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Seems there's been an acceptance of the final season result, and so what's the harm in starting Wykes as a tribute for his service to the.
If there were the intention to win the game, then you'd think Mafi would start.
Good on Wykesy, and thanks for the years of service to the team. Seems he is/was an excellent team man. Not sure of his effectiveness as captain. Very impressed with his determination to play at Super Rugby level with, imho, limited ability; he has (almost) always given it a red-hot go.
That said, I hope Foley coaches wisely and hooks him at an appropriate time to allow Mafi to run amok!
Force aim to halt Brumbies’ finals march
Nick Taylor
June 5, 2015, 7:30 am
Western Force want to dent the Brumbies’ Super Rugby semi-finals hopes at nib Stadium tonight with a repeat of their surprise 2013 victory.
In their final game of that year and with just three previous wins, the Force’s 21-15 victory cost the Brumbies a top-two spot and a home preliminary final.
The ACT side finished third, had to travel to Pretoria to beat the Bulls and lost the final to the Chiefs in New Zealand.
They are currently sixth, level on points with the Waratahs but just two ahead of the Lions. A loss tonight would mean a difficult trip to Christchurch to face the Crusaders in the final round.
A bonus-point victory in would all but secure them a finals berth
Crucial to tonight’s game will be the fierce breakdown battle where Force captain Matt Hodgson will be up against former teammates David Pocock and Scott Fardy.
Force coach Michael Foley said the Brumbies had been particularly good at the ruck this season.
“Pocock and Fardy are the two keys in that area for them. Pocock’s exceptional, one of the best in the world if not the best,” Foley said.
“They are very good at slowing your ball down, they are also good at holding the ball for long periods, but when we are under pressure Matt puts his body on the line.
“He plays his best rugby when he plays tough in defence and smart in attack. I think you’ll see him vary his game a little bit.
“We’ve got to get the ball in the right parts of the field, hang onto it and I think we can do some things that will surprise the Brumbies.”
Foley also expects the rolling maul to feature heavily.
“Both teams will maul tomorrow night and you’ll see a good contest there.” he said.
“That was certainly a feature of the first game against them and I thought we defended that part of the game very well.
“When it collapsed they picked and went out of that and it opened up some little opportunities. We’ve got to defend the maul and we’ve got to defend what’s next as well.
“You’ve got to be aggressive up front before they get organised. Your front three have to do a lot of damage to their front three in a legal way.”
Brumbies captain Stephen Moore admitted his side was under huge pressure.
“We have to win to stay in the competition, there’s no way to sugar coat that,” Moore said.
“You can package it up however you like, but we need to win. The pressure’s unavoidable in this circumstance.”
Foley has made four changes with veteran second-rower Sam Wykes starting in his final home game before heading off to join winger Nick Cummins for a two-year stint with Japanese club Red Sparks.
Prop Guy Millar makes his first run-on appearance after three matches on the reserves bench while Alby Mathewson and Zack Holmes will be the starting halves pairing.
The Brumbies have made just one change with second-rower Blake Enever replacing Sam Carter who is out for up to 12 weeks with a medial ligament tear in his knee.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sp...-finals-march/
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Agree with your sentiments about Sam
I think MF will allow Sam to stay until the end as recognition of his years of service and so he should. Mafi will probably replace Adam or Gus.
Sams last game at NIB and second last for the club, whether he plays good or bad I hope we can all show him some respect for having been such a loyal club man.
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.”
I reckon that Wykes shouldn't play the full match, so that when a sub is made he gets the recognition there and then as it could get "lost" at the final whistle.
Some food for thought:
Sam Wykes had his first game with the WF in 2008.
He has played 83 games and scored 3 Tries.
He also was Captain of the WF in 2015 (when others didn't step up for the job).
Steve Mafi had his first game for the WF in 2015.
He has played 11 games and scored 1 Try.
Attachment 3848
These stats show:
+ Steve Mafi carries the ball better than Sam Wykes.
+ Sam Wykes makes more tackles than Steve Mafi.
+ Sam Wykes misses a tackle every 2.5 games.
+ Steve Mafi misses a tackle every game.
+ Both players are equally effective in the Line Out.
+ Sam Wykes is penalised at about half the rate of Steve Mafi.
+ Steve Mafi makes double the Turn Overs of Sam Wykes.
Attachment 3849
These stats show:
+ Both players have about the same total number of ruck involvements per game.
+ Sam Wykes shows a bit more support for our ball carriers - arriving earlier.
+ Steve Mafi is more involved in Defensive Rucks (hence the greater Turn Over rate).
Last week against the Reds:
+ Steve Mafi had 14 Ruck involvements and made 2 Tackles in 80 minutes. He also had 10 runs for 73m. 3 Penalties.
+ Sam Wykes had 9 ruck involvements and made 2 Tackles in 27 minutes. He made 4 runs for 3m. 0 penalties.
- When Nathan Sharpe left Sam became our Line Out caller.
- Sam Wykes also became a member of the Player's leadership group.
- Sam Wykes improved his game under Michael Foley as coach.
I reckon a fit Sam Wykes has earned his run-on start for the Western Force in today's home game against the Brumbies.
He's entitled to "walk tall" off the field this evening!
Thanks Sam for your efforts for the Western Force over the past 8 seasons.
Hope Japan is good for you and your family.
Last edited by andrewg; 05-06-15 at 13:13.
Must admit to mixed feelings in this one. Want the boys to go good but BP win confirms a finals spot for the Brums.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Same Shasta
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Was that a happy birthday G beard on the big screen?
Well, looking pretty pathetic so far.
30 mins gone.
Brumbies: 21 (3 coverted trys), Force: 6 (2 pen).
I must have blue tinted glasses on I thought they looked better do far. Holmes going ok.