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Front page updated to 23 signings with a maximum squad of 35.
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Is Ryan Louwrens not signed?
C'mon the
A quick breakdown of the team:
Props:
Longbottom - 57 SR games, 26 in England
Orr - 22 games for Gloucester in 2 seasons
Heiberg - 30 SR games, plus 13 NRC
Dakuwaga - Fijian Sevens (only 105 kg, so may only be a prop in sevens - convert to flanker?)
Hookers:
Scoble - 8 SR games, plus 13 NRC.
Plus a couple of youngsters. Scoble has a big upside, but this may be an area where more experience is required.
Locks:
Power - 20 SR games, plus ~50 matches in the French leagues
Furno - 37 Italian caps, over 100 matches for various European sides. Not bad for a lad from Melbourne.
Should be able to pick up more youngsters, but another big signing would be useful.
Back-row:
Alcock - 55 SR games
Stander - 33 SR games
Orr & Ferris have less experience, but plenty of upside.
Scrum-half:
Prior - 79 SR games
Plus Louwrens (19 SR games)?
Fly-half:
Grant - 124 SR games, 56 Currie Cup, plus Japan and France, plus 5 Springbok caps
Deegan - Randwick & NSW County Eagles (lets not hold that against him!), then Connaught.
Aiatimu - Spirit player
Centres:
Fourie - 72 Springbok caps, 98 SR games
Iona - 3 SR games, 22 in French D2
Lacey - NRC
Outside backs:
Brache - 7 USA caps, 38 SR games
Davies - 1 Wallaby cap, 58 games for Reds, 50 for Biaritz
Uyen - NRC
So that's not a bad looking squad. Maybe not Super Rugby standard (although with a few good Super Rugby players), but would probably thrash anything in the NRC. Considering there may be another dozen or signings, and assuming similar quality and in areas of need (hooker, lock, #9, backs), the "IPRC preparation side" should be able to give a good account of itself this year.
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon
Someone's updated the Wikipedia page for the Force (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Force#Squad) and it lists 26 names:
Sheminant is listed as a prop rather than a hooker
Harrison Orr is listed as a lock rather than a back-rower
Fergus Lee Warner is a new name; listed as another lock
Louwrens is listed, as is Elliot Turner as a pair of scrum-halves
Dakuwaqa is listed as a winger rather than a prop (Touch of the Onehunga's, perhaps!)
I still think we might be light in some areas, and might need a bit more experience to take on Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, the Rebels & the Crusaders.
Of course, if Pek, Havili & Koteka sign up, too, that'd improve the squad.
Last edited by Sheikh; 06-03-18 at 13:10.
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon
Sheminant can play all 3 front row positions.
Harrison Orr is a lock who dabbles in the backrow
Fergus Lee Warner played for the Greater Sydney Rams last year. Big and raw lock.
Elliot Turner has been snapped up from the Rebels U/20s
Dakuwaqa, apart from being blind in one eye, is an outside back.
Louwrens is signed.
I thought I saw pek at the press conference?
Now in an ideal world, a few weeks from now there would be a press release with Jack Ma's fingerprints (and perhaps a few others) all over it, dropping the other team line-ups.
So we are now at 26 official signings with 9 to go.
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Harrison Lloyd, Heath Tessman George Pisi & Johan Bardoul added, up to 30 signings now, 5 to go!
Last edited by The InnFORCEr; 16-03-18 at 10:11.
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Does anyone know which players have been "allocated' to which clubs?
There was talk of each club receiving three, but I've heard nothing since, and there has been none at Palmyra that I've seen, even for a social visit.
Fulvio
All club presidents have received the allocation list, give your pres. a call.
Would it not be nice to have it publicly announced, for transparency, say here?
I think it is only fair that Club Presidents get notice ahead of others in the community and then give them sufficient time to digest, pass as they see fit to their membership.
I daresay, once a week or so has passed and any queries from Clubs addressed, then it should be made public, either here of via the RugbyWA web page.