Force loom as Lions' ready to meet them

Force loom as Lions' ready to meet them
2 JUN 2013, 1:39 PM - SOURCE: AAP


The British and Irish Lions have defeated the Barbarians 59-8 at Hong Kong Stadium. (AAP)
A near full-strength Western Force outfit, with a knack of upsetting better opponents, will pose an early danger to the British and Irish Lions Down Under.
Lions playmaking front-runner Jonny Sexton has highlighted the unexpected danger a fresh and committed Western Force poses in a potential tour ambush in Perth on Wednesday night.

If there's a banana skin slip-up by the British and Irish squad before the first Test against the Wallabies on June 22, then their visit to Paterson Stadium looms as the most likely.

While the Force are languishing in third last on the Super Rugby table, they will be near full-strength and well prepared after a weekend bye gave them a long 11-day turnaround since their last-start win over the Highlanders.

Michael Foley's team have also made a habit of producing their best rugby against top opponents, shown by this season's upsets over the Crusaders and Queensland Reds, as well as a return draw against the Reds and a near boilover against South Africa's pacesetting Bulls.

Sexton expects the Force will lift against a Lions outfit which only arrives in Western Australia on Monday morning, and has had precious little training time together.

It will be a completely different side to that which rolled the Barbarians 59-8 in sweltering Hong Kong conditions on Saturday night.

The starting XV will mainly contain players who joined the 37-man tour party late due to their European club commitments, and those returning from injury.

Sexton knows the Force, who will only be missing Nick Cummins and Ben McCalman to Wallabies duties, would treat Wednesday's match as a final.

"To get a first Lions cap is special," the Irish tour debutant said. "It's just as special to play against them.

"We'll be up against a team that will be really motivated and they have improved massively (this year) and this will be the biggest game of their season in many ways so we have to be ready for that.

"We have to balance that with getting ourselves right."

Duelling with Englishman Owen Farrell for the Test five-eighth position, Sexton will start at No.10 in Perth after producing a sparkling 22-minute cameo off the bench in Hong Kong.

Sexton firmed to start the first Test also after Farrell produced a forgettable attacking display against the Barbarians where he struggled to hold and pass the slippery ball and took some poor options.

In contrast, the Irishman didn't put a foot wrong when he took the field and quickly set up three late tries.

Sexton's long-time teammate Brian O'Driscoll, facing huge opposition for a centres place in the Tests, is also expected to start in Perth and could again captain the Lions on his fourth tour.

Tour skipper Sam Warburton (knee) is unlikely to play the Force but prop Gethin Jenkins (calf) and fullback Rob Kearney (hamstring) are back in the frame.

Warburton looks set to return against Queensland on Saturday night in Brisbane when the Reds will be without Wallabies squad members Will Genia, James Horwill, James Slipper, Digby Ioane, Rob Simmons, Saia Faingaa and Liam Gill.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1...y-to-meet-them

there was talk some club players would play against the lions does anyone know who they were
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I hope Foley play's his strongest 22 against the Lions this Wednesday and to cover injury and fatigue against the Tards on Sunday, blood some young and local talent.

No one will remember if we beat the Tards, however everyone will talk about the Force if we knock over the Lions ... we're not vying for finals, so it should be all out attack against the Lions not the Tards ...

The reTAHed's will have 10 of their lineup on Wallaby duties. We can afford to put our A- team against them.

The force will knock over the Lions and the Tahs in an epic weekend for WA rugby which will make those from the eastern states stand up and take notice also show Robbie deans he dropped the ball not selecting more force players in his Wallabies squad!

Im so pumped for Wednesday!

Lions 2013: Jonny Sexton set to start against Western Force as Jonny Wilkinson hints at availability
Ireland’s Jonny Sexton is expected to start against Western Force on Wednesday as the Lions look to carry on from where their team-mates left off in Hong Kong.

Selection battle: Jonny Sexton (middle) came off the bench against the Barbarians but should start in Perth. Photo: AFP
By Mick Cleary10:00PM BST 02 Jun 20134 Comments
There will be wholesale changes as Warren Gatland fulfils his pledge to give every one of the 37-man party a start in one of the first three games.
Sexton is one of the 14 players who only joined up with the Lions squad last Sunday after being involved in domestic finals. Along with Owen Farrell, he is one of just two specialist fly-halves in the squad but Jonny Wilkinson has given another indication he would be prepared to play.
The World Cup winner had ruled himself out of the initial squad, but the French season finished on Saturday night with his Toulon side losing to Castres in the Top 14 final in Paris.
“If Warren wants to call me about joining up with the Lions, I will happily have that conversation with him,” Wilkinson said after the game. “I don’t even know if Warren still wants me, but I’m certainly not going to rule anything out.”
Sexton, who had 23 minutes of action against the Barbarians, will be looking to finalise his claim to be the Test fly-half.
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“I’m looking forward to getting a game together on Wednesday,” said Sexton, who missed a large chunk of the second half of the season with injuries. “It will take a couple of games yet to get used to playing with the boys. It only feels like the middle of my season because of the injuries. I feel fresh.”
Sexton dismisses the notion that he and Farrell are first and foremost fierce rivals as they look to make the shirt their own.
“I don’t see it as No 10 against No 10,” said Sexton. “We have to work together for the team’s sake. We have already spent a lot of time together.”
Leinster team-mate Brian O’Driscoll can also expect to take a bow, as can Ireland colleague Jamie Heaslip and Leicester flanker Tom Croft. Dan Cole on the tighthead, Ben Youngs at scrum-half and Leigh Halfpenny at full-back can also all expect a role at Patersons Stadium.
The Lions will not finalise their plans until they have seen the effects of their eight-hour overnight flight into Perth.
The Force, coached by former Bath duo Michael Foley and Steve Meehan, are the weakest of the Australian Super 15 franchises, lying 13th in the table, one place behind the Melbourne Rebels. They lost one of their key men on Sunday, flanker Ben McCalman, who was called into the 25-man Wallabies training squad for the Test series after injury struck once again at the weekend.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rug...ilability.html

Our season is shot - no one will care or remember where we finish on the table. Put the best team that we can out against the Lions.

It would be an insult to the paying punters in the crowd and the touring lions if an average provincial side decided it was not worth the bother to put out their best team because they had another game on the weekend.

Lions supporters and their press are nauseatingly confident that their team, particularly their pack, will get over the top of the wallabies. Would love to see our pigs give them a bit of a touch up and bring them back down to earth a bit.

Conditions will be warm and the paddock will be hard. The lions will have only just got off the plane which will all be to our advantage. Play our normal style in the forwards and starve them of possession and let them rack the penalties up and get nervous and make mistakes.

I agree

The super 15 is over for the Force. They have been in a position to win most games and the effort has not been reflected on the ladder. They have had 3 poor games against the Kings, Brumbies and Rebels (Perth) but by and large have been very competitive and have claimed some big scalps in 2013. The effort has been obvious and the punters largely satsified after a dark period under epic dribbler Richard Graham.

2013 is over

The Lions present a unique opportunity at rugby immortality

We would like to see our best 15 against the Lions. We have paid good coin to watch the game at the world's worst rugby venue so to compensate, we would like to see a competitive team.

I am happy McCalman made the wobs but disappointed he won't be belting the Lions for us.

I had hoped MMM would be playing but it sounds like he isn't

There is no better wallaby trial than the Lions game.

Stand tall. beat the Lions.