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The Emirates Western Force has arrived in Queenstown to continue preparations for Saturday night’s clash against the Highlanders in round nine of their 2010 Investec Bank Super 14 campaign.
The return of several experienced players has allowed Head Coach John Mitchell some choice in his 22 man squad, something of a rarity during an injury plagued season for the Force.
After being utilised from the pine in the Good Friday win against the Stormers, Wallabies No.8 Richard Brown returns to the starting line-up for the first time since injuring his shoulder in round one. Star winger Cameron Shepherd will start in his first game of the season while Sam Wykes and Dane Haylett-Petty have been included on the reserves bench, the trio the only changes to the squad that defeated the South Africans.
A breakthrough win in the last round has further strengthened the resolve amongst the Force players but they have not allowed it to cloud their focus on the task of backing-up their performance against the Highlanders.
“A win gives you confidence but it doesn’t allow you to get away from the detail or allow you to get complacent or accept just that one game is enough,” Mitchell said.
“It is important to maintain a very strong discipline on the process and the details that is required to get there.
“The great confidence that the players can take is that they nailed the game right at the end... it gives you enormous belief and it’s a great deposit finishing a game like that with a play like they did,” said Mitchell.
Saturday’s match will be the second time the Emirates Western Force has played against the Highlanders in Queenstown, the West Australian’s taking the points in their inaugural encounter in New Zealand’s action capital two years ago.
It was a solid 80 minute performance that delivered the Force a victory on Good Friday and nothing less will be required against a dogged Highlanders outfit that has again displayed their trademark ‘never say die’ attitude throughout this season.
“I thought they were really unlucky against the Chiefs and are a side that give themselves a chance because they fight right to the end,” Mitchell said of the Highlanders.
“It has always been a difficult proposition down in the South Island and you’ve got to have a mindset that is prepared for a very physical onslaught.
“They’ll never go away so you’ve really got to earn your wins down there,” said Mitchell.
2010 Investec Bank Super 14 – Round 9
Highlanders v Western Force
Queenstown Events Centre
Kick-off: 10.30am AWST (2.30pm local)
Referee: Marius Jonker
Emirates Western Force Squad
1.Pek Cowan
2.Ben Whittaker
3.Tim Fairbrother
4.Tom Hockings
5.Nathan Sharpe (c)
6.Matt Hodgson
7.David Pocock
8.Richard Brown
9.Chris O’Young
10.David Hill
11.Mark Bartholomeusz
12.Ryan Cross
13.Mitch Inman
14.Cameron Shepherd
15.James O’Connor
Reserves
16.Nathan Charles (FR)
17.Matt Dunning (FR)
18.Ben McCalman
19.Sam Wykes
20.Justin Turner
21.Sam Harris
22.Dane Haylett-Petty
More...
Last edited by travelling_gerry; 08-04-10 at 17:14.
1.Pek Cowan
2.Ben Whittaker
3.Tim Fairbrother
4.Tom Hockings
5.Nathan Sharpe (c)
6.Matt Hodgson
7.David Pocock
8.Richard Brown
9.Chris O’Young
10.David Hill
11.Mark Bartholomeusz
12.Ryan Cross
13.Mitch Inman
14.Cameron Shepherd
15.James O’Connor
Reserves
16.Nathan Charles (FR)
17.Matt Dunning (FR)
18.Ben McCalman
19.Sam Wykes
20.Justin Turner
21.Sam Harris
22.Dane Haylett-Petty[/LEFT]
Looks good!
Some advice please:-
What causes a quad injury?
Does kicking aggravate it (as opposed to running)?
Is that why Cam is on the wing?
Is Nic Henderson injured?
I think it was a tear, so it was him overstressing the muscle Quads are used to straighten the leg, so it's possible this was done when kicking. It could have been landing from a jump, or a bunch of other things though.
Certainly kicking will put pressure on his injured muscle, but so would running, jumping and pretty much everything else you do in a game of rugby so I don't think reducing the amount of kicking would have much bearing on his position. I reckon it's more about the number of wingers we have available for this match. Shep is one of the best positional wingers in Oz (when on form) and is by far the best attacking threat in our back three players. Added to this You wouldn't play Rabbit on the wing, he needs to play more centrally to enable him to join the attack. We need to cover some holes in the back three, that's why Rabbit's playing there, Rabbit is only really an option at 15, which is why our other 2 fullbacks (Bart and Shep) take the wings.
Once Cullet gets back I fully expect Shep to regain 15 and Rabbit to 12........where will Crossy play then??????
C'mon the![]()
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Hopefully on the bench after his form so far this year
10. Hill
11. Cullet
12. JO'C
13. Inman
14. Spanner
15. Shep
OR
10. Hill
11. Cullet
12. Spanner
13. Inman
14. Shep
15. JO'C
Although it all depends on how long spanner is out for....
I would definitely like to see Stefano get a few runs off the bech this year as well to give him some exposure.
I agree with you chiraag, but this team doesn't have the best record with getting underperforming backs off the field. Spanner's out for a while, so I'd expect to see JOC in 15 for a bit, Cullet and Shep on the wings with crossy at 12. Maybe later in the season, we could put Spanner at 12....That's be a pretty good combination, although a bit inflexible in the 10-12 channel. Let's face it, for all the class he has, Spanner's really a straight, hard runner, not flashy, just get the job done!
Inman seems to be OK at exploiting a 1/2 gap with the draw and pass, maybe that, and JOC slipping into 1st receiver regularly will be enough variation.
C'mon the![]()
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Having Barts and Shep on the wings will allow both of them to cover fullback occasionally, allowing JOC some forays in attack. We need our forwards to dominate, though, as the Highlanders have a tough pack. If we can dominate the breakdown and get good quality ball, we're in with a real chance.
GO THE FORCE!!!!
Stef is playing for Associates on Saturday if anyone is interested in seeing him play.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
If Cullet is back before Spanners, I'd play:
10. Hill
11. Cullet
12. JOC
13. Inman
14. Shep
15. Bart
Possibly, but I reckon Barty's best footy has been on the wing, why mess with that? Swap Shep and Bart in your lineup, Or throw Cross into 12 again (where apparently the damage is minimised) and JOC back to 15.
C'mon the![]()
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