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The Lions earned their first win of the competition last weekend while the Force finished their tussle with a draw. Both teams seem to be starting to build momentum, but that ends here. Short of the remarkable events of 2006 when the Force registered two consecutive draws, one of these two teams is going to suffer yet another loss. The Lions have started their season well by their standards. Despite eventually losing, they put a lot of pressure on the Bulls, Stormers and Blues. An excellent attack has characterized their season thus far. The Force meanwhile have been champions on defence. The draw from the last game was unlucky, however there was no luck in how efficiently the team closed down an all star backline that is chock full of All Blacks. This game stands to be an exciting match up of last year’s cellar-dwellers where a blistering attack meets a rock-solid defence. And that’s not even taking into account the Mitchell factor that is bound to add some emotion...
Head to Head
The early years of Force vs Lions games saw some very even games. Our inaugural match saw points shared after the Force fired out to a commanding 20 point half-time lead (thanks to a Scott Staniforth hat trick) only to let through a last minute try; Andre Pretorius’ missed conversion sparing the Force yet another loss (34-34). A year later the Lions took the honours by one point (25-24) in Perth with woeful finishing and poor discipline seeing the Force win just about everywhere but on the scoreboard. The Force finally managed their first victory over the Jo’Burgers in a sloppy and uninspiring match in 2008 (18-16). The trend of Force wins has continued from here with a 55-14 belting at Subi Oval in 2009 and a comfortable 33-12 win last year. Let’s hope the trend continues...
How we are going to win it...
The real take home message from last weekend’s game was to play the full 80 minutes. This is particularly pertinent as playing at altitude will definitely make this harder to do. Against the Lions it won’t just be about the final 10 minutes; we also need to make certain we don’t give them an easy lead and be forced to chase the game. Being behind by 10 at altitude against a team that loves to run is almost a point of no return. Watch out for Kockott early on around the fringes of the ruck and off the back of the Lions’ scrum.
We have what it takes to beat the Lions. We should have the edge in the forwards and put a bit of pressure on their set piece. Our backs are also growing in confidence and will hopefully feature pretty strongly. What we need to do is prevent ourselves from being sucked into the Lions’ game plan. Don’t let the game become too free and loose. If they are under pressure at the breakdown and under pressure with their scrums and line-outs, we can stymie their attack. Take the lead and frustrate the Lions; they will start to do silly things like haphazardly running the ball out of their own 22. We can feed off their mistakes and blow them off the park.
Players to watch out for
John Mitchell tried to recruit hooker Bandise Maku for the 2010 Force season, however the youngster opted instead to earn a Springbok cap and play for the Bulls. Maku has now linked up with Mitchell at the Lions and will face off against the Force’s own young talents; Ben Whittaker and Nathan Charles. Maku is a solid player and gets around the field well. This mobility really suits the Lions’ attacking mindset.
Cameron Shepherd will have his hands full keeping an eye on the Lions’ danger men. Shep has had a fairly slow start to the season, being solid but not brilliant. It is no surprise that with the injuries he has had of late it would wake a while for him to return to form and get his confidence back up. Could this be the game where he shows us that he still has the amazing talent that we saw in 2006 and 2007? His monster kicking-boot will be a valuable asset in the thin air of Johannesburg.
The key match-ups
This was a tough one to pick at first. My first thoughts went to the battle of the terriers in Brett Sheehan and Jano Vermaak, but Vermaak may still be injured and not make the 22. Expect a cat-fight there if he does. Another intriguing head to head will be between Sam Wykes and Wikus van Heerden (Who names their son Wikus?). Both players share pretty similar dimensions (Sam’s afro giving him a bit of an edge in the height department) and will likely face-off in the second-row, where neither player seems best suited. Despite this, they are both in excellent form and their tireless work around the park has lifted their respective teams. But who am I forgetting? Ohh, yes, of course the real key match-up with be that of John Mitchell and Richard Graham. The predecessor vs his replacement. Both coaches will be reaching deep into their bags of tricks to gain bragging rights and to justify their appointments as head coach. Mitchell may have an intimate knowledge of the Force to help counter his former team but Graham’s man management is excellent and he will be inspiring his disciples to play out of their skins to send a big up-yours to their former mentor. I can’t wait for the post-match coach interviews.
Predicted result
The Lions are a different proposition to the team of the last few years. They are no longer an easy 4-5 points. If the Force get complacent, either at the start or end of the game, we will be punished. That said, the Force are the better team and should win. We should have the edge in the line-outs, the scrum and at the breakdown. We should be able to neutralize the Lions’ impressive attack. Our own attack should function at level above what we saw against the Blues. If the Force come into the game with the same passion and spirit that they have shown in previous weeks, we will come out with our first win of the season. Force by 6.
Teams
Emirates Western Force Squad
1. Pek Cowan
2. Ben Whittaker
3. Tim Fairbrother
4. Sam Wykes
5. Nathan Sharpe (c)
6. Richard Brown
7. Matt Hodgson (vc)
8. Ben McCalman
9. Brett Sheehan
10. James O'Connor
11. David Smith
12. Gene Fairbanks
13. Nick Cummins
14. Alfie Mafi
15. Cameron Shepherd
Reserves
16. Nathan Charles
17. Kieran Longbottom
18. Tom Hockings
19. Tevita Metuisela
20. James Stannard
21. Matt Brandon
22. Pat Dellit
Lions Squad
1. JC Janse van Rensburg
2. Bandise Maku
3. Patric Cilliers
4. Wikus van Heerden
5. Franco van der Merwe (c)
6. Derick Minnie
7. Josh Strauss
8. Warren Whitely
9. Rory Kockott
10. Elton Jantjies
11. Michael Killian
12. Waylon Murray
13. Jannie Boshoff
14. Lionel Mapoe
15. Jaco Taute
Reserves
16. Martin Bezuidenhout
17. Kevin Buys
18. Michael Rhodes
19. Cobus Grobbelaar
20. Michael Bondesio
21. Burton Francis
22. Deon van Rensburg
• Match Report will be pending my ability to get somewhere I can watch the game. PM me if you know any pubs in the Fremantle area that are likely to stay open to the finish. Ta.
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Originally Posted by travelling_gerry
