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Dale Granger From: The Sunday Times February 19, 2011 6:30PM
LET ME AT 'EM: David Smith makes his debut for the Force today at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: Theo Fakos. Source: PerthNow
FITTER, faster and 4kg lighter.
Marquee Emirates Western Force speedster David Smith will be relishing ripping into the Reds in their Super 15 season opener in Brisbane today in a side he says is the best-conditioned he has known.
While Samoan-born Smith was anticipating running out at Suncorp Stadium and sharing his Force Super 15 debut with former Hurricanes teammate and now Subiaco housemate Willie Ripia, an uneasy sense of deja vu clouded the Perth-side when Ripia withdrew with a foot injury.
James O'Connor, the renaissance man, has been switched from fullback into the pivotal playmaking role at No.10, with Cameron Shepherd reshuffled from wing into the No.15 jumper.
Ominously, this happened before; most recently prior to last year's opening Super Rugby clash against the Brumbies, when the Force lost star signing Andre Pretorius, Shepherd and Mark Bartholomeusz before kick-off to a losing game that set the tone for the season.
The Australian, 2 days ago.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Under new coach Richard Graham the Force's strengths are in the pace, power and guile of a back three, featuring first choices O'Connor, Smith and Shepherd. They are backed up from the bench by Nick Cummins and Alfie Mafi, who are all set up by a versatile, all-Wallaby backrow.
But the Force's problem is a lightweight tight five, which has been told by Graham not to lose focus or stray too far from close-quarter combat.
To have any hope the forwards must wrest parity from a monster Reds pack clearly out to suffocate the Force and starve their dangerous runners out wide.
Smith scored the winning try for the Hurricanes against the Force in 2009, and two last season, helping to crush the Perth club 47-22 in Wellington, while boosting his try-tally to seven in four starts.
He said if there was a lack of ball out wide, he would go looking for it.
" "We are not just going to sit on the wings and wait for it to come. Our job is to look for balls and run into the holes," Smith said. "That is how I scored heaps of tries last year."
Injuries beg the question over whether the Force are like tightly-strung tennis racquets, waiting to snap.
"This is the fittest team I have ever been in," Smith said.
"When I arrived I was 96kg and now I am 91, from training and eating all the right foods. I think I'm a bit quicker too, because I don't do gym every day, only Monday and Fridays, which made me heavier and muscular, which is not good out on the wing," he said.
"The flanks are also leaner and faster, which will suit our high-tempo game."
A star Wallaby halfback pairing of Will Genia and Quade Cooper, may also be the Reds weakness today.
Smith stopped short of echoing a view from last year's Tri-Nations that Cooper was brittle in defence under pressure, but did reveal that the Force will be targeting him.
"Genia and Cooper are really good players," Smith said.
"We trained this week how to defend them when they are attacking us," he said.
"We are not so worried about what they will do to us, because we are going to attack that 10 channel and take it wide from there, where we have some good finishers.
"The main focus for us is to get to play our game plan, which will rely on speed, penetration and high-tempo, energy-sapping tactics to pull off a shock win."
http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rug...-1226008628212
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