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35 signed with Harry![]()
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Great Story, our Harry. Pretty unlikely that a great nephew of E J Whitten would have found his way into the Force without the established pathways of WA Rugby.
Personally, I reckon if he keeps up his standard he can rise right to the top.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Western Force Confirm 2017 Super Rugby Squad
By Fraser Smith on Thu 17th November 16
The Western Force have confirmed their 36-man squad for the 2017 Super Rugby season, which includes 14 new signings.
Among the new faces are 68-time capped Wallaby Tatafu Polota-Nau, former Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs rugby league star Curtis Rona, 80-time Super Rugby capped utility back Robbie Coleman and former Gloucester centre Bill Meakes.
2016 Western Force debutants Richard Hardwick, Harry Scoble, Anaru Rangi and Matt Philip have all been upgraded to the senior group after impressing when called upon last season.
Overall the club has retained 22 players from the 2016 Super Rugby squad with Heath Tessmann, Angus Cottrell, newly capped Wallaby Adam Coleman and club legend Matt Hodgson all re-signing with the club.
Future Force Foundation prop Shambeckler Vui joins fellow program graduates Harry Scoble, Richard Hardwick and Kane Koteka in the senior squad while Nedlands scrumhalf Michael Ruru has been rewarded with his first contract after starring in the Pindan Premier Grade and for the Perth Spirit.
In addition to the promotion of local talent to the senior group the return of local products Curtis Rona and Chance Peni from rugby league takes the Western Australian contingent of the squad to 10 players, up from eight at the beginning of 2016.
There will be no shortage of international experience with the Force squad boasting eight capped Wallabies including Tatafu Polota-Nau, Adam Coleman, Luke Morahan, Ben McCalman, Ben Daley, Matt Hodgson, Pek Cowan and Wallabies Rookie of the Year, Dane Haylett-Petty.
The 2017 squad features a wealth of experience, with a total of 1,408 Super Rugby caps (up from 1,316 in 2016) and an impressive 174 Test caps (up from 111 in 2016).
Western Force Head Coach Dave Wessels says the club is incredibly happy with the squad assembled for the 2017 Super Rugby season.
“We have a great mix of youth and experience within the group,” he said. The young players in the squad will bring great energy and push the senior players very hard for their spots.”
“I think the key thing is that we have substantial experience in our tight-five – over 500 Super Rugby caps in that area of our team alone and those players will lay the platform for the firepower we have in our backs.”
Speaking on the local contingent in the squad Wessels says the number of Western Australians in the included is a testament to the work of the RugbyWA pathway over the last 11 years.
“Super Rugby is only 11-years-old in Western Australia and the players coming through now were only eight or nine years old when the Force began, so we are now starting bear the fruits of having a Super Rugby team in the west - and the first wave of players that have come right through the pathway to the Force.”
Western Force Attack Coach Shaun Berne says he is excited by the squad that has been assembled and the competition for places within the group.
“I think the squad has probably got more depth then there might have been in the past. Each position has some serious competition with a number of guys eyeing off the starting positions.”
“We have some high quality guys coming into the group and that will put the pressure on players to maintain their positions in the starting team, I think that healthy competition is a huge positive for us as a team.
2017 Western Force Memberships on sale now! Click here to renew your Membership or join the Sea of Blue today!
2017 Western Force Squad:
FORWARDS: Jermaine Ainsley, Richard Arnold, Adam Coleman, Angus Cottrell, Pek Cowan, Ben Daley, Tetera Faulkner, Richard Hardwick, Ross Haylett-Petty, Matt Hodgson, Kane Koteka, Ben Matwijow, Ben McCalman, Isi Naisarani, Matt Philip, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Anaru Rangi, Harry Scoble, Brynard Stander, Heath Tessmann, Francios van Wyk, Shambeckler Vui
BACKS: Marcel Brache, Luke Burton, Robbie Coleman, Peter Grant, Dane Haylett-Petty, Jono Lance, Ryan Louwrens, Semisi Masirewa, Bill Meakes, Luke Morahan, Chance Peni, Ian Prior, Curtis Rona, Michael Ruru
https://www.westernforce.com.au/arti...er-rugby-squad
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Kane upgraded makes 36 and we're done![]()
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
So that will mean we have 2 centres in the squad. A very good player like Con Foley can only get signed up as a WTG player and wait until the likes of "can't catch" Brache gets injured-shakes head slowly in despair.
In terms of centers it looks like the force are looking to play Rona at 13, and Chance on the wing or at 13. So in terms of 13s look like we have Meakes, Chance and Rona and Brache. At 12 looks like we have Burton/Jono (one wich could play 10, the other 12), Coleman and Meakes.
Solid squad! Happy that Harry Scoble is in as well. My tip is Hardwick to be the next super star to come out of here in the next few years.
I think that makes 12 players that have come through the WA rugby system.
33.33% of the squad in just over eleven years, that is an outstanding effort.
With Godwin and Jooste at the Brumbies, Ngamarana at the Reds, and a number overseas, not a bad effort from a little city on the West Coast of Australia.
Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”
What remains of the Future Force as half have graduated to full time contracts.
My memory is that these are still FF
Mees Erasmus
Riley Winter
Dylan Pieterse
Onehunga Havilli
Gus Taylor
James Verity-Amm
Nuade Wessels
Burgs' 1st Pick, no one injured, 2017 Force XV
1 Pek Cowan (C)
2 Tatafu Polota-Nau
3 Tetera Faulkner
4 Ben Matwijow
5 Adam Coleman
6 Angus Cottrell
7 Matt Hodgson
8 Ben McCalman (VC)
9 Ryan Louwrens
10 Jono Lance (VC)
11 Curtis Rona
12 Luke Burton
13 Bill Meakes
14 Luke Morahan
15 Dane Haylett-Petty
16 Heath Tessmann
17 Ben Daley
18 Francios van Wyk
19 Richard Arnold
20 Kane Koteka
21 Ian Prior
22 Robbie Coleman
23 Marcel Brache
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
I think I'd put Coleman in Burto's shirt for the first couple of games. No disrespect to Luke, but Robbie's a classy player in a similar mould and has a lot more Super Rugby experience.
C'mon the![]()
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Cottrell out. RHP to 6.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
I wonder if Figg, Con Foley etc are still training with us? With Gus out for the season will one be signed? Or Havili etc upgraded?
The long sobs of autumn's violins wound my heart with a monotonous languor