Western Force star Richard Kahui says they will be better prepared for 2021 Super Rug
Western Force star Richard Kahui says they will be better prepared for 2021 Super Rugby season
Nick Taylor
The West Australian
Thu, 5 November 2020 3:39PM
Western Force will be better prepared and international signings will bring experience needed for success in the tough world of Super Rugby, says former All Blacks World Cup winner Richard Kahui.
The Force had just a couple of weeks to prepare for this year’s Australian Super competition and did not have the depth needed to step up from Rapid Rugby.
They will not be caught out this time around.
They are on a big international recruiting drive and have returned to training weeks ahead of other Australian clubs.
Among the overseas stars is Kahui, a dual Super Rugby title winner with the Chiefs, who has returned for two years after initially signing a short-term deal last season.
He decided not to return to Japanese side Toshiba Brave Lupus for an eighth season.
The Force were without a win last year and Kahui, who had joined after a three month break, was disappointed with his own form.
“I didn’t play anywhere as near as the expectations I put on myself,” he said.
“A lot of it came down to lack of preparation.
“It was great for the club to be back in Super Rugby and great for our young boys to get that experience but we probably didn’t have the depth of squad needed to compete week-in week-out.
“We were not quite ready to play at that level.
“We didn’t get the results we wanted but we learnt a lot - when we should be running, when we should be kicking.
“Towards the end of the season we started to get the balance right. Our game started to look a lot better.
“Now we are getting fitter, we are getting stronger, we are building bodies that we can take into battle every week.”
The Force will have an international flavour next year with Kahui and another ex-All Black Jeremy Thursh, a handful of Argentinian Test players and legendary Irish full-back Rob Kearney among others joining Wallabies Tevita Kuridrani and Kyle Godwin.
“You look at the signings, there are some really big names and the young guys will benefit from that,” Kauhi said.
“The decision to get guys with experience adds value to the Force and to the WA rugby community.
“In the short term there are certain things you can’t go without, one of those is big game experience in the crunch moments.
“Our role in growing WA rugby is to be a successful team. We need to be a team that people are proud of and want to play for, to bring through more home grow players.
“That’s the ultimate goal. It’s what it should be.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/western...ng-b881712991z
