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Western Force inject foreign arrivals straight into lineup for first Super Rugby match since 2017

By AAP
Jono Lance with the Reds in 2011.

Western Force coach Tim Sampson will err on the side of caution by starting former Wallabies Kyle Godwin and Greg Holmes on the bench in Saturday’s clash with the NSW Waratahs.

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Godwin and Holmes were forced into quarantine late last month after signing with the Force, and Sampson doesn’t want to increase their risk of injury by playing them for a full game.

“We have included a few of the new signings on the bench for this first outing as we have to be very careful how we manage their workload, given they have been in quarantine for some time,” Sampson said.

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The Rugby Ruckus crew were back live with the Tight Five show as Australian Super rugby returned. Ben Kimber and ex-Wallaby Morgan Turinui host Blues assistant coach Dan Halangahu to discuss the first round of Super Rugby AU.

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The Rugby Ruckus crew were back live with the Tight Five show as Australian Super rugby returned. Ben Kimber and ex-Wallaby Morgan Turinui host Blues assistant coach Dan Halangahu to discuss the first round of Super Rugby AU.

“There are also a number of Force youngsters who will be getting their first taste of rugby at this level, which will be a great experience for them.”

Prop Pek Cowan is still in quarantine and will miss the clash with NSW at the SCG, while former Reds scrumhalf Nick Frisby was also unavailable.

Former All Blacks lock Jeremy Thrush headlines the Force’s starting line-up, while other familiar faces include Kieran Longbottom, Brynard Stander, Ian Prior, Jono Lance and Marcel Brache.

The starting line-up also contains plenty of names that will be unfamiliar to most rugby fans in Australia.

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Prop Angus Wagner, winger Byron Ralston, flanker Tevin Ferris, inside centre Nick Jooste and fullback Jack McGregor are among the generation next who will be aiming to make a name for themselves in Australia’s new rugby competition.

Saturday’s match marks the Force’s first foray back into Super Rugby ranks since they were controversially axed at the end of 2017.

Force: Jack McGregor, Byron Ralston, Marcel Brache, Nick Jooste, Brad Lacey, Jono Lance, Ian Prior (c), Brynard Stander, Tevin Ferris, Henry Stowers, Fergus Lee-Warner, Jeremy Thrush, Kieran Longbottom, Feleti Kaitu’u, Angus Wagner. Reserves: Andrew Ready, Chris Heiberg, Greg Holmes, Johan Bardoul, Ollie Callen, Jacob Abel, Henry Taefu, Kyle Godwin.

– Justin Chadwick

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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