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THE Australian Rugby Union giveth, the SANZAR judiciary has taken away.
No sooner had Western Force officials received a rare piece of good news, when they learned after their gallant loss to the Bulls on Saturday that the ARU had given them the green light to re-contract Scott Staniforth for another four matches, than the embattled Perth club was hit with a new blow.
Fellow winger Nick Cummins was suspended for two matches for a dangerous tackle. Force intends to appeal, claiming the incident in which Bulls replacement back Jacques-Louis Potgieter was lifted and dropped was not intentional and not on the same scale as the Sione Lauaki tripping tackle in round two, which also earned the Chiefs' No 8 a two-match suspension.
Force captain Nathan Sharpe, whose side has been ravaged by injuries this season, let out an exasperated sigh yesterday when told Cummins had been cited and suspended. "It has got to the stage where you turn up for training and just look around for the nearest 15 blokes to form a team," he said.
Thrown together the Force might have been against the competition leaders on Saturday night, but the makeshift Perth side covered itself in glory, standing up to the rampaging Bulls for far longer than anyone had thought possible.
"I think we definitely had the game plan to beat them and we maintained it for 50 minutes," said Sharpe. "But then our tackling intensity fell off a little bit and that's something that comes down to experience, dealing with that when you're fatigued."
It would have been astonishing had the Force's intensity in defence not fallen away, as they rocked the Bulls from the outset. As determined as the South Africans were to begin in intimidating fashion, the young Force players stood up to the blue juggernaut. Indeed, they even took a slender lead into the half-time break.
But better and stronger sides than the Force -- the Waratahs and Brumbies come quickly to mind -- have opened up early leads on the Bulls only to be pegged back this season and for most of the second half it was simply a case of the locals desperately staving off the inevitable.
As ever, flanker Matt Hodgson and centre James O'Connor soldiered on admirably in what became a lost cause, but on this occasion both were overshadowed by Sharpe who sent yet another reminder to the Australian selectors that he is not done with Test rugby.
Every time Sharpe trucked the ball into the defence, he somehow managed to drive over the advantage line, but it was in the rolling mauls, where the Force skipper time and again manhandled his way through the Bulls' human wall to get at the ball-carrier, that his determination was most evident.
The season won't get any easier for Force, which on Friday faces the Stormers, but Sharpe is confident three of the team's Wallabies: flanker David Pocock, prop Matt Dunning and halfback Brett Sheehan, will be back from injury.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225846627499
Bam in this week, that might be enough to tip the balance!
Shame we don't get a Shep to balance the loss of Cullet
C'mon the![]()
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Well, we've got spanner for another 4!![]()
That's the headline act in this story Normie![]()
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
what about Browny?? Hes back too isnt he?
dont think so...
Pocock is also still questionable but Sheehan should be good to go.
Is it just me or does anyone else detect a growing level of respect for the Force from the eastern journo's for the way our guy's are refusing to say die?
Damn proud of them myself too!
hopefully cummins will be available. his hit was awesome not dangerous
Having a fit and healthy Pocock and Shepherd back will make a huge difference for us. Let them take another week if it will reduce the chances of them having another injury. Can't wait for that Crusaders game.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
Sheps especially they need to treat him well..... look after him now and he think twice about moving on.
The boys are doing us proud so I am not as concerned as I was three weeks... roll on Yarpies (team stomach bug... any ideas... the yarpies seam to do it with all other teams!!!)
Crusader's gme wsill be fanbloodytastic with all our boys fit, and good depth on the bench...WELL DONE EVERYONE!!!
Always proud to be part of the Force behind the force..