No early crow this week.
TBH I haven't seen anything apart from scrummaging that concerns me about the Tahs.
Yes we need to front up in the scrums or we'll suffer a Moana Pasifika - type belting, but their lineout doesn't look spectacular, their attack isn't scary, their general play is loose and their defence seems pretty easy to break down.
If the boys show up and put another 84 minute performance down I think they'll be in with a bloody good chance.
Dolly and Marley need to find a way to make Tupou's habit of scrumming 45 degrees inwards obvious to the Ref.
C'mon the
Western Force captain Jeremy Williams has been named to return against his former club, the NSW Waratahs, in Saturday night’s SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific Round 4 clash in Sydney.
Wallabies lock Williams along with outside-centre Sio Tomkinson have both been added to the starting XV after missing last round’s narrow 28-24 loss to the Queensland Reds due to head injury protocols.
The duo are among five changes to the 23-player team list, with Brandon Paenga-Amosa to make his Force starting debut in the competitive hooker role with rake Tom Horton added to the finishers.
Will Harris also comes into the starting side at blindside flanker, with the re-signed Nick Champion de Crespigny reverting to number 8.
Tomkinson’s return sees Reesjan Pasitoa move to the bench, following his strong return to the starting line-up against the Reds after more than 1,000 days between Super Rugby games due to injuries.
Fiji-born lock Josh Thompson, 24, has been named among the finishers for his Super Rugby debut.
Horton and front-rower Josh Smith are also added to the reserves. Vaiolini Ekuasi is unavailable for the trip due to the imminent birth of his child.
Saturday’s game at Allianz Stadium will be broadcast live on 9GEM and Stan Sport, with kick-off at 4:35pm WST.
The game will be preceded by the SMARTECH Super Rugby Women’s clash between the Waratahs and Force from 2:05pm WST, live on 9GEM and Stan Sport.
Force team list
Starting XV; Marley Pearce, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Tom Robertson, Jeremy Williams (c), Darcy Swain, Will Harris, Carlo Tizzano, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Nic White, Ben Donaldson, Dylan Pietsch, Hamish Stewart, Sio Tomkinson, Harry Potter, Mac Grealy,
Reserves; Tom Horton, Ryan Coxon, Josh Smith, Josh Thompson, Reed Prinsep, Isaak Fines-Leleiwasa, Max Burey, Reesjan Pasitoa
Game details
NSW Waratahs vs Western Force
Saturday 8 March, 4:35pm WST
Allianz Stadium
SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific Round 4
Live on 9GEM and Stan Sport
Unavailable list
Harry Johnson-Holmes (knee)
Bayley Kuenzle (knee)
Harry Hoopert (knee)
Divad Palu (shoulder)
Matt Proctor (shoulder)
Papillon Sevele (knee)
https://westernforce.rugby/news/will...s-clash-202535
Horton Coxon and Smith coming on after the departure of Tupou, Porecki and Bell.Originally Posted by jargan83
They'll likely be facing up against Lambert Vailanu and Amone.....this will be the test that determines Tiaan Tuakipulu's career arc methinks.
C'mon the
It'll be wet and slippery in NSW. I reckon our scrum could get dusted. Likewise, we'll put enormous pressure on their lineout. It will be good to play without the ball in this one. Good thing we have some handy kickers.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
4 (not 3) ex-WF lads playing for the Tahs. [Thanks James]
(Ben Grant [4 years ago], Siosifa Amone, Felix Kalapu and Henry O'Donnell [1 year ago])
(1-15): Angus Bell, Dave Porecki, Taniela Tupou, Hugh Sinclair, Ben Grant, Rob Leota, Charlie Gamble, Langi Gleeson, Jake Gordon (c), Lawson Creighton, Darby Lancaster, Joey Walton, Henry O’Donnell, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway.
Replacements: Mahe Vailanu, Tom Lambert, Siosifa Amone, Felix Kalapu, Leafi Talataina, Jack Grant, Tane Edmed, Triston Reilly.
Last edited by andrewg; 07-03-25 at 07:15.
And O'Donnell.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
Our reserve scrum is quite a worry with Horton not the strongest and 2 rookies in Smith & Thompson. Expect BPA & Robbo might be in for long stints.
Good to see Koteka and Henry Robertson off the injury list as well. Would love to see Kane back in the team and a backrow of Koteka, Tizzano & CDC would be pretty immense at the breakdown.
I know this game is in Moore Park; but I'm beginning to wonder if the match has been cancelled due to a cyclone in Queensland. There's not been one article about the game in the SMH all week. Just a lot of hand-wringing about JA-S still being unavailable for their Reds match the following week.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
The latest map from BoM shows the cyclone making landfall half-way between Brisbane and Noosa, heading west to Dalby and only then turning south into country NSW (Moree?). Sydney should be fine - bit blowy, but rainy, but they avoid the cyclone until the tail of it come south on Monday/Tuesday when they get ~100mm rain.
Moreton Island's receiving a battering at the moment, and then Caboolture. With luck it'll lose power as it heads inland, but the populated corner of Qld will be getting a lot of rain and the Brisbane River could easily burst it's banks (the city river walk partially floods at spring tide if there's any rain!)
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon
Not looking as sharp so far.
That 2nd Jorgensen try was very frustrating, and very Force.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
Mabey is a bit shit.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
Struggling to watch this
Missed most of the first half but the Force have been pretty average from what I've seen of the second.
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