Dodgy pizza helps bring down Force
Dodgy pizza helps bring down Force
Reuters | Saturday, 16 February 2008
Dodgy pizza helps bring down Force - Rugby news & coverage - Stuff.co.nz
A dodgy pizza and a well-publicised spat hit the Western Force in the leadup to their first Super 14 rugby game, but it was a plethora of errors which condemned them to a 17-10 loss to the Sharks.
Last season's losing finalists scored two tries to one in a scrappy match in Durban which capped off a forgettable week for the Perth-based franchise.
Controversial halfback Matt Henjak, who will face a Force disciplinary hearing on Tuesday following an altercation in which he broke the jaw of teammate Haig Sare, played 66 minutes before being replaced by Super 14 debutant James Stannard.
Force coach John Mitchell insisted the altercation between Henjak and Sare and the subsequent fallout had no impact on the team's performance.
"At the end of the day, the differences between two people were never going to make the team suffer," Mitchell said.
"The process was obviously outside of team protocols, so that process will deal with the right outcome for those two individuals and we'll get on and focus on preparing for the next game."
Henjak played solidly without excelling, though his bright yellow boots ensured he stood out.
"He (Henjak) contributed to the performance," Mitchell said.
"Unfortunately we didn't supply a lot of lineout ball, but he used what other ball we did gain, he organised that well and he organised the team very well."
A team spokesperson said the franchise had no comment to make on the Australian Rugby Union's intention to review two further allegations of poor off-field behaviour involving Henjak.
The Force contested the game without skipper and Wallabies lock Nathan Sharpe due to a stomach virus.
"He got food poisoning. He picked it up with a dodgy pizza before leaving on the trip and was unable to gather his strength," Mitchell said.
"We just wanted to make sure he got back to full physical strength without risking him. Certainly the loss of his experience is a factor, but not an excuse, but the benefit of that is we've given experience to two younger locks."
Australian under-21 representative Tom Hockings started the game in Sharpe's spot, while another lock and Super debutant, Sitaleki Timani came off the bench.
