A sublime 60 metre sprint from substitute hooker Nathan Charles lifted the Western Force to a nail-biting 24-16 Super 14 triumph over the Crusaders in Perth on Friday night.

The Force trailed 13-0 at half-time but hit the front early in the second half following tries to Ben Whittaker and Pek Cowan.

A Dan Carter drop goal edged the Crusaders ahead 16-14 in the 68th minute but Charles turned the game back the Force's way with his gut-busting run.

The substitute hooker picked up the loose ball from a ruck near the Force's 22 metre line and sprinted downfield, shaking off one tackler before being brought to ground 20 metres short of the try line.

Charles managed to offload the ball to winger Cameron Shepherd, who was taken down himself before dishing the ball to Matt Hodgson to cross over.

Hill converted the try and nailed a penalty three minutes from time to seal the Force's first ever win over the Crusaders.

The loss is a massive blow to the Crusaders' top-four aspirations.

The Crusaders remain top of the table for now but encounter tough assignments against the Stormers (away), Bulls (away) and Brumbies (home) to round out the season.

Slack marking at the breakdown by Force prop Tim Fairbrother handed the Crusaders the opening try after just four minutes, with halfback Kahn Fotuali'i sneaking through untouched as Fairbrother watched on.

Carter duly converted to make it 7-0 but the Force spurned several opportunities to close the gap, with their failure to make the most of good field positions and two missed penalties costing them dearly.

Fotuali'i slotted a scrappy drop goal from 20 metres out to make it 10-0 after 25 minutes and Carter's first penalty of the night shortly before half-time gave the Crusaders a handy 13-0 lead at the break.

The Crusaders were a team under siege in the second half as the Force unleashed phase after phase in attack.

And while the visitors initially held out, they couldn't deny a desperate Whittaker, who managed to get enough downward force on the ball with his outstretched right arm to convince the television match official to award the try in the 44th minute.

The Force weren't content with penalties and, like they did for much of the first half, kicked for touch to go for maximum points.

And the ploy paid dividends in the 50th minute when Cowan touched down after a dominant rolling maul from the Force got him to within diving distance of the line.

Hill's conversion, which only just sneaked in off the upright, gave the Force a 14-13 lead but the five-eighth missed the chance to extend the margin with a poorly taken penalty from in the 58th minute.

Carter's drop goal silenced the crowd but Charles brought them back to life with his game-breaking run.

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