If a heartbreaking defeat to Super Rugby's newest franchise wasn't hard enough to bear, the Western Force are set to lose another one of their star flankers to injury.

The Force blew an early two-try lead to go down to the Melbourne Rebels 26-25 in Perth on Saturday night in what was the side's first ever win on the road.

Pouring salt on the Force's wounds is a shoulder injury to Matt Hodgson, with the extent of the blow to become clear on Monday following scans.

However it is likely the Wallabies representative will join fellow loose forward David Pocock, the man he replaced in the No. 7 jersey, on the sidelines.

Coach Richard Graham said Pocock is still about three to four weeks away from returning.

The Force were seeking redemption after being decimated by the Stormers 51-16 in Cape Town last week but are now staring down the barrel of three consecutive losses.

Graham said he had confidence in the way the side was playing but they needed to learn how to keep the pressure on.

"I've got an unwavering belief that the way we're playing will win us games but at the end of the day you've got to build pressure," he said following the loss.

"If you release that valve ... you always keep a team in it and then it becomes a lottery at the end of the game.

"Those are the sorts of things, the aspects of our game that you've got to obviously cut out."

Captain Nathan Sharpe appeared a broken man with the one-point loss seemingly taking more of a toll than the trouncing they copped in South Africa.

"In games that you feel you were in the contest, you want to walk away with the points and that was an important game for us this season," Sharpe said.

It is likely former Hurricanes playmaker Willie Ripia will come back into the side for next week's clash against the NSW Waratahs after being ruled out for several weeks with a foot injury.

Graham said the Kiwi flyhalf will train with the squad and if he proves his fitness he will be selected.

It is tipped Ripia's selection would move 20-year-old Wallabies sensation James O'Connor into the No.12 jersey pushing Gene Fairbanks out of the inside centre role.

One of the positives for the Force was second rower Sam Wykes who's solid running earned him a try and the title of the side's best performer.

Graham said Wykes' change of focus was responsible.

"He's played well all season on the back of working hard and changing his outlook on what an elite athlete is all about and he's playing good rugby," he said.

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