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Wessels’ weighty task
Nick Taylor - The West Australian on September 8, 2016, 6:22 am
David Wessels fully understands the enormity of his challenge after being appointed coach of the embattled Western Force for the next two years.
Unveiled yesterday as the successor to the axed Michael Foley, 33-year-old Wessels is the youngest coach in the Super Rugby competition.
And there will be no easing into the role, taking over the reins of a side which won only two games in a disastrous 2016 campaign.
But Wessels believes working as an assistant to Foley for the past four years provides him with an insight into how best to guide the club out of the gloom.
He is set to bring in specialist assistants and wants to see foundation player and current captain Matt Hodgson, who is tipped to sign a contract extension tomorrow, move into a coaching role when his playing days are over.
It is understood the club has already spoken to an experienced forwards coach, while a specialist line-out consultant is also likely be brought in.
“We have two older and quite experienced coaches that are verbally committed. They will add a lot of value,” Wessels said.
Hodgson, who made his debut in the Force’s first game in 2006, has had offers from Europe and South Africa.
“Hodgo has been particularly supportive of me which is something I appreciate,” Wessels said.
“Hodgo is a massive part of this club. He is keen to play, but we see Hodgo’s legacy as more than just that.
“We are trying to get Hodgo as part of the coaching team and support staff over the next couple of years.”
Wessels said Force players needed to improve their skills and conditioning to avoid second-half fade-outs.
“We need to be much fitter than we were,” he said.
“That means we have to train at game intensity, so that we can finish on top of teams in those last 20 minutes. We need a skills base to play the attacking game we want to play.
“We’ve had quite a young team and we need to drive the idea that the players are responsible for their own performance. A lot of the onus falls on the players.
“Ultimately it is up to the player whether he wants to get on the boat.
“Over the last 12 to 18 months we have made an enormous shift in that area.
“We have a lot more depth than we did last year. We are looking for players that are hungry for success.”
Wessels was in charge in Bloemfontein when Dane Haylett-Petty and Pek Cowan were sanctioned and fined $5000 by the ARU - Haylett-Petty for urinating in a hotel hallway and Cowan for driving the team minibus without permission, and after the team 1am curfew, to grab a late-night snack.
He said it was an isolated incident and not a true picture of the team culture.
“We have a very hard-working, honest culture. Through that incident we have grown closer as a team,” he said.
He also believes that the long-term future of the Force is secure despite critics claiming Australia cannot carry five Super sides.
“There’s something really boiling under the surface here. I just don’t see commercially or otherwise why rugby would be taken away from this State,” he said.
“That doesn’t make any sense to me and to be honest, in the conversations I’ve had with the people that make those sort of decisions, it doesn’t make sense to them either.”
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