Harry Potter among key weapons as Reds brace for ‘dangerous’ Force

After beating the ACT Brumbies in Canberra for the first time in 5,060 days, the Western Force will be “full of confidence” ahead of their round three clash with another Australian rival. The Queensland Reds have made the trip west, with both sides looking to remain unbeaten.

Reds skipper Tate McDermott anticipates a “dangerous” Force outfit to be at their best on the back of two stunning results to start the Super Rugby Pacific season. In second place on the ladder, the Force have the rugby world talking after back-to-back wins.

Ben Donaldson was the hero for the Force in their opening-round win over Moana Pasifika in Perth, with the playmaker racing about 70 metres to the house with time up on the clock. ‘Donno’ also converted the run to hand the men from WA a famously dramatic victory.

The Force made the trip east the following week ahead of their first Australian derby of the season, and history was against them before facing the Brumbies. But, with Carlo Tizzano breaking the record for most tackles in a game, the Force upset their foe 45-42.

This is the first time the Force have started a Super Rugby season with two wins from as many starts, and they’ll look to keep the good times going on Saturday against the Reds. With the Reds starting their season with a win over Moana as well, the stage is set for this clash.

“We’re expecting the Force to be full of confidence, like they deserve to be after two good wins,” McDermott told reporters from Perth. “Particularly the one against the Brumbies, they’ll be ready to go and dangerous after that.

“You only have to look at their edges in Dylan Pietsch and Harry Potter. Their forward packs gone to another level this year and their halves pairing in [Nic] Whitely and [Ben] Donno, they’ve been fantastic conductors for the team.

“They’ve got threats all across the park and we’re looking forward to testing ourselves against them. It’s going to be an exciting match-up.

“I’ve been really impressed with how they have scored points, they’ve scored points through a number of ways; through set-piece moves like you saw on the weekend with Dylan Pietsch going straight through against the Brumbies.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

1

Draws

0

Wins

4

Average Points scored

24

35

First try wins

60%

Home team wins

80%

“They’ve got a number of tricks up their sleeve and we’ve got to make sure defensively we’re aware of that. Got to make sure we do our homework which we’ve done but doing your homework and stopping them are two different things.”

Reds coach Les Kiss has made six changes to the starting side ahead of this third-round clash, with fullback Jock Campbell and Hunter Paisami both unavailable.

Matt Faessler, Zane Nonggorr, Angus Blyth, Dre Pakeho, Lachie Anderson and Heremaia Murray come into the First XV. But the biggest story from the Reds’ team naming on Wednesday is the highly anticipated return of Liam Wright off the bench.

Wright captained Australia for the first time last July against Wales but hasn’t taken the field since after another long stint on the sidelines with an injury. Wearing the No. 20 jumper, Wright will finally don the Reds’ colours again, in what is seen as a big boost for the side.

“It’s been a crazy journey for Liam,” McDermott reflected.

“I’m super, super excited to see him back in the side, he’s a massive part of our team and a really influential player as well.

“Having him on the bench, the composure he’s going to bring late in the game for what we’re expecting to be a pretty close game the whole way out, two evenly matched sides. To have someone like Liam there, it’s going to be massive for us.

“I’ve seen first-hand the journey he’s been on… this injury in particular, it’s been a long way back where he’s almost come back and he’s done it again.”