2024 Round 13 Force v Waratahs

[Burgs]

Stable Force line-up named for crunch Waratahs clash

Wed, May 15, 2024, 11:57 AM
Ben Somerford

Stability is the theme for the Western Force with only one change to the 23-player team list for Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific Round 13 game against the NSW Waratahs at HBF Park.

Wallaby Issak Fines-Leleiwasa returns to the reserves after an ankle complaint to replace scrum-half Henry Robertson, who impressed in his 30-minute cameo in the 48-10 win over the Fijian Drua having been elevated to the squad on an injury cover contract for the past two games.

There is one change to the starting XV with Harry Hoopert, who will run out for his 50th Super Rugby game, elevated to loosehead prop. Marley Pearce will start as a finisher.

Ben Donaldson is also named at fly-half for his 50th Super Rugby game, coming against his former side. Lock Jeremy Williams will lead the side as captain.

The Force’s stability comes at the right time of the season with the side sitting two points outside the finals placings, rising to ninth after last week’s 48-10 bonus-point win over the eighth-placed Fijian Drua.

The Force players will be welcomed on to the pitch on Saturday with a Members’ Guard of Honour as part of Members Round, celebrating the Club’s loyal supporters.

Head to our Game Day Hub to see what's happening at the ground to celebrate Members Round.

Kick-off is 5:35pm WST with tickets available through Ticketmaster, along with the Force’s Flexi Membership, with four tickets to any of the remaining two games for only $75.

The game will be broadcast live on 9GEM and streamed on Stan Sport, with regular updates @WesternForce on social media.

Match Details

Western Force v NSW Waratahs

HBF Park, Perth

Saturday 18 May, 5:35pm WST

Live on 9GEM and Stan Sport

Western Force

1. Harry Hoopert
2. Tom Horton
3. Santiago Medrano
4. Jeremy Williams (c)
5. Izack Rodda
6. Will Harris
7. Carlo Tizzano
8. Reed Prinsep
9. Nic White
10. Ben Donaldson
11. Chase Tiatia
12. Hamish Stewart
13. Bayley Kuenzle
14. George Poolman
15. Kurtley Beale

16. Feleti Kaitu’u
17. Marley Pearce
18. Tiaan Tauakipulu
19. Lopeti Faifua
20. Michael Wells
21. Issak Fines-Leleiwasa
22. Sam Spink
23. Henry O’Donnell


TEAM LIST: NSW Waratahs v Western Force

Wed, May 15, 2024, 11:55 AM
Waratahs Media

The NSW Waratahs have named their team to face the Western Force in Round 13 of the Super Rugby Pacific this Saturday at 7:35pm AEST at HBF Park.

The injury gods have again been unkind to NSW, forcing Head Coach Darren Coleman to shuffle the cards once more at the selection table.

Last week, the Waratahs lost experienced props Hayden Thompson-Stringer and Harry Johnson-Holmes to season-ending injuries.

Fortunately for NSW, the club has acquired the services of Enrique Pieretto from the Glasgow Warriors on a loan deal.

Despite arriving from Glasgow on Saturday, Pieretto is no stranger to the Super Rugby competition, after enjoying a successful spell with the Jaguares in his native Argentina.

The tighthead prop featured 17 times for the franchise on their run to the 2019 Super Rugby final, with New Zealand heavyweights Crusaders denying them a historic title.

The 29-year-old will line up in the front row alongside Jay Fonokalafi and Lewis Ponini, who has been promoted to the starting team.

On the reserves list, Ben Sugars retains his place after making his Super Rugby Pacific debut against the Brumbies, whilst George Thornton and Brad Amituanai round out the front-row rotation.

The backline remains the same for the Waratahs, with Joey Walton retaining his place at outside centre after a try-scoring return from injury. Izaia Perese has also been included on the reserves list at the expense of Harry Wilson.

NSW will be looking to celebrate Captain Jake Gordon’s 100th match for NSW on Saturday against a Force side coming off a resounding 48-10 victory over the Fijian Drua in Round 12.

Waratahs

1. Lewis Ponini (Eastern Suburbs)
2. Jay Fonokalafi (Gordon)
3. Enrique Peiretto (Glasgow Warriors)*
4. Fergus Lee-Warner (Eastern Suburbs)
5. Miles Amatosero (Eastern Suburbs)
6. Lachlan Swinton (Sydney University)
7. Charlie Gamble (Eastern Suburbs)
8. Jed Holloway (Southern Districts)
9. Jake Gordon © (Sydney University)
10. Will Harrison (Randwick)
11. Dylan Pietsch (Randwick)
12. Lalakai Foketi (Manly)
13. Joey Walton (Gordon)
14. Triston Reilly (Randwick)
15. Mark Nawaqanitawase (Eastwood)

16. Ben Sugars (Randwick)
17. George Thornton (Northern Suburbs)
18. Brad Amituanai (Sydney University)
19. Hugh Sinclair (Northern Suburbs)
20. Langi Gleeson (Manly)
21. Jack Grant (Eastern Suburbs)
22. Tane Edmed (Eastwood)
23. Izaia Perese (Randwick)

*denotes potential NSW Waratahs debut.

Players unavailable for selection:

David Porecki - Achillies (Season)
Thomas Lambert - Knee (Season)
Archer Holz - Shoulder (Season)
Mesu Kunavula – Knee (Season)
Ned Slack-Smith - Concussion (Season)
Daniel Botha - Achillies (Season)
Mahe Vailanu - Knee (Season)
Angus Bell - Toe (Season)
Theo Fourie - Foot (Season)
Ned Hanigan - Neck (TBC)
Tom Ross - Knee (15+)
Julian Heaven - Shoulder (Season)
Max Jorgensen - Hamstring (Season)
Teddy Wilson - Concussion Protocols (Rd 14+)
Hayden Thompson-Stringer - Knee (Season)
Harry Johnson-Holmes - Achillies (Season)

Match Details

Super Rugby Pacific - Round 13: NSW Waratahs v Western Force.

Saturday May 18 at HBF Park.

Kick-off 7:35pm AEST.

The match will be broadcast live and ad-free on 9GEM and Stan Sport.

Referee: Jordan Way

Assistant Referees: Reuben Keane, Jordan Kaminski

[Kernow]

Stable Force line-up named for crunch Waratahs clash


TEAM LIST: NSW Waratahs v Western Force

Wed, May 15, 2024, 11:55 AM
Waratahs Media

4. Fergus Lee-Warner (Eastern Suburbs)

Going to be mixed emotions seeing FLW rumble out onto the paddock

[Sheikh]

Probably not quite our absolute 1st choice front row, but close to it for the first time in week 13!

[jargan83]

Force by 30

[GIGS20]

A little worried about the matchup Poolman vs Pietsch/Reilly, but I reckon we have parity or advantage everywhere else on the park.

Players who need to step up to beat their opposite
Willams vs Lee-Warner - I still rate Fergus, if we'd named a true lock in that jersey I'd be more confident but Hybrid vs hybrid will be an absorbing battle
Harris vs Swinton - Not that Swinton is anything to write home about, but Harris hasn't really lived up to the hype this year....he needs to play to his potential
Stewart vs Foketi - This is an example of the most underrated back in the country vs the Wallaby incumbent (I'm not going to say Foketi is overrated, but every bit of his potential has been closely examined because he's a Tah and also a big body)
Beale vs Nawaqanitawase - Yeah, 'nuff said here, Marky Mark should beat Kurtley's ass here, but he's been so hot n cold this year I have some concerns about whihc Mark will turn up.

Hopefully our forwards have learned that we play really bloody well when they bash seven colours of shite out of the opposition pack and really badly when we don't. If we can get dominance in the contact zone, I think we've got this, but we need to turn up and not play like we think we're the favourites.

[GIGS20]

Going to be mixed emotions seeing FLW rumble out onto the paddock

I will be heartily applauding him, not the jumper he's wearing, but him personally.

[WFDom]

Frothin for another 3 wins on the bounce to make up for a sh1t season and show all those myopic East coast mofos whats coming next year!!!

Fu@k the Tahs!

[Kernow]

I will be heartily applauding him, not the jumper he's wearing, but him personally.

Yeah, I think I'll be the same

[chiraag]

I'm more than a bit nervous about this game. It's one that we should win, but we have a distinct tendency not to somehow not win most games we should win.
That Tahs team still looks pretty good on paper, except for the front row. They also looked pretty decent last week against the Brumbies.
If we can get their scrum on skates like we should, then we should have the platform to dominate territory and get the win relatively comfirtably.
However if the Tahs can get parity in the scrum, I think it'll be a pretty even contest...
So good to see Hoopert starting. He looked good last week and I think scrum dominance is more likely with him starting.

[Kernow]

I'm more than a bit nervous about this game. It's one that we should win, but we have a distinct tendency not to somehow not win most games we should win.
That Tahs team still looks pretty good on paper, except for the front row. They also looked pretty decent last week against the Brumbies.
If we can get their scrum on skates like we should, then we should have the platform to dominate territory and get the win relatively comfirtably.
However if the Tahs can get parity in the scrum, I think it'll be a pretty even contest...
So good to see Hoopert starting. He looked good last week and I think scrum dominance is more likely with him starting.

Agree, pack dominance and the backs will thrive on the forward momentum

[GIGS20]

I'm more than a bit nervous about this game. It's one that we should win, but we have a distinct tendency not to somehow not win most games we should win.
That Tahs team still looks pretty good on paper, except for the front row. They also looked pretty decent last week against the Brumbies.
If we can get their scrum on skates like we should, then we should have the platform to dominate territory and get the win relatively comfirtably.
However if the Tahs can get parity in the scrum, I think it'll be a pretty even contest...
So good to see Hoopert starting. He looked good last week and I think scrum dominance is more likely with him starting.

I'm actually of the opinion that the scrum isn't as important as we're making it out to be. We've not had more than parity in the scrum in any of our wins this year, but we certainly have been dominant in the collision.

The games where weve played well its been really obvious that we've made meetres after contact in both attack and defence. The games where we've been belted we've conceded ground in that area first and then the rot set in.

I think, in this area, the Tahs are ripe for the picking because their engine room is compromised with only one genuine lock being named and they don't have a front row with the experience to fill the gap.

Yes Fergus will do plenty of the dirty work, Hollway has played some lock for them and will fill some of the gaps, but IMHO if the Force play the way they can (in the positive sense) and don't play the way the can (in the negative sense) we should be able to bash them about and gain the room Donaldson needs to play another blinder.

They don't have their usual metre eaters (Perese, Bell, Porecki) and they don't even have many of their backups (Hannigan, Vailanu, HJH) so they're ripe for the picking. Unfortunately, we have demonstrated an ability to shit the bed in situations such as these, so it's certainly balanced on a knife's edge.

[shasta]

Cap'n obvious but we have a decided edge at set piece. First time in a while I've thought that. Our backs, particularly the midfield have gone ok without that edge. With the lineout functioning well last week they ran away with the game late. That was built on a very sound defence and all good teams build their success on that. I don't see a backwards step this week. Force by 15. At least.

[andrewM]

Just watching between the posts on Stan.. Sean Maloney..with a straight face asking Hoiles and Turinuni do you guys ever suffer from bias when commentating on games..

[andrewM]

And he's still going on about that bloody try against the Drua!

[valzc]

A wee bit concerned on watching the wings ie Reilly/ Pietsch as mentioned. Swinton likes to charge headlong at opposition as hard as he can or throw himself on top of the ruck. Hopefully the ref controls the flying over the rucks issue - is really an annoying tactic which Kiwi teams seem to do a lot.