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The Sharks and the Force shared a similar story in 2010. We both had the adverse experience of an injury crisis derailing our season. The Sharks, however, have well and truly put last year to bed with two comfortable wins over the Cheetahs and Blues elevating them to second on the ladder. The Force, on the other hand, failed to close out their only match thus far in Brisbane. We sit in 7th place thanks to the 4 points from the bye round. However, the early bye sees the Force players and their diehard fans hungry for some more Super Rugby action....
Head to Head
This will be the 6th face-off between the Sharks and the Force in Super Rugby competition. The Sharks took the inaugural honours with a 16 point (41-25) win in the Republic in 2006. The Force scored their first, and only, win over the Sharks the following year in Perth. The Sharks’ discipline was woeful on the day and Matt Giteau was punishing with the boot knocking over 5 penalties and a conversion to compliment a Cam Shepherd try. Not including the Force demolishing the Sharks last year in a pre-season friendly, the last three matches have gone the way of the Durbanites. Some memorable moments include a ‘whole team’ Sharks rolling maul in 2008, the Western Force’s pink Jerseys in 2009, and an awesome, length of the field try finished by Nick Cummins in last year’s fixture (Definitely worth watching on youtube).
How we will win it...
As with most South African teams, discipline and composure are a liability. This is a home game for us and we need to get out there and make the Sharks feel it. If we can prevent them from getting into a comfort zone, they will give away silly penalties and make stupid decisions. That means getting in their faces straight from the kick-off. We need the same intensity in defence that we showed against the Reds. Sharks’ fly-half Patrick Lambie is young and experienced and Matt Hodgson should be pestering him all night. Lambie scored 21 points last weekend and will need to be bashed off his game. This is the Shark’s first game at NiB Stadium, and it will really be up to the fans to make the Sharks feel like they are in hostile territory. The weather we are having in Perth at the moment will hopefully also add to jet-lag to put them further off their game.
What we also need is greater accuracy in attack. We blew a lot of opportunities to score tries with average passing and average catching. While the week off will undoubtedly have helped to iron out a few wrinkles, the Sharks will be a step up from the Reds. They are aggressive, efficient tacklers and their scrambling defence style will be a tough nut to crack. They are also very clinical in counter-attacking so we can’t afford to knock on too many balls or have passes go to ground. Good ball security at the breakdown is a must.
How we will lose it...
The Sharks have a quality pack. They probably epitomize the word ‘pack’ better than any other team in Super Rugby. They are very strong in the scrums and line-outs. They are ruthlessly efficient with rolling mauls having scored a handful of tries against the Force in this manner. They also work incredibly well together at the breakdown knowing when to attack and counter-ruck, and when to stand off and mount a bruising defence. If we don’t match, or better, their forwards, it will equate to lost possession, pressure, and ultimately defeat.
Another danger area with the Sharks is the high ball. The likes of Odwa Ndungane and Lwazi Mvovo are committed chasers and previous years have seen the former land some monster hits after the ball is received. Our outside backs will need another eye looking out for athletic backrowers Ryan Kankowski and Keegan Daniel bearing down on them.
Predicted Result:
This is a tough one to call. While the Force have only beaten the Sharks once, we have played better on the two occasions that we have faced off in Perth. The Sharks will be feeling comfortable; two wins seeing them sitting at the top end of the table. With this comfort they will become complacent. They will forget the passion that the Force plays with. They will forget the roar of the Perth crowd. They will assume that all they have to do is turn up to win it. The Force, on the other hand, will be desperate to chalk a win on the board and will have spent the last two weeks preparing to vent their frustration over the loss to the Reds. Expect an early Force blitz. Expect the Sharks to regather their composure, but all too late in the game to take it back. Force by 6. With Nick Cummins to score the first try.
Teams:
Western Force
1. Pek Cowan
2. Ben Whittaker
3. Tim Fairbrother
4. Ben McCalman
5. Nathan Sharpe
6. Matt Hodgson
7. David Pocock
8. Richard Brown
9. Brett Sheehan
10. James O'Connor
11. David Smith
12. Gene Fairbanks
13. Mitch Inman
14. Nick Cummins
15. Cameron Shepherd
16. Nathan Charles
17. Matt Dunning
18. Sam Wykes
19. Tevita Metuisela
20. James Stannard
21. Alfie Mafi
22. Rory Sidey
Sharks
1. Tendai Mtawarira
2. Bismarck du Plessis
3. Jannie du Plessis
4. Steven Sykes
5. Alistair Hargreaves
6. Keegan Daniel
7. Willem Alberts
8. Ryan Kankowski
9. Charl McLeod
10. Patrick Lambie
11. JP Pietersen
12. Meyer Bosman
13. Stefan Terblanche (C)
14. Odwa Ndungane
15. Louis Ludik
16. Craig Burden
17. John Smit
18. Anton Bresler
19. Jacques Botes
20. Conrad Hoffmann
21. Jacques-Louis Potgieter
22. Lwazi Mvovo
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Originally Posted by todd4
