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Return of the Force: Can the Western Force shock the system in their Super Rugby AU return?
Super Rugby returns to Australia for the first time in four months this weekend in the form of the five-team Super Rugby AU.
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Not only will the nation’s four Super Rugby franchises – the Reds, Waratahs, Brumbies and Rebels – continue to do battle as they had done prior to the original competition’s cancellation, but they will welcome back the Western Force into the fold.
The Perth-based outfit was one of three teams axed from Super Rugby in 2017, but will return to the league – albeit in a domestic format only – for the next three months to decide the best team in Australia.
Heralded as comfortable underdogs, the Force will be eager to prove they can foot it with the big boys of Australian rugby after two seasons of toiling away in both the Global Rapid Rugby and National Rugby Championship tournaments.
They have tasted title-winning success in both competitions, running out champions in both the Asian and Pacific showcase series in Global Rapid Rugby last year, before adding an NRC crown to their winners’ board four months later.
Perhaps those accolades indicate that they are ready for a competitive return to Australia’s top flight, not that they didn’t hold their own in their final Super Rugby campaign three years ago.
Despite their dismissal from the southern hemisphere’s premier club tournament, the Force finished second in a lacklustre Australian conference, notching two wins over the Reds and one apiece against the Rebels and Waratahs.
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Former All Blacks lock Jeremy Thrush, who has been part of the Force’s set-up since moving to Western Australia from Premiership club Gloucester in 2018, sent out a warning to rival sides earlier this week that they could suffer a similar fate should his team be underestimated.
“We’re not here just to be invited to make up numbers so that there’s an extra game on TV,” he said, according to AAP. “We’re here to push ourselves and compete to win.”
A quick glance over the Force’s squad adds weight to Trush’s statement, as the Tim Sampson-coached side boasts considerable test match experience.
Aside from the 12 caps Thrush earned for New Zealand between 2013 and 2015, the squad also features two ex-Wallabies in the form of prop Greg Holmes and midfielder Kyle Godwin.
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The pair have re-located to Perth ahead of Super Rugby AU from the Exeter Chiefs and Connacht, respectively, with Godwin publicly outlining his ambition to add to the sole Wallabies cap he won against France in four years ago.
“My dream of playing for the Wallabies definitely hasn’t died for me,” Godwin, who played for the Force between 2012 and 2016, said.
“I think it’s at the back of every player’s mind in Australia to play for your country. It’s the pinnacle of your sport, so it will definitely be in the back of my mind.”
Elsewhere, journeyman playmaker Jono Lance has returned to his homeland after a three-year spell with Worcester Warriors in England and is set to form an experienced halves combo with captain Ian Prior at halfback.
Manu Samoa trio Henry Stowers, AJ Alatimu and Henry Taefu will join USA Eagles wing Marcel Brache in providing the Force with international class, with all four having played for their nations at last year’s World Cup in Japan.
Watch out for electric fullback Jack McGregor, who has shown glimpses of his attacking skill set in Global Rapid Rugby that could be of good use in Super Rugby AU.
The Force will have to wait until round two to make their highly-anticipated start to Super Rugby AU, though, where they will face off against the Waratahs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The hosts will be eager to make amends for their shocking start to the initial Super Rugby competition earlier in the year, where they made the worst start to the league in their history with three consecutive defeats off the bat.
It didn’t get much better for Rob Penney’s side, who enjoyed just one win from six outings to sit in second-last place at the time of Super Rugby’s suspension.
Things won’t get much easier for them when they kick-off their Super Rugby AU campaign against the Reds in Brisbane on Friday, as they will be without a raft of their veteran players.
Wallabies trio Karmichael Hunt, Jake Gordon and Tom Robertson will join midfielder Lalakai Foketi in missing the opening match of the tournament through injury, while New South Wales legend Kurtley Beale has left the club early to take up his contract with Racing 92 in France.
That leaves the 2014 Super Rugby champions void of plenty of their regular starters, with incumbent Wallabies captain Michael Hooper the sole survivor of their championship campaign six years ago.
The 99-test flanker will thus be expected to lead a match day side that features five debutants – Will Harris, Joey Walton, Tom Horton, Tiaan Tauakipulu and Ben Donaldson – from the front in two days’ time.
To give an idea of how youthful that team is, Harris, Walton, Donaldson, reserve halfback Michael McDonald and promising starting pair Angus Bell and Mark Nawaqanitawase were all members of last year’s Australia U20 squad.
Furthermore, tighthead prop Tauakipulu was part of the 2019 New Zealand Schools side, while five of the seven backs starting for the Waratahs have played 11 games or fewer in Super Rugby.
The onus, therefore, will certainly be on Hooper and his fellow Wallabies – Harry Johnson-Holmes, Ned Hanigan, Rob Simmons, Jack Maddocks and Jack Dempsey – to help ease the youngsters’ transition into the professional scene.
That will be no easy task against an exciting Reds outfit at Suncorp Stadium, although if Nawaqanitawase and prospective Wallabies pivot Will Harrison can re-create their impressive early season form, the Waratahs could threaten to upset the Queenslanders.
Nevertheless, the safe money remains with Brad Thorn’s side, who were beginning to find their rhythm before Super Rugby was ground to a halt.
A monstrous 64-5 thumping of the Sunwolves highlighted their attacking capabilities, while their 41-17 come-from-behind win against the Bulls was an illustration of the 2011 Super Rugby champions’ mental fortitude.
Combine that with their tight 24-20 defeat to the Crusaders in Christchurch, which they really should have won had at least two of their four conversion attempts went over, and there is more to the Reds than their 2-5 record suggested earlier in the year.
In young halfback Tate McDermott, Brad Thorn may have uncovered the Wallabies’ long-term replacement to Will Genia, and the return of James O’Connor from overseas has been mightily successful.
A proven operator across the backline, the 52-test utility back has found a home in Queensland’s five-eighths positions, where his playmaking prowess and strong running ability has become a real asset.
Starting at first-five this weekend, it appears the No. 10 jersey may be where O’Connor is set to stay, which should frighten opposition sides given the ability of McDermott inside of him.
Further out the backline, 22-year-old Hunter Paisami proved to be among the finds of the seasons with his physical displays, and should form a destructive midfield pairing with Wallabies prodigy Jordan Petaia once the latter returns from injury.
Exciting wing Filipo Daugnu, speedster Jock Campbell and playmaker Bryce Hegarty will occupy the back three spots this weekend, all of whom can expect extensive game time following the sudden departures of Henry Speight and Isaac Lucas.
While Speight was released to join French club Biarritz during the lockdown period, Lucas was among three players involved in a highly-publicised exit from the club after refusing to take pay cuts bought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The other two players, Wallabies lock Izack Rodda and second row partner Harry Hockings, will leave some holes in the Reds’ forward pack, but that isn’t to say there aren’t some impressive options for Queensland up front.
The loose forwards is a particular area of strength, with youthful trio Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight – who was last year’s Junior Wallaby Player of the Year – and Liam Wright all named to start against the Waratahs.
One-cap Wallaby Wright will captain the side, but it’s 20-year-old Wilson who caught much of the attention a few months ago thanks to his commanding performances off the back of the scrum.
That led Crusaders coach Scott Robertson to express that he had “officially fallen in love” with the 1.95m, 110kg brute, who should continue to blossom alongside Wright and McReight.
Their cause will be aided by the presence of blockbusting Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou and the sizeable Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, while Australian international Brandon Paenga-Amosa will keep jostling with Alex Mafi for the side’s starting hooker role.
In the weekend’s other clash, the Brumbies will host the Rebels in a match that the home side will likely stand as favourites for.
The Canberra club sat in the lofty position of second place at the time of Super Rugby’s pause, winning five games from six in a run that included an impressive 26-14 victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton.
That should come as little surprise given the Brumbies have probably the best-balanced squad in Australia, and will loom as strong title contenders.
Their admirable dept in the front row means they have Wallabies quartet Scott Sio, captain Michael Alaalatoa, Folau Fainga’a and James Slipper at their disposal.
Those four help create a strong tight five when two-cap Wallabies lock Blake Enever, highly-regarded youngster Nick Frost and the previously in-form Caderyn Neville are added into the mix.
Likewise, Wallabies pair Pete Samu and Rob Valetini give an imposing look to the Brumbies’ loose forward contingent, which also features the long-serving Lachlan McCaffrey and promising Jahrome Brown.
In the backline, 20-year-old Noah Lolesio earned a plethora of plaudits for his efforts at the beginning of this year, and will resume his halves partnership with nippy Wallabies halfback Joe Powell.
That’s provided the four-test international can maintain his place in the starting side after back-up scrum-half Ryan Lonergan took his chance well in the Brumbies’ most recent outing against the Sunwolves.
Rugby league convert Solomone Kata showed off his finishing prowess in his handful of outings from January through to March, and should be the favourite to start on the wing this week along with ex-Chiefs speedster Toni Pulu.
Those two have the potential to form a lethal back three combination with Wallabies fullback Tom Banks, while Tevita Kuridrani and Irae Simone will look to build on their midfield partnership.
As for the Rebels, the ability to kill of their inconsistency could be the key to a successful Super Rugby AU campaign this season.
Three wins and three losses left them stranded in ninth spot in the original Super Rugby standings, but their last two efforts – victories against the Highlanders and Lions – should provide some inspiration ahead of the forthcoming weeks.
Dave Wessels will look to his Wallabies to spurn an upset at GIO Stadium on Saturday, with the likes of Isi Naisarani, Matt Toomua, Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge and reigning John Eales Medallist Marika Koroibete all expected to start.
Koroibete, in particular, may prove to be a crucial cog in the Rebels’ success, with the wing’s speed and power vital to the side’s attacking prowess.
Jordan Uelese may join those five, but he will have to first fight off the challenge of New Zealand-born Anaru Rangi, who was one of Super Rugby’s form hookers earlier this year.
This campaign will serve to be the final one in Rebels colours for Wallabies trio Jermaine Ainsley, Matt Philip and Luke Jones, who will leave Melbourne for the Highlanders, Pau and Racing 92, respectively, next season.
Perhaps this week’s assignment against the Brumbies could be too tough to overcome, but should they emerge victorious the following week against the Reds, back-to-back matches against the Waratahs and Force could put them in good stead.
Super Rugby AU Predicted Standings
1. Brumbies
2. Reds
3. Rebels
4. Waratahs
5. Western Force
Super Rugby AU Round One
Friday 3 July – Reds vs Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Saturday 4 July – Brumbies vs Rebels at GIO Stadium, Canberra
Bye – Western Force
Comments on RugbyPass
He seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
3 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
15 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
15 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
3 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
15 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
15 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to comments