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The Western Force has named six changes to the starting XV for the club’s first ever Super Rugby Pacific match against Fijian Drua on Saturday, March 19.
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In the front row, props Harrison Lloyd and Greg Holmes make their first starts of the season. Wallaby Tom Robertson misses out due to an injury sustained against the NSW Waratahs in Round 4 and Argentina international Santiago Medrano moves to the bench.
Club stalwart Brynard Stander starts at number eight, with Tim Anstee moving to the bench. Stander, who has will be making his 70th Super Rugby appearance for the Force this weekend, brings a plethora of experience and hardness at the breakdown.
Ian Prior and Jake McIntyre were instrumental in the Force’s second half fightback last week and have been named to start and scrum-half and fly-half respectively. Issak Fines-Leleiwasa and ReesjanPasitoa will be looking to make an impact off the bench on Saturday.
Former All Black Richard Kahui moves back into the starting XV at outside centre alongside Bayley Kuenzle at inside centre.
Speedster Byron Ralston also makes his first start of the campaign, with the winger named at 14. Ralston scored the match-sealing try in the Round 2 win over the Melbourne Rebels in his other appearance this season.
Promising young prop Bo Abra is set to make his Western Force and Super Rugby debut against Drua. The former Junior Wallabies representative has been named on the bench for the Round 6 clash.
Three homegrown WA players feature in the squad, with Ollie Callan maintaining his starting position at flanker, while fellow Force pathway graduates Jackson Pugh and Grason Makara are part of the match day 23.
https://westernforce.rugby/news/six-...n-drua-2022315
Good to see some changes after a couple of disappointing weeks. Interesting that Ralston has been chosen over Pulu though, after announcing he's leaving us at the end of the season and Pulu looking quite good so far this year.
Would've liked to see Pasitoa keep his starting spot with Prior inside him, as that combination looked good for the first couple of rounds and McIntyre is off at the end of the season also.
Anyone know what the status is of Koteka? While Callan has been good, we've definitely been missing his presence the last couple of weeks.
Pretty worried about this game after the comparative form of both teams in the last couple of weeks. Our defense and discipline will need to be much improved and we'll want to try and keep the game relatively slow and structured to stifle the Fijians.
Changes due to the following:
Sampson has made seven changes. Four are tactical, the other three injury enforced.
Veteran scrum-half Ian Prior replaces livewire Issak Fines-Leleiwasa in a new halves combination with Jake McIntyre who gets his first start of the season ahead of Reesjan Pasitoa.
Brynard Stander returns to the starting line-up in his favourite No.8 jumper and prop Greg Holmes gets his first start of the campaign.
Front-rower Tom Robertson (calf) and backs Kyle Godwin and Toni Puku (both HIA) are out.
They are replaced by Harry Lloyd in his first start of the year, former All Blacks centre Richard Kahui and winger Byron Ralston.""
As per Nick Taylor in The West
Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”
they need to pull their fingers out,this week!
Thoughts from an armchair expert:
I'd like us to keep ball in hand as much as possible for this game. If they don't have the ball they can't score tries.Their attack from broken play can be punishing but their defense can be a lttle suspect at times. Let's stop doing the box kicks that make around 10 meters and give the ball to the Fijians. If we need to exit our territory give it to someone with a big boot and hoof it down field hopefully into touch.
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
Could be a banana skin game this.
Need a good start, but Berry not doing us any favours.
WTF
No way that was a penalty
the TMo not helping either