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Its round two of Force vs. Waratahs and the tables have most definitely turned since the first clash of a month ago. That match was something of a catalyst for a change in form the Force. Having been humbled by 31-3 at home, we went on to grind out two tight wins against the Brumbies and Bulls and push a rampaging Crusaders outfit all the way before finally submitting in the final stages of the game. The Tahs, on the other hand, have continued on in their inexplicable lack of form. Since the Perth game they have imploded in Auckland and Brisbane while winning at home against the Rebels; however two late tries disguised what was an average display.
There has also been a bit of a change of fortunes in player availability. While both teams were frustrated through injury losses in the last clash, the Force’s woes have alleviated with the return of David Pocock and Matt Hodgson as well as having Willie Ripia settling in to the 10 jersey. The withdrawal of Cameron Shepherd to a knee injury is a big loss for the Force. Shepherd’s finishing has been exceptional of late as he has run in the last three Force tries. Meanwhile, the Tahs come into the match without Wycliff Palu and Tatafu Polota-Nau, both of whom dented the Force’s defensive line at will in Perth, as well as Drew Mitchell, who nabbed a double at NIB. The Tahs are once again without their captain Phil Waugh.
Most notably, the Tahs will be running out onto SFS with their third string hooker and a Super rugby rookie on the bench. No doubt both have seen Sharpie’s efforts against the Brumbies’ 3rd stringer Anthony Heagarty and hopefully will have instilled the fear of god (Sharpie) in them. Chris Hickey has warned the Force to target the Waratah line-out at our own risk, but then he would say that wouldn’t he? There is an element of truth in what he says, however. The much vaunted Force line-out fell apart faster than a toy labelled ‘Made in China’ last month and applied little pressure on the Tah’s throw. Michael Foley will also have been busy in the week making back-up plans if things start heading south. Expect a few short throws to the front prop and over throws to a rampaging Pat McCutcheon. The presence of Ulugia and Roberts will also no doubt reduce the power of the Waratahs scrum. TPN is a monster in the scrum and even when he looked like he was in Never-Never land in Brisbane he was still scrummaging a lot better than Ulugia. The scrum will undoubtedly be the biggest threat to the Force on Saturday night.
For all of that, ultimately motivation will be the deciding factor in the Sydney clash. The Force had none in Perth. Whether it was due to the heart-breaking 1 point loss to the Rebels the week before derailing our season, or a lack of confidence in beating the Tahs without Pocock and Hodgson, or internal problems is uncertain. Either way, the Tahs wanted it and took it. Now it is time for the Force to do the same. Both teams should have plenty of motivation coming into this one. For the Tahs a win would keep their finals hopes alive where a loss would probably see them out of the hunt. You can bet that Robbie Deans will be in the crowd and players like Lachie Turner, Sekope Kepu, Dave Dennis and Ben Mowen will be desperate to impress and nail down a cup spot. The Force will have some similar motivation especially for Brett Sheehan, Richard Brown, Nick Cummins, Sam Wykes and our whole front row. However the big motivation for us will definitely be to re-write history by putting the 31-3 loss to bed with a solid win over the Waratahs in Sydney. While this is not the ideal motivation to have, anything that wins games is a goer.
As with all Australian derbies, there are plenty of key match ups around the park. The last game saw Luke Burgess run rings around Brett Sheehan and there will be plenty to make up for there. Will Sheehan earn himself a yellow card? Once again the Ryan Cross will face off against his former team-mates. Will he visit the blood bin this time? Pat McCutcheon, a Wallaby tourist in 2010, will want to show Robbie he is in the same ball park as Pocock and Hodgson. Sorry Pat, but have you considered a career in floral arrangements? The big match-up, the game deciding match up, will be the scrum battle between Matty Dunning and Benn Robinson. These former teammates have a lot resting on their shoulders. The former will just be trying to hold up his side of the scrum while the latter will spend all night trying to force his opponent onto the turf. It might not be a long battle given that Dunning will probably be subbed early on; however it could set the tone of the match and provide impetus to the team whose player performs his role better.
The Prediction:
I want to believe. I really do. The Force have the players on the field to win this one and have the wood on the Tahs in a few key areas. There probably won’t be a better chance to take down the Tahs at home this season. Yet it is week 12 this week and it will be the 10th game since we have had a bye. I think fatigue will be a significant factor, although Ripia, Pocock, Hodgson, Inman, Dellit and Dunning should actually be less affected. We have played three dynamite games in a row while the Tahs have had three they’d rather forget. If that changes for either team, I fear that they will get up on us. I’d love to take a win into the bye week, but I just don’t think it’ll turn out that way. Tahs by 5.
The Teams
Waratahs: 1. Benn Robinson, 2. John Ulugia, 3. Sekope Kepu, 4. Dean Mumm, 5. Sitaleki Timani, 6. Dave Dennis, 7. Pat McCutcheon, 8. Ben Mowen, 9. Luke Burgess, 10. Berrick Barnes, 11. Sosene Anesi, 12. Tom Carter, 13. Ryan Cross, 14. Lachie Turner, 15. Kurtley Beale. Reserves: 16. Ben Roberts, 17. Al Baxter, 18. Kane Douglas, 19. Chris Alcock, 20. Brendan McKibbin, 21. Daniel Halangahu, 22. Tom Kingston.
Western Force: 1. Pek Cowan, 2. Nathan Charles, 3. Matt Dunning, 4. Sam Wykes, 5. Nathan Sharpe, 6. Matt Hodgson, 7. David Pocock, 8. Richard Brown, 9. Brett Sheehan, 10. Willie Ripia, 11. David Smith, 12. James O’Connor, 13. Mitch Inman, 14. Nick Cummins, 15. Paddy Dellit. Reserves: 16. Ben Whittaker, 17. Tim Fairbrother, 18. Tom Hockings, 19. Ben McCalman, 20. James Stannard, 21. Rory Sidey, 22. Alfie Mafi.
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Originally Posted by Grumbles
