A late try from Wallaby contender Ryan Cross has given the Western Force a much-needed 15-14 win over the Bulls at Subiaco Oval.

Bryan Habana's first half double had put the reigning Super 14 rugby champions in sight of their first win in a month, until Matt Giteau took just two minutes of the second half to score his second try of the year.

That set up an attritional second period where the Force handling let them down repeatedly, until, ironically, a spilled pass by which rebounded into Cross' arms put a finals berth back on the agenda for John Mitchell's men.

After conceding a try in less than a minute last week, the Force started as they should have gone on, with energy and purpose.

But the Bulls' pack put a lid on that early vitality, despite Cameron Shepherd's penalty opening the scoring on 15 minutes.

Despite the scoreboard, the visitors were clearly dominating - and Habana turned the pressure into points on 20 minutes.

It should have been wing partner Akona Ndungane to score first, if not for Giteau's miraculous cover tackle.

But seconds later, after another scrambled save from Scott Staniforth, Habana tiptoed over from Fourie Du Preez's tempting pass.

After Derick Hougaard's extras, the Bulls were rampant, and Ndungane's pace again outdid the Force defence - but his speed of though did not match speed off foot when he choice of pass over pace ruined the chance.

With Kiwi referee Steve Walsh increasingly irritated by the struggling Force forwards, Scott Fava paid the price with a yellow card for a mysterious offside call on 25 minutes.

And with the Force's kicking to touch also wayward, Habana spilled one chance - before converting another in the last minute of the half.

Cross' speculative shovel pass was easily intercepted by Pedrie Wannenburg on the night he became the Bulls most capped Super rugby representative.

And as he was for the Springboks on the same ground three years ago, Habana was on hand to score a double.

After a first half of trying to create for others, Giteau took barley two minutes of the second to take matters into his own hands.

Nathan Sharpe's burst after several phases punched the hole for Giteau to squirm over.

With Hougaard replaced at half time by Morne Steyn, some of the Bulls' direction was missing - while Troy Takiari's introduction into the Force front row gave the home side's scrum some extra beef.

But while the Force territory was better, their handling and kicking was not - with spilled ball in the tackle undermining much of the good work.

Shepherd's missed penalty from point blank range with 20 minutes to go did not help the cause, but the home side kept the Bulls on the backfoot and GJ Stegmann saw yellow with five minutes to go to increase the pressure on the visitors.

It seemed the Bulls would hold out with seconds left on the clock, until Matt Hodgson's pass bounced off Holmes' shoulder into Cross' arms to steal a vital four points.

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