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DALE GRANGER
PerthNow
May 31, 2014
WESTERN Force foundation coach John Mitchell believes his former club can make the Super Rugby playoffs for the first time, despite slipping up in their 30-7 defeat to the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday.
Former All Black mentor Mitchell, who coached the Force for five seasons from the club’s inception in 2006, said he had been “thrilled” watching his former charges sealing a record eight wins this season.
The Force are mounting a serious challenge at making the cut into the top-six knockout phase.
“They are very much a Tri-Nations team now having boxed with everyone, particularly the ARU. They need to keep doing what they’re doing because they’ve got something they believe in and can hold on to and they are clearly working hard for each other,” Mitchell said from Durban, where he works as a TV pundit.
Force’s Matt Hodgson, Nick Cummins, Pek Cowan, Nathan Charles, Sam Wykes, Kieran Longbottom and Ben McCalman all cut their Super Rugby teeth under Mitchell, who said the club had performed well without any obvious luminaries in their line-up.
“There are no superstars among them, but they clearly accept each other and get on with the job and work hard together,” he said.
But in a year where veteran Matt Hodgson has galvanised his career and earned a recall as one of five Force players in the Wallaby squad, Mitchell said of the Force skipper: “He epitomises the Force and the way they play, which reflects a terrific attitude.
“I remember Mad Monday back in my day and James O’Connor’s indecision in resigning for the club. Matty stood up and said, ‘hurry up and make a decision, because I am committed and these guys here are committed. So you decide whether you are committed’. That’s Matty. What you see is what you get.
“Ben McCalman has stood up for me and seems to be beating defenders better than in the past. And Sam Wykes has shown maturity as well.
‘’Sias Ebersohn has mixed up his ability and is flatter on attack at fly half. I have quite enjoyed his ability to get bigger backs to run off him.
‘’Don’t underestimate the Force backs. They are quite big, have the ability to defend and are very capable at the kick chase and competing in the air as well, which is very much part of the game these days.”
“There are two ways of looking at playoff rugby. You can either fear it or make the most of it. Ultimately, if you chase the outcome you will generally fall short. The Force need to stick to what works for them without focusing on the finality of finals footy, but taking it one week at a time and see where you end up.”
With Angus Cottrell’s broken leg on Friday adding to a mounting injury list now totalling 11 players, the four-week Super Rugby ceasefire has come at an important time for the Force to regroup.
Scrumhalf Ian Pryor is the only Force player to have experienced playoff rugby, but The Force’s fate is still in their own hands as they finish their campaign at home to the Blues and the Reds before wrapping up against the Brumbies in Canberra.
What has delivered dividends for the Force this season is their tenacious defence that contrasts with the attacking style of flair players such as Matt Giteau, O’Connor and Drew Mitchell during Mitchell’s reign.
“The game has evolved a lot since then and is now very much a defensive game. But at finals time you still have to build pressure with the ball because you can go without it for long periods of time. The Force have a defensive recipe and are quite comfortable without the ball, but they got caught on the goal line against the Crusaders.
“A lot of defensive sides can be pretty marginal in the tackle and release area and at finals time it can come down to who is in the middle and what he sees arriving at the breakdown,” said Mitchell.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/ru...-1226938402465
PS Like the Mad Monday story about Hodgo and O'Connor
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