Lance shown the faith

Sat, Mar 5, 2016, 5:00 AM
Matt Lewis
by Matt Lewis
Third time lucky. Lance a full force in the West. Photo: Getty Images
Third time lucky. Lance a full force in the West. Photo: Getty Images

It’s been a Super Rugby rollercoaster for Jono Lance but the Western Force fly half is finding his feet at his third Super Rugby club.

Lance  has played 35 Super Rugby matches across his five-year career with the Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs and now the Western Force, but is feeling right at home in WA.

“It’s been a great experience,” he said.

“The guys that have been here for a few years have been very welcoming."

Having played backup to Wallabies flyhalves Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley in recent years, Lance is relishing a chance to take center stage.

His self-belief got a major boost after his standout NRC season for the NSW Country Eagles.

“I took a lot of confidence out of the NRC,” he said.

“For me it was purely just confidence after not too playing much for two years,

“You can sort of get a little down on yourself, but finding that form again in the NRC was a good thing to take into pre-season.”

It’s been a constant battle for the Force starting flyhalf position with Peter Grant, but Lance is taking the opportunity to learn from the former Springbok.

“A player like Peter Grant who is also new, me and him have done a lot of work together,” he said.

“Both of us are new to the set-up and learning from the players around us, and I’ve definitely learnt a lot from Peter, he’s a class player.

“For a team to go well you need to have depth in positions and something I’ve experienced in previous teams I’ve been a part of is having that depth.”

Lance was given starting honours in round one and he didn’t disappoint, scoring all 19 points for his new side.

It will be a blast from the past this weekend, as Lance prepares to take on his former side the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium, the ground where he won a Super Rugby title in 2011.

“I’ve got a lot of friends coming to the game.” he said.

“I’ve got a lot of friends that still play for the Reds and my greatest moment in Rugby happened at Suncorp so I’m looking forward to getting back there”

The Reds-Force match is already looming as a must win for both sides, after both suffered round one losses.

The Force will continue with their new attacking game plan and Lance is confident their commitment to expansive Rugby will pay off.

“We have aspirations of playing finals, as well as that we want to keep playing the way we’ve been training all pre season” he said.

“They say defence wins championships, but I think if you put yourself in a position to do that you need to score tries," Lance said.

The Western Force take on the Queensland Reds tonight LIVE on FOX SPORTS from 7:45pm AEDT.

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