Maybe there's one bench. Being essentially an intra-club trial, they'll run out of bodies before naming two benches.
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Maybe there's one bench. Being essentially an intra-club trial, they'll run out of bodies before naming two benches.
Arnold warms up with the spirit, Coleman looking bored in a polo shirt
It's looking a lot like a team that has won bugger all for the last two seasons playing a team that won the comp last year.
Pigs used the wind at their backs and dominated most of the first 20, force lost the footy on the floor and kicked badly.
Prior and grant swap jerseys for the second quarter
Who won the 7's?
Joondalup men A
Cott Women
Rockingham men B
Brothers won the men's and I think it was cott for the ladies
Spirit lead 14-10 at half time.
WESTERN FORCE VS PERTH SPIRIT THIRD-BY-THIRD
By David Berrie on Sat 28th January 17 in NRC
The Western Force and Perth Spirit enjoyed a solid hit out at Barnard Park in Busselton with the 2017 squad getting some quality minutes into their legs in front a strong crowd following the Alcohol. Think Again Jetty 7s.
The Force and Spirit went at it for three 20-minute periods with players moving between teams to ensure all players could get game time under their belts in the lead up to next week’s trial match against the Melbourne Rebels on the Gold Coast.
The pre-season trial match marked the end of fantastic week on the club’s South West Community Engagement Tour with plenty of regional rugby fans watching the men in action.
1/3:
The Perth Spirit shot out of the blocks going on the attack early but were held at bay thanks to some strong defence from the Force in particular new recruit Bill Meakes.
Eventually the Spirit made their time on the ball count with Richard Hardwick going in under the posts after a series of phases. Ian Prior made no mistake to put the Spirit ahead 7-0.
Constant pressure from the Spirit lead to another set of strong phases before Alex Newsome put on some incredible footwork to slice through the defence and score under the posts. Ian Prior again nailed the extras to have the Spirit in front 14-0.
2/3:
After a linebreak from Ryan Louwrens, the Force put together some strong phases before sending it wide, where James Verity-Amm crossed for the Force’s first of the afternoon.
Verity-Amm quickly secured his double going over thanks to a spectacular linebreak following a penalty on the halfway line bringing the score back to 14-10 in favour of the Spirit.
Richie Arnold made his presence felt with a big shot but was sent to the bin just before the break after it was deemed a dangerous tackle.
3/3:
The final interval saw the coaching staff make a host of changes with the majority of the Spirit players moving across to the Force team while Future Force Foundation products and Western Force Under 20’s players came into the game for the Spirit.
With an almost entirely new group suiting up for both teams the scores mattered little as both teams looked to get quality minutes into their legs.
James Verity-Amm went in for his hat-trick late in the final third after running onto a perfectly weighted grubber kick from Chance Peni. A successful conversion from Peter Grant put the Force ahead by three points.
After a brilliant smother Anaru Rangi scooped up the loose ball before finding Alex Newsome and the young gun did the rest, going over for the try to seal a 22-14 victory for the Force.
https://www.westernforce.com.au/arti...it-third-third
Big names unscathed in Force-Spirit trial
It was a match of discovery rather than rivalry in Busselton as the Force played out a 22-14 trial match win against Perth Spirit.
Players were switching sides, with no benches named for the intraclub trial, giving Force coach Dave Wessels his first look at a number of new faces in a match setting.
In good news for the Force, Matt Hodgson and big-name recruit Tatafu Polota-Nau made it through their injury returns unscathed, nine days out from the Force's next preseason test..
A hat-trick to South African-born Force Academy player James Verity-Amm sparked the Force’s comeback, as the club’s next generation pushed their credentials.
In the opening stages, it was the Spirit side on top with NRC player of the final Richard Hardwick crossing early and Australia U20s player Alex Newsome stretching the Spirit’s advantage to 14 points.
Verity-Amm snatched one back and five minutes later, the fullback had his second, making the margin a four-point gap at the break.
Midway through the second half, he made it three for the night and gave the Force their first lead of the game.
Newsome had swapped sides by the end of the match, scoring the final try for the Force to give them a 22-14 win.
While the match showed off some of the franchise’s new recruits, how the Force will look come Super Rugby time remains to be seen, with a handful of high-profile players still working their way back from injury.
Prop Francois Van Wyk was added to that list on Saturday, suffering a lower leg injury, while winger Marcel Brache copped a head knock.
Their next preseason outing will be a February 6 trial against the Rebels on the Gold Coast.
FINAL SCORE
Western Force 22
Tries: Van-Amm 3, Newsome, Cons: Grant
Perth Spirit 14
Tries: Hardwick, Newsome, Cons: Prior 2
http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2017/01...e-spirit-trial