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Whipping boys are Super confident
- By Iain Payten
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- February 03, 2010 12:00AM
Captain's call...Phil Waugh, Stephen Hoiles, James Horwill and Nathan Sharpe at the Super 14 launch in Sydney. Picture: Renee Nowytarger Source: The Daily Telegraph
THEY are the poor cousins of Australian rugby. Stripped of stars, ignored by experts and shunned as Super 14 no-hopers by bookies.
But after solid pre-season form and with home crowds behind them, the Western Force and Queensland believe they can rock the boat by ambushing their star-studded local rivals next weekend.
Round one of the new Super 14 season kicks off with a pair of local derbies, with the Force hosting the Brumbies while the Reds welcome arch-enemies NSW to Brisbane.
With the moves of Matt Giteau and Rocky Elsom to the ACT and Berrick Barnes and Drew Mitchell to the Tahs, their new strength is expected to see both clubs begin a march to the finals with first-up wins.
But their opponents feel otherwise. Strongly.
"The public expectation on us isn't as high as what it is on some of the other sides but don't worry, the expectation we have on ourselves is very high," Reds skipper James Horwill said.
"We want to set a standard in game one, and then keep it there. Game one is a big challenge for us and it's a good way to set that mark and say, 'We're here for the real thing, we're up for the Waratahs'."
The Reds lost Barnes south last year but took plenty of confidence from beating NSW and the Crusaders in trials.
New coach Ewen McKenzie said all victories are valuable for the 13th-placed side in 2009.
"It helps our guys, for sure. You can say it's a trial game or whatever, but we have guys in our team who have never beaten the Waratahs," McKenzie said. "That helps us and gives us confidence. You set a marker and say, 'Well, it is achievable'. When you're looking for a winning habit, you find it wherever you can.
"It doesn't matter if it is a trial. The Waratahs have great depth."
After losing Giteau and Mitchell, the Force started with a whistle-stop tour to South Africa, where they bonded strongly in a win over the Sharks and a loss to the Stormers.
Throw in ACT's injury worries for star trio Giteau, Elsom and prop Ben Alexander - and the Force's move to a "Ballymore-style" Members Equity Stadium this year - and Nathan Sharpe is optimistic.
"We played some bloody hard football in Africa," the skipper said.
"While trials are notoriously bad, you are playing all the same blokes and a lot of guys hadn't played under pressure in those combinations.
"The one thing we do have in Perth is an attitude to work bloody hard, and we are hoping that pays off in the first round."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225826148834
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