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No fears for coach Richard Graham as Western Forces faces tough test
- By DALE GRANGER
- From: The Sunday Times
- September 18, 2010 7:00PM
NEW Emirates Western Force coach Richard Graham will not focus on the reigning Super Rugby champion Bulls or multiple champion Crusaders that his team will host at nib Stadium in the inaugural Super 15 competition.
The new Super 15 format will feature an extra three games, with teams in the Australian, New Zealand and South African conferences playing derby rivals home and away and four others teams from each of the other two countries.
Under this system, the two teams the Force will not play in the Conference phase are the Chiefs, of NZ, and the Cheetahs, of South Africa.
The top teams on the ladder from each of the three Conferences then advance to a six-team knockout phase, joined by the three next best teams with the most competition points.
In Week 1 of the knockout phase, the third-placed team will play the sixth team and fourth will play fifth for places in the semi-final. Teams qualifying first and second will rest, before hosting semi-finals in Week 2.
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Graham's first game as Force coach will be a testing fixture against the Reds, Australia's form team this year, in Brisbane on February 20.
But it is successive games, against the Bulls on April 23 and the Crusaders a week later that will have Perth fans salivating.
"I want to build a 'Force Fortress' at nib Stadium," Graham said this week.
"Obviously we're pleased to be playing the Bulls and the Crusaders at home, who are the benchmark of the competition.
"But it's also an indication of our mind-set that we prepare well for benchmark teams, but not others in the competition and I'll be striving to install that consistency we need to reap Super Rugby success."
The Force faithful are too painfully aware of this reality.
Decimated by injuries, the Force gave the Bulls a scare for 60 minutes at home last season before capitulating in the last quarter.
The Force then celebrated a famous victory, its first against the Crusaders, after beating finalists the Stormers in a thriller.
In between, the Force was humiliated by the Reds and comfortably beaten by the Chiefs, Cheetahs, Hurricanes and Blues, teams that would never trouble a Force side playing to its full potential.
Graham intends stopping the rot while instilling mental toughness in a side that has also failed to close out close matches.
He gave up the chance of going to next year's World Cup as Wallabies skills coach, taking the Force reins instead.
"It was a difficult decision, because at full strength I truly believe we're capable of winning the World Cup in NZ," Graham said. "In the end I spoke to (head coach) Robbie (Deans) and took the decision myself that I'd excuse myself from the Wallabies."
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