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False News from the ABC
Brisbane Tens: Western Force ready for tough task in inaugural short-format rugby event
By Kearyn Cox
Posted 49 minutes ago
Matt Hodgson celebrates after scoring a try for Western Force against the Blues in Super Rugby.
PHOTO: Western Force have chosen a mix of youth and experience in their squad for the first-ever Brisbane Tens event. (AAP: Richard Wainwright)
MAP: Brisbane 4000
Australians know all about sevens rugby, but this weekend they will be introduced to a different format with the inaugural running of the Global Rugby Tens in Brisbane.
More than $1.6 million in prize money will be on the line on Saturday and Sunday at Lang Park, as sides from around the world take part in the new event.
Sanctioned by Australian Rugby Union and New Zealand Rugby Union, the inaugural competition will feature 14 teams from six different countries.
Teams will compete in 28 matches over the two-day period in a 10-players-per-side, 10-minutes-per-half knockout tournament.
The teams are separated into four groups and the top two teams from each group progress to the knockout stages.
Brisbane Tens groups
Group A: Melbourne Rebels (AUS), Chiefs (NZ), Waratahs (AUS) and Panasonic Wild Knights (JAP)
Group B: Blues (NZ), Crusaders (NZ), Reds (AUS), Samoa
Group C: Bulls (SA), Brumbies (AUS), Highlanders (NZ)
Group D: Western Force (AUS), Hurricanes (NZ), Toulon (FRA)
One of the teams competing is the Western Force, who will be desperate for a successful Tens campaign in Brisbane after finishing the 15-man Super Rugby competition at the bottom of the ladder, having only won two games in 2016.
The Force are no strangers to the 10-a-side game. In fact, they are the current World Club 10s champions.
A rough Super Rugby season was unable to stop the Force, who were able to take home the Club World 10s trophy after a strong display in Mauritius last year.
The Force have been dealt no favours for this upcoming competition and will be up against the reigning Super Rugby champions in the Hurricanes, South Africa's Bulls as well as French power-house, Toulon.
They will also be without their head coach Dave Wessels for the tournament, as the club has opted to for skills coach Kevin Boote to take over the reins for the two-day competition.
"There is a lot of excitement in the camp at the moment, and we want to go out and represent Western Australia and show the people how hard we have worked in the pre-season," Boote said.
New rules for the quicker format:
Ten players per team on the field
Ten minute halves. Five minute half time.
All conversion attempts must be drop kicked- similar to 7s
Yellow Cards net a 3-minute suspension - could be a game changer
Rolling substitutes, 10 on the field, 8 substitutes.
Boote says he chose his 26 man squad based on "fitness and skills", and says "you have to find a balance of players who can tick all the boxes of the game".
The Western Force have named a squad of 26 that will feature some new faces in Brisbane. New recruits include NRL recruit Curtis Rona, Chance Peni and 68 cap Wallabies veteran and former Waratah Tatafu Polota-Nau.
Foote says the 26-man playing squad consists mostly of contracted and "Future Force Foundation" members, as the Force will use this competition to prepare for the upcoming Super Rugby season.
Former Force captain Matt Hodgson says the new recruits are settling in well.
"At our first training session we had a new person ratio of about 50 per cent, but after two weeks of training it felt like everyone had been there for a while," Hodgson said.
"The transition period was quick, the group has jelled nicely and now it is time to transfer what we have done on the training paddock to the field."
"We have the two local boys who have returned, Curtis Rona and Chance Peni, who are getting better and better every time they step on to a field."
It's at Lang Park??
I didn't realise they were playing it in the eighties
C'mon the![]()
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I was thinking a bit earlier.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLUtKKoMetM
Kevin Boote? It's Kevin Foote FFS!! Jeez it is not hard to get a person's name right. Poor from our national broadcaster.
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
Wow there is a fair prize money to be won!
Last I saw you guys were paying mid $20s to win the tournament and, personally, I think you're favorites. I'd be jumping on that if I was you. I have.
Even just the $5.50 or so to top your pool. Toulon are here to party, the Canes are a decent squad but I don't think they've been focusing too much 10s of late and the cross-pool game is v the Bulls who look pretty weak. The Force's experiences last year should benefit them.
Get on them I reckon.
I think if we can survive the pool we've probably got the goods to go all the way. Unless Toulouse have bought a thirds team, they have some of the most creative backs in the world an open field could be massive for them.
I'd also expect the canes to pick a mobile side and use it as a warm up for the broken play that often develops in Sr.
Both of them will be bloody hard to beat, and I don't know that many challenges come much bigger than copping both of them in a pool. Well have to beat at least one of them and at least draw the other to make it into knock out.
After that, even the chiefs won't look quite so scary.
C'mon the![]()
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It's Toulon, not Toulouse. It's not their full strength squad:
Backs: Drew Mitchell, James O’connor, Alesana Tuilagi, Josua Tuisova, Ayumu Goromaru, Axel Muller, Jimmy Yobo, Anthony Belleau, Geoffrey Cazanave, Teiva Jacquelain
Forwards: Swan Rebbadj, Emerick Setiano, Bastien Soury, Thomas Vernet, George Stokes, Aidon Davis, Gregory Annetta, Rudy Gahetau
Even the fact they only have 18 players as opposed to most squads having up to 10 more than that, will work against them and this heat. You play them last day Saturday so I expect them to be fried (and already planning their night out).
Meanwhile the Canes still have some quality, but they haven't gone all in either.
Nehe Milner-Skudder, Cory Jane, Reg Goodes, Loni Uhila, Ricky Riccitelli, Asafo Aumua, Chris Eves, Mike Kainga, Joe Apikotoa, Vaea Fifita, Mark Abbott, James Blackwell, Brad Shields, Reed Prinsep, Toa Halafihi, Hugh Renton, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Kemera Hauiti-Parapara, Otere Black, Vince Aso, Matt Proctor, Wes Goosen, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Ngani Laumape, Jonah Lowe, Jordie Barrett.
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
Bet365 - get on it!*
*remember to gamble responsibly.
Wonder when Sportsbet will have a book for players going down with heatstroke. 39 with god knows how much humidity