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The Emirates Western Force will give FxPro Super Rugby starts to off-season recruit and former NRL young gun Will Tupou as well as recent signing David Harvey in the club’s big clash against the Waratahs on Saturday night in Sydney.
Coach Richard Graham has made seven changes to the run-on side, and nine overall, after being forced to reshuffle his backline following injuries to the club’s three starting outside backs from last weekend. Wingers Nick Cummins and Napolioni Nalaga have been sidelined with calf and ankle injuries respectively while Cameron Shepherd is out with an adductor strain.
Coming into the side is Alfie Mafi who has enjoyed his best ever start to a season and on the opposite wing Samu Wara makes a first run-on appearance. Harvey lines up at fullback where his superb field kicking will be put to good use. While best known as a playmaking first receiver, Harvey is just as adept at 15 where he has spent plenty of time in club rugby.
Tupou’s appearance will mark a successful conversion to rugby from league where he made his start two years ago by scoring a match winning try for the North Queensland Cowboys on debut. A former Australian Schoolboys rugby representative, Tupou is an exciting young talent returning to his roots and is coming off a strong performance for the Emirates Western Force A side last weekend.
In the forwards emerging second row star Sam Wykes and capped Wallabies prop Pek Cowan return to the tight five while Angus Cottrell earns a run-on debut in the backrow after three substitute appearances.
Despite a big turnover in playing stocks from last round Graham said the squad has got on with the job at hand and are ready and raring to put in a big performance to secure the club’s first win of the season.
“It hasn’t changed the way that we prepare, we just need to be strong in our mental approach and understand that a core group of players have been constant in the first three games and it’ll be their responsibility to ensure that we play the way we want to,” said Graham as the team departed Perth for Sydney on Thursday morning.
“It’s wonderful to see Will Tupou and Dave Harvey make their Super Rugby debuts, they join a proud list of players to have represented the club.”
Graham said the breakdown battle will be a pivotal duel where the likes of David Pocock and Matt Hodgson will face a couple of familiar faces with former WA based flankers Jono Jenkins and Tevita Metuisela starting for the Tahs.
“Having coached with Michael Foley and Alan Gaffney I know the Waratahs side will be well prepared,” Graham said.
“You can see that the Tahs want to be more aggressive at the breakdown and it’ll be important that we control that aspect of the game.
“Four of our first five games are derby encounters. While the results of the first two didn’t go our way it’s important that we continue to work hard and believe in what we’re doing in order to get a result.
“Games against your fellow countrymen are always extremely competitive and given the need for both teams to secure a win I don’t expect this week’s match to be any different.”
On the substitutes bench Phoenix Battye returns as does Winston Stanley with second row recruit Toby Lynn (hand) and midfielder Patrick Dellit (cork) both unavailable for selection after picking up niggling injuries against the Hurricanes.
2012 FxPro Super Rugby – Week 4
Waratahs v Emirates Western Force
Saturday, 17 March 2011 at Sydney Football Stadium
Kick-off: 4.40pm (AWST) / 7.40pm (AEDT)
1. Pek Cowan
2. Nathan Charles
3. Salesi Ma’afu
4. Sam Wykes
5. Nathan Sharpe
6. Angus Cottrell
7. David Pocock (Captain)
8. Matt Hodgson
9. Brett Sheehan
10. James Stannard
11. Alfie Mafi
12. Rory Sidey
13. Will Tupou
14. Samu Wara
15. David Harvey
Reserves
16. Ben Whittaker
17. Kieran Longbottom
18. Phoenix Battye
19. Richard Brown
20. Justin Turner
21. Ben Seymour
22. Winston Stanley
Dear Lord, if you give us back Johnny Cash, we'll give you Justin Bieber.
Okay bugga it, i've got out of the wrong side of the bed... i might as well continue.
Someone please go down to EWF HQ and tell RG & the coaching squad they have rocks in there head...
I can harp on about positioning and selection but this is driving me to drink @ 9am.
"Harvey lines up at fullback where his superb field kicking will be put to good use. While best known as a playmaking first receiver, Harvey is just as adept at 15 where he has spent plenty of time in club rugby"
Did we sign me as a #15 or Flyhalf ??
Flyhalf, however... our great sheps has a strain :-/
Forward pack looks great, happy to see young Angus get a run on.
Backs, well its time for them to make a stand. Hard for me to say it as I have great respect for his playing ability but Shepps is now becoming a liability he is more out than in. Either way Harvey would have been on the bench to start so he is given an opportunity to show his wares for a longer spell, so hopefully he takes his opportunity. Sure he will move to Flyhalf second half with Chucky to scrumhalh for Sheehan.
Tupou will be interesting to see how he goes, would have thought he would played off the bench this being his first game for some time and I think first union for many years, but happy with the cover in Stanley and Seymour.
The back line has lost its size and bulk with Nalaga, Cummins and Dellit missing but hopefully speedier backs against Waratahs may not be a bad thing, we certainly lacked zipp last week, wish Dave smith was here with that awesome take off from a standing start.
As Sharpe said earlier in the week, you have to play with the cards you are dealt, so lets all get behind the Force and be strong for them, come on The Force.
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.”
Cotterill and pek will add some starch and zip.
Alfi, Wara, Harvey,Tupou - will give the enthuisiasm needed
Don't miss tackles guys, follow Sharpie, Poey and Hoddo and we'll be ok.
How does Ma'afu keep his spot in the 22 every week?
This 22 just makes me think Graham is a drug addict.
Shepherd injured, you have got to be sh1tting me!!
The forward pack is quality, Browny deserved to be benched
RG is playing the cards he has been dealt.
Remeber this year we only have 30 squad members, most of ours a lot less experienced than most other franchises.
Nothing wrong with Selesi, he is tighthead prop that there are few and far between, his scrummaging has been up to any of our other players bar Pek, who has been a shining light this year so far, he does get around albeit slowly but he does the job asked of him.
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.”
How can you expect Harvey to come into the squad go to 10 and know all the calls and the gameplan. At least he starts and it will give him a good overview of the way the Force plays. Hopefully RG has the balls to take Sheehan of 5 minutes after half time, Stannard to 9 and Harvey to 10 Ben of the Bench to 15
"Okay bugga it", I'm bloody excited.
Surprised more of them didnt strain a heart muscle.
The team lacks commitment - the style and structure in their game plan has not changed since inception. We kick the ball when we should run it, we run it when we should kick. We can not tackle to save our lives! A totally disgraceful start to the season yet again!
I have not heard such a silence in the ground from the blue brigade in 6 years, not even the announcer could raze us up, such was the disbelief at what was being witnessed.
Get rid of RG and bring in a real coach that is not tainted by the brush of Mitchell.
Welcome Dodgy.
Not a terribly inspiring first post. Looks like you are in the right place though. Plenty of posters seem as if they are just about ready to jump off a bridge ATM. Luckily there are no real high ones in Perth.
Me; I'll be in Sydney with some keen Force supporters pub crawling up Foveaux St to cheer the boys on. I'll be steering clear of their bridge. It's a doozy and there's a pesky troll hangs around there as well.
PS. Message one of us before Saturday Muddie and i'll shout you a pint.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Not sure which game you were watching, I saw Hodgo giving everything he had and more, Pockock, Sharpe, Cottrill not far behind. We were beaten by outright pace last week, and also rugby nuance, something that is inbred and when rugby is not the main sport and when you are not one of the main teams we have players below that the NZ and SA teams have.
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.”
Also that doesn't make sense. Why would you strain a muscle you weren't using?
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.