one of the worst performances ive seen.

[SNOB]

Exile I also am a fan and I WILLbe in my seat BUT I am truly Efed off that we can't beat the new boys on the block!
This has nothing to do with a new coach this was the players themselves! IMO

[chiraag]

Do you remember the good old days back when we about 25 minutes into the first game of the season against the rebels. Was feeling pretty good about the force in 2013 then.

.....how times have changed!

[SNOB]

The Kings, who have replaced the Johannesburg-based Lions, instead created history by becoming the first expansion team in the competition's 17-year history to triumph in their debut match on Sunday morning (AEDT).


Above from the West.
I wish people didn't know I was a Force fan. I'm going to be getting grief all week!
Hertryk you better walk this week!

[BLR]

The Force has been re-tweeting 'we're still behind you' tweets today. No acknowledgement of the 'disappointed of Perth' tweets though. .

Why would they re-tweet all the whingers going around at the moment. They get enough flack from everyone why would they spread it by themselves. There is no use them wallowing in the misery of the loss, it would get the rumour mills of a collapse of the franchise running double time.

[SinBin]

In comparison to Kyles 0% success rate for shots on goal?
Rubbish.

Kyle hit the post and generally wasn't far off.. Christie's attempt was cringe worthy and went towards touch not the posts - as BDG alluded to. Have another look and see if you can work out the context.

[Alison]

Why would they re-tweet all the whingers going around at the moment. They get enough flack from everyone why would they spread it by themselves. There is no use them wallowing in the misery of the loss, it would get the rumour mills of a collapse of the franchise running double time.

I totally agree. I guess my point was that by re-tweeting those particular tweets it felt like they were having a go at those of us who were mighty pissed off with Sat's game, and - worse still - were suggesting we were fair-weather supporters.

I know it's all about PR and trying to hold on to the support they have, but as a rusted-on, rock solid supporter of the Force through thick and thin, it felt like an insult.

I'm likely reading far too much into it, but that's how it seemed to me.

[WARHORSE]

The remedy is a simple one

Beat the Bulls

No time for moping around tweeting about how sad you are

If they are a bit bored, perhaps some lineout practice? Some goal kicking?

Wilkinson used to practise in the rain and sleet and sub zero temperatures of an English christmas day..........not exactly well balanced, however, no question of his goal kicking ability

[valzc]

What's pissing me off more than anything is this dead silence from the team. Can we at least have some kind of explanation about what went wrong and why the game plan (if there was one) didn't happen? Can Foley give us some indication about what happened and what they're going to do about it or are they as clueless as we are? I'm sorry but I'm losing faith fast even though its only the 2nd round. At least the Force of old always seemed to be busting their guts out trying even when losing!

[WARHORSE]

It's time to stop beating them up about it. The second half was a shocking performance. They know it. There isn't any point dwelling on all the negatives.

It's almost game time in Pretoria. I hope their focus has already shifted to the next game.

I am inspired by the opening halves of each match despite the loss. There was an intent to hang onto the ball, pick and drive and move the ball to the wings.

Some of the ruck work in the first half was very good. Some outstanding phases of play from the forwards and some good tries. Nobody is really unsure what happened in the second half. It unravelled. They got frustrated and the wheels fell off.

Time to move on.

There is an opportunity to fix all evils this week. A win in Pretoria balances the ledger. Winning on the road is very difficult in super rugby. The African teams have historically struggled on their Australasian travels.

The style is a positive one. There is some inexperience. No point bashing them over the head in week 2.

Foley will sort out a few non performances. He understands accountabiolity. There will be a few changes this week.

[Stone Cold]

Well, the Kings in their first game were actually very impressive. They were fit, strong and had decent skills. They are mostly from the same team in a third (or fourth?) tier. Seems like a ringing endorsement for a viable and strong third tier of rugby to me.

Incidentally - wtf is with our kicking for goal? Methinks we need a true kicker in the side. I wonder what David Harvey is doing?

[Muddly]

We do need a kicker and I would be miffed if Sias is not named in this weeks team. He may lack the all round game, but if kicks @ 90% or better that would make up for what he lacks. IMO

[shasta]

.

It's almost game time in Pretoria.......
I am inspired by the opening halves of each match......
The style is a positive one. There is some inexperience......

These are the things to keep in mind. I expect to see some changes in the mix this week and hopefully more intensity in the second stanza. But not too many changes. We may see Ebersohn get a run at altitude. The underdog Force have ambushed the Bulls in the past. Let's hope the home team gets complacent again.

Well, the Kings in their first game were actually very impressive. They were fit, strong and had decent skills.

Just like NZ, in ZA there are plenty of "fringe" players that are just off Super rugby standard. They had played together, lifted for the big occasion and the ambush was from the home team and their full stadium. Roll on next week. 1-3 looks much better then 0-3 heading to NIB.

[Darren]

The Kings have been fighting and building up to that game for 7 years and were at home. We've only had the pre-season since "relaunching" and were playing away in SA.

I'm of course not happy with a loss, but I'm not gonna let myself get too tensed up about it. If this year really is a re-launch then I'm going to ignore previous years and watch games on their own merit.

Now we get to see what they do on the back of that loss next week - that might ignite my passions a bit more one away or the other ...

[Invictus]

I think the most disappointing thing was that we actually regressed from the rebels game.
The lineout was worse, the defence was worse, the scrum became unreliable, the goal kicking and kicking in general was a joke. There did not seem to be any plan.

We must have a reliable goal kicker on the field.
The lineout must provide quality ball on our throw at the very least.
The scrum must do the same at the very least.
The defense must sit the ball carrier on his arse with the first hit.
Pretty basic stuff...
Required player changes - Tupou (too many poor decisions), Stanley, Wykes and possibly Charles. Restructuring the backs will be problematic as we need a kicker and it appears that Sias is the only option. Can Christie play FB?

[Muddly]

Had I commented after the game it would have been a rant like many others, but with a couple of hours sleep under my belt a bit of sanity had come back. It was one of the worst games of rugby I have ever watched. They played like individuals rather than a team and yes the ref is a disgrace, but he didn’t lose the game for us. I don’t know if I can handle another relaunch, but for now that’s what it is. The game plan when followed seems to be more positive and effective, we just seemed to stray from it in both games, then panicked and payed the price. Don’t think it's going to be the season we hoped for as fans, but as long as I can keep seeing the new game plan (more running rugby with ball in hand) I will keep my blue glasses on.