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Hill on hand to watch Force prepare for Chiefs test
NICK TAYLOR, The West Australian February 26, 2010, 1:20 pm
WA News / Mogens Johansen ©
Western Force latest signing, former All Black and Waikato Chiefs playmaker David Hill, was an interested spectator as his new teammates went through their final preparations for tomorrow night's clash with his old club.
Hill flew in from Japan last night where he has been playing for Japanese club Toshiba, too late for tomorrow's third round Super 14 match against the Chiefs at ME Bank Stadium.
He has joined the Force for the 2010 14 season, replacing injured former Springbok Andre Pretorius as the club's marquee international signing.
There were at least two faces well known to Hill, his former All Black and Waikato coach John Mitchell and New Zealand prop Tim Fairbrother, who signed from the Hurricanes this year.
Meanwhile winger Scott Staniforth, who has returned to the Force fold on an initial short-term contract went through his paces during the Captain's Run session.
His contract will be assessed after the four games. If he plays on he will be given a season-long deal.
The 32-year-old former Wallaby, who was late for training, joked that he had been getting "a bit of WD40 to get the old legs going".
And he said he will never-say-never again.
"I've done that a few times and it does my wife's head in - when I left the Waratahs then came back here and left again."
He was excited to be among a new team but "it was an easy fit" having played four seasons with the Force and knowing their systems.
Staniforth was able to rejoin the Force after his Japanese second division club Yokogawa turned amateur after failing to win promotion this season.
It left him a free agent and the Australian Rugby Union reversed an initial decision to block the move because he had been contracted in Japan.
"I wanted to help them (Force) out and the way thing have folded over there, it's opened up the opportunity for me to play so it has worked out well," Staniforth said.
"The way things have panned out, it's good to be playing footy again.
"You don't want to be spending too much time on the unemployment line. It's good to be wanted.
"It gives me an opportunity to play Super 14 again which I thought my time was past."
There had been whispers that Yokogawa was about to fold but Staniforth said: "When they booked my return flight after the last game and said they were looking forward to next year I thought it was all right but they've decided to go amateur and I've just got to move on."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...r-chiefs-test/
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