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WESTERN Force's horror run with injuries has continued with Test star David Pocock sustaining ligament damage to a finger, while Matt Giteau has thrown a scare into the Brumbies camp after aggravating a quadriceps problem.
Pocock, who damaged the finger in the Force's 24-15 loss to the Brumbies in Perth last Friday, has been ruled out of the match with the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday and may be sidelined for a few weeks.
The loss of Pocock comes on top of injuries to South African five-eighth Andre Pretorius (hamstring), fullback Cameron Shepherd (severe thigh strain), utility back Mark Bartholomeusz (neck) and number eight Richard Brown (shoulder).
Rookie Ben McCalman and Richard Stanford are likely to join Wallaby Matt Hodgson in a new-look Force backrow, stretching the club's depth to the limit.
Giteau did not play against the Force, but was expected to be fit to play against defending champion, the Bulls, in Pretoria on Saturday.
However, Giteau pulled out of the Brumbies' training session in Perth on Monday night and had a scan on his injured quadriceps muscle yesterday.
The scan cleared Giteau of further injury and he flew out with the Brumbies for South Africa last night. He will be re-assessed when he arrives..
"Matt was looking sharp. The whole team was looking sharp," Brumbies coach Andy Friend lamented.
The Brumbies departed for South Africa 10 months after the death of inspirational and popular forward Shawn Mackay, who died after a road accident in Durban.
The accident occurred in the early hours of the morning after the Brumbies had been out socialising following their match with the Sharks.
Friend has decided against imposing a curfew, trusting the players to behave responsibly.
"Last year was last year but it's a pretty strong memory," he said. "We want to enjoy ourselves, but we want to get a job done. We won't have anything else on our minds.
"In years gone past, I wonder if that's been a key thought on the players' minds. Tours are good fun, but you are going there to do a job.
"We have a different leadership group this year (captain Stephen Hoiles, Matt Giteau, Justin Harrison, Stephen Moore and Mitch Chapman). I've been happy with their input."
Friend will also reinforce the Brumbies' buddy system where players look out for their room-mates while socialising on tour.
The Brumbies will certainly need to be focused to succeed on this tour as it includes a match with the Stormers in Cape Town.
After their scrappy win against the Force, the Brumbies will need to improve their WESTERN Force's horror run with injuries has continued with Test star David Pocock sustaining ligament damage to a finger, while Matt Giteau has thrown a scare into the Brumbies camp after aggravating a quadriceps problem.
Pocock, who damaged the finger in the Force's 24-15 loss to the Brumbies in Perth last Friday, has been ruled out of the match with the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday and may be sidelined for a few weeks.
The loss of Pocock comes on top of injuries to South African five-eighth Andre Pretorius (hamstring), fullback Cameron Shepherd (severe thigh strain), utility back Mark Bartholomeusz (neck) and number eight Richard Brown (shoulder).
Rookie Ben McCalman and Richard Stanford are likely to join Wallaby Matt Hodgson in a new-look Force backrow, stretching the club's depth to the limit.
Giteau did not play against the Force, but was expected to be fit to play against defending champion, the Bulls, in Pretoria on Saturday.
However, Giteau pulled out of the Brumbies' training session in Perth on Monday night and had a scan on his injured quadriceps muscle yesterday.
The scan cleared Giteau of further injury and he flew out with the Brumbies for South Africa last night. He will be re-assessed when he arrives..
"Matt was looking sharp. The whole team was looking sharp," Brumbies coach Andy Friend lamented.
The Brumbies departed for South Africa 10 months after the death of inspirational and popular forward Shawn Mackay, who died after a road accident in Durban.
The accident occurred in the early hours of the morning after the Brumbies had been out socialising following their match with the Sharks.
Friend has decided against imposing a curfew, trusting the players to behave responsibly.
"Last year was last year but it's a pretty strong memory," he said. "We want to enjoy ourselves, but we want to get a job done. We won't have anything else on our minds.
"In years gone past, I wonder if that's been a key thought on the players' minds. Tours are good fun, but you are going there to do a job.
"We have a different leadership group this year (captain Stephen Hoiles, Matt Giteau, Justin Harrison, Stephen Moore and Mitch Chapman). I've been happy with their input."
Friend will also reinforce the Brumbies' buddy system where players look out for their room-mates while socialising on tour.
The Brumbies will certainly need to be focused to succeed on this tour as it includes a match with the Stormers in Cape Town.
After their scrappy win against the Force, the Brumbies will need to improve their performance in the scrum, lineout and breakdown if they are to have any chance of upsetting the Bulls.
Wallaby tourist Salesi Ma'afu is expected to replace former Test prop Guy Shepherdson at tighthead to improve their scrum and provide more around the field.
Friend said the Brumbies had to adjust better to the new law interpretations after Force fullback James O'Connor kept them in the game with penalty goals.
Bulls five-eighth Morne Steyn has the ability to kick goals from his own side of halfway, especially at altitude.
Queensland second-rower Van Humphries is expected to miss the match with the Crusaders in Brisbane on Friday night after sustaining a head knock in the loss to NSW last Saturday.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225831125711
Do we need to start sacrificing goats or something?
Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts.
- Winston Churchill
Ahh well at least it will build our depth for 2011 when, with some very careful and well planned recruiting, we will have the best depth we've had in years and will have exorcised our injury demons. I'd put a $50 on making the finals in 2011 if such a bet were available. The optimist in me says our chances of finals were remote this year before injuries and that at least guys like Ben McCalman, DHP, JO'C and Ben Whittaker will get another years experience under their belts. All the better for next years assault.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
This is all John Mitchell's fault.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
And Peter O'Meara
If JOC plays 10 we will probably win. The Hurricans were bad last week.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
its dam bad luck, but at least they arent season ending injuries, if the Force can get away with a win or two in the next few weeks, then when the injured players start to return they will still be in with a shot of the finals
In other news, RWA have today proudly announced Emirates as the major sponsor of the sporting injury wing of the Fiona Stanley Hospital...
If not the finals, which I have been tipping missing anyway pre season, then does it really matter if the team comes 5th or 12th if there is building for the future, in terms of experience, happening?
I think not, it makes great copy for the media and the doomsayers but Silver is the first of the losers, there are only one true winners per season.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
PIck Me... mudskipper is not worthy...
Mud, why is it you consistently relapse from half reasonable and coherent comment to child within a fortnight of your returning from banning?
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Ahhh bugger. I guess everyone has a year like this every now and again.....I just feel bad for bagging out the GTT boys so much when the Tahs had it!
I don't feel bad for bagging them as much as for giving them half an excuse to start trolling over here again.
Fortunately our backrow is the deepest bench of our organisation (well maybe props compete for depth but....) McCalman, Stanford and Wykes all have S14 experience (albeit limited in McCalman's case) and will survive.
I think the Canes will win no matter how much they suck this week!
C'mon the![]()
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Just answering to Shastamans call for a sacrificial offering…
---------- Post added at 08:12 ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 ----------
It really sucks whats happened to Pocock and Brownie. I hope they both a have speedy recovery... I don't like seeing players injured from any team especially and in a AUS team.