FORCE SQUAD ANNOUNCED FOR SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR

[The InnFORCEr]

WESTERN FORCE MEDIA RELEASE
Saturday, 14 March 2015

The Western Force has announced its 28-man travelling squad for the two-match South African leg of the Asteron Life Super Rugby competition.

Flanker Angus Cottrell (ankle), fullback Dane Haylett-Petty (foot) and winger Luke Morahan (hamstring) are set to make their returns from injury and will travel to ‘the Republic’ with the 23 players involved in last night’s match against the Melbourne Rebels.

Lock Wilhelm Steenkamp, who started off the bench in last Friday’s match against the ACT Brumbies, has been selected in the Force squad, as has Greater Sydney Rams prop Guy Millar, who will provide additional coverage in the front row following Francois van Wyk’s season-ending pectoral injury suffered against the Queensland Reds a fortnight ago.

Haylett-Petty has been absent from the Force line-up since their Week One win over the NSW Waratahs, while Cottrell and Morahan sustained their injuries against the Reds and Brumbies respectively.

The Western Force will depart today before taking on the Bulls in Pretoria (Saturday, 21 March) and the Sharks in Durban on Saturday, 28 March.

Tickets to Western Force’s next home match against the Cheetahs on Saturday, 11 April are now available! Visit www.ticketmaster.com.au.

2015 Asteron Life Super Rugby – South Africa Tour
Bulls v Western Force
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Saturday, 21 March 2015
Kick-off: 5.05pm (local)/11.05pm (AWST)

Sharks v Western Force
Kings Park, Durban
Saturday, 28 March 2015
Kick-off: 5.05pm (local)/11.05pm (AWST)

Western Force squad
Chris Alcock, Marcel Brache, Luke Burton, Nathan Charles, Adam Coleman, Angus Cottrell, Pek Cowan, Nick Cummins, Sias Ebersohn, Tetera Faulkner, Kyle Godwin, Dane Haylett-Petty, Chris Heiberg, Zack Holmes, Oliver Hoskins, Kane Koteka, Steve Mafi, Alby Mathewson, Ben McCalman, Guy Millar, Luke Morahan, Ian Prior, Solomoni Junior Rasolea, Mitchell Scott, Brynard Stander, Wilhelm Steenkamp, Heath Tessmann, Sam Wykes

[wholetruth]

Struggling Force call in reinforcements
Western Force head to South Africa with their season reeling from setback to setback.
Nick Taylor
The West Australian

Guy Millar flew to Perth on Saturday afternoon. A few hours later the prop was at the airport again with his new Western Force teammates, preparing to depart for a two-game tour of South Africa.
Millar was called up as emergency cover for Ollie Hoskins and Pek Cowan who both sustained shoulder injuries in the loss to the Melbourne Rebels on Friday night.
Hoskins and Cowan have flown to South Africa and will receive ongoing treatment before the first game on Saturday night against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Force front-row stocks had already been damaged with the loss of Francois van Wyk for the season.
Millar, who had talks with the Force at the end of last season, trained with the club earlier this month but was back at his Sydney club Eastwood when the call from the Force came out of the blue.
“It was quite a shock, I was back at club training but it is exciting and a great opportunity,” Millar said.
“I had a few messages telling me to be ready and after the game I got the call saying I needed to be in Perth on Saturday. They said come along and tour.”
South African-born Millar, 22, will have plenty of support if he makes the side for the second game against the Sharks in Durban, where he was born. He moved to Sydney with his family in 2006 as a teenager.
Coach Michael Foley has named three players returning from injury in the tour squad, flanker Angus Cottrell (ankle), full-back Dane Haylett-Petty (foot) and winger Luke Morahan (hamstring). He has also named Wilhelm Steenkamp.