Force after unlikely record

[travelling_gerry]

Force after unlikely record

• Wayne Smith
• From: The Australian
• April 17, 2010 12:00AM

ONLY once in its five-season history has the Western Force won three matches in succession.

ONLY once in its five-season history has the Western Force won three matches in succession.

But, bewildering as it might seem, it will achieve the feat a second time if it can defeat the Blues at Eden Park today.
Somehow such a prospect simply doesn't sit comfortably with the Force's record. After all, it lost its first six matches and to suddenly be stringing wins together is like cracking the ship's safe just as the Titanic is about to slip beneath the waves.
But then there have been two Forces at work this season -- the dark side that was belted left and right by injuries and the bright side that, back to virtual full strength, has accounted for the Stormers and Highlanders and all-too-easily could have beaten the Waratahs and Bulls as well.

The graph of its season reads like Lazarus's ECG, but the Blues' chart is even more interesting, plotting remarkably like the Manhattan skyline.
Certainly the Force will be hoping the Blues' WLWLWL pattern of the past six weeks peters out today, but from here on in the only drinks the Auckland players will take will be at the Last Chance Saloon. Indeed, it is actually worse than that. Even wins in their remaining five matches may not be enough for them to squeeze into the play-offs. If history is any indicator, they will need at least another two bonus points as well.
All of which makes it difficult to explain Blues coach Pat Lam's decision to drop Rene Ranger to the bench. The electrifying centre is the joint second highest try-scorer in Super rugby this season with five, one behind the Waratahs' Drew Mitchell -- one would have thought the Blues would need all the strike power they could muster against the Force. Still, having All Black Luke McAlister filling the 12 jersey hardly detracts from the backline.
Force coach John Mitchell is bringing all of his biggest guns to bear, save perhaps at hooker where Ben Whittaker has given way to Nathan Charles, who will mark his run-on debut by butting heads with All Black veteran Keven Mealamu.
But with Nathan Sharpe doing everything that Robbie Deans could possibly ask of him by attempting to bend the line every time he carries the ball and the rash-like backrow of Richard Brown, David Pocock and Matt Hodgson all over every breakdown, the Force forwards are growing in menace.
With David Hill settling in well at five-eighth and fullback James O'Connor adding more polish to his game every week, the Perth backline is finally starting to fire.


http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225854725138

[The InnFORCEr]

But with Nathan Sharpe doing everything that Robbie Deans could possibly ask of him by attempting to bend the line every time he carries the ball and the rash-like backrow of Richard Brown, David Pocock and Matt Hodgson all over every breakdown, the Force forwards are growing in menace.

Do you think he meant John Mitchell

[GIGS20]

It was Wayne Smith, he gets his opinions on Mitchell from Mudskipper!

[JediKnight]

Looking more & more unlikely!!!

[force addict]

my first doubts crept in when ALL THE REFS & TMO are kiwis. Rigged !!!

[GIGS20]

Our biggest issue as a team is we don't know how to manage a hostile Ref.

The Blues milked everything they could, offside runners sheperding the ball runner all night, the breakdown was a mess, they dove and bored in all night in the scrum, they just got away with dirty cheating rugby and we didn't look like winning it.

We need to find out how to cheat as well as the other teams or how to show conclusively that they are cheating.

Woodcock deliberately bats the ball dead in-goal and they get the scrum feed??????

I don't think the penalty try was right either.

New Zealand are running out of crappy refs to blood in our games!