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Force present united western front after Brumbies upset
Greg Growden | March 2, 2009
ENJOYING their first away victory on Australian soil certainly helps, but the Western Force made sure they convinced all they are a united front after their triumph over the Brumbies.
The body language and words expressed by a serious Force captain Nathan Sharpe said so much after their unexpected nine-point win.
Then again, over the past few months, Sharpe and his fellow Force players had suffered a lot, including endless tales of disharmony with their coach John Mitchell, off-field disciplinary problems and the threat of many players following Matt Giteau back to the east next season.
This is a time when a young province could easily fragment beyond repair, but the Force's victory seemed to rectify everything … for the time being.
Shortly after the win, Sharpe was confronted by television commentator Greg Martin. The minute-long conversation was intriguing.
GM: Well Nathan Sharpe, did you see that one coming, a bonus point victory here at Canberra Stadium?
NS: Yeah, we did, mate. We came here to win, and that's what we did. What it was is that it just showed a collective will and spirit by all the boys.
GM: What do you put it down to? Beaten at the breakdown. Beaten in the scrum, especially in the second half. Wonderful out wide in the first half.
NS: It was just the commitment. Our defence was fantastic … I don't think they really threatened our try line …
GM: Did you see it coming?
NS: Yeah, bloody oath we did. I think we were the only people who did. That's why we like it over there.
GM: Why do you guys travel so well?
NS: We just like each other's company.
Having a winger who can score three tries also helps personal relationships, with Cameron Shepherd, who was out for most of last year with a broken ankle, excelling in a rare moment away from his customary fullback spot.
AUSTRALIAN TEAM OF THE WEEK
Each week, Greg Growden and Rupert Guinness pick the form Australian Super 14 team.
15 Sam Norton-Knight (NSW) (2)
14 Cameron Shepherd (Force) (1)
13 Digby Ioane (Qld) (3)
12 Berrick Barnes (Qld) (1)
11 Peter Hynes(Qld) (1)
10 Quade Cooper (Qld) (2)
9 Josh Valentine (Force) (1)
8 Wycliff Palu(NSW) (2)
7 George Smith (ACT) (2)
6 Matt Hodgson (Force) (1)
5 Nathan Sharpe (Force) (2)
4 Hugh McMeniman(Qld) (1)
3 Guy Shepherdson (ACT) (1)
2 Stephen Moore (ACT) (2)
1 Nic Henderson (ACT) (1)
(Number of times selected in brackets).Player of the round: CAMERON SHEPHERD. A rousing return from injury, securing a rare Force victory away from home with a hat-trick of tries.
Try of the round: CAMERON SHEPHERD. Any of the three would do, but the first involving good lead-up work by Matt Giteau and Ryan Cross was special.
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