1-15): Ryan Coxon, Tom Horton, Santiago Medrano, Sam Carter, Thomas Franklin, Tim Anstee, Carlo Tizzano, Reed Prinsep, Nic White (c), Ben Donaldson, Chase Tiatia, Hamish Stewart, Sam Spink, Bayley Kuenzle, Max Burey

RESERVES: Ben Funnell, Marley Pearce, Tiaan Tauakipulu, Lopeti Faifua, Will Harris, Ollie Callan, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Henry O’Donnell

Referee: Paul Williams

Assistant Referees: Marcus Playle, Mike Winter