Western Force look forward to home run

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rug...-1226639929399

WESTERN Force coach Michael Foley will seek to ground his players, turning the corner from torturous travelling and flexing forearms to face an injury-crippled Sharks side on Friday in the first of five home games to close out the Super 15 season.

The Perth club has flown more miles than any sports team on the planet in the past four months, but now has a home run to the finish coming off an encouraging performance in a 22-21 loss to the reigning champion Chiefs in Pukekohe, New Zealand, on Friday.

Now the Force hosts last year's beaten finalists in a sorry-looking Sharks side that was effectively slaughtered trailing 29-3 at half-time by the Reds in Brisbane on Friday night, before recovering to lose 32-17.

Foley, in spite of another Force display punctuated by courage and character, said another close loss was not the desired objective of a Perth club striving to transform valour into victories.

The head coach said he would read little, if anything, into five straight defeats of a Sharks side ravaged by 10 injuries.

"(Captain Matt Hodgson) challenged the guys after the Reds game (11-11 draw) and said: 'We need to back this up as we can't deviate from where we are here'," Foley said.

"(On Friday) the players responded and on a night where Matt became the record highest-capped Force player (93 games), it was pleasing to see his words resonate with them.

"But now, in terms of results for the rest of the year, our performances need to reflect where we are and where we are headed."

That mission statement will begin this week with Foley encouraging his team to focus solely on the Sharks ahead of hosting the Highlanders, British Lions, Waratahs and Brumbies.

And the last thing Foley wants is for his players to take the Sharks lightly.

"People talk about injuries, but I think there's incredible depth to the Sharks who may not have their No.1s in some positions, but the No.2s are pretty good," he said.

"The Sharks play like a South African side around the set-pieces but like a NZ side in open play, and that makes the game very challenging to prepare for.

"You've got to be right on in the set-piece and in open play where they're capable of good offloading to players changing direction, like (wings) J.P. Pietersen and Lwazi Mvovo.

"They've not won a few games recently, but if you look at the opening games of the season, they won five out of six. That's what they're capable of and we also saw last year how they blew the Reds away (in the playoffs).

"The difference between being slightly on and another slightly off can be quite vast in this competition."