Charles season over after rupturing knee
Nick Taylor,
The West Australian
March 26, 2013, 8:20 am
Western Force have been dealt a bitter blow, losing their most experienced hooker Nathan Charles for the rest of the Super Rugby season.
Charles, who has made 44 appearances for the club, ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Saturday night's loss to the Cheetahs.
His knee buckled as he pushed off to sidestep a tackle in the 14th minute and he will have reconstructive surgery on Thursday.
Charles' place in the starting side for Sunday's clash with the Waratahs in Sydney is likely to be taken by Heath Tessmann, who replaced Charles and came off the bench in two other games.
The club's third hooker, Ben Whittaker, has played only one game - for the Force A against Samoa A - since recovering from a broken foot and is expected to fill the reserves spot.
Tessmann was signed as cover for Whittaker in January on a short-term contract after he was released from the Melbourne Rebels.
Coach Michael Foley is still waiting for medical reports on playmaker Sias Ebersohn and prop Pek Cowan who were also injured in the Cheetahs game.
Meanwhile, Force winger Alfie Mafi could be playing his way into Wallabies contention for the British Lions tour.
Mafi was one of the club's best in the disappointing 2012 season when he scored four tries.
He has carried that form into this year, already scoring four tries, and is the competition's leading try scorer with four other players.
He has a virtual licence to roam and has been highly involved in every game, running hard and straight from anywhere on the field and taking the inside ball into heavy traffic from the set piece.
"I put it down to a good pre-season and it makes it a lot easier when you're playing with a bunch of blokes you get along with," he said.
"Out on the field you want to play for the guys and especially for Foles (Foley). I like Foles as a coach.
"He and backs coach Steve (Meehan) pretty much told me to back my skills. They told me to but do everything at 100 per cent and back myself but I don't think I'm playing my best yet."
Though he is one of the form Australian wingers, Mafi is not thinking about Wallabies selection.
"That's a long shot, that one. I'll take it as it comes," he said.
Nor is he listening to rumours that he may be off to Japan at the end of the year and said if the offer was right he would be happy to stay in Perth.
"I just want to focus on my year with the Force and see where it takes me. I would love to stay here," he said. "I love the place and I love the boys."
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