\"We want to go out there and win games\": Tessmann and Force ready for business

Tue, Jun 23, 2020, 11:10 PM
Beth Newman
by Beth Newman
Heath Tessmann is ready to go. Photo: Getty Images
Heath Tessmann is ready to go. Photo: Getty Images

Force hooker Heath Tessmann says he and the WA side are hungrier than ever to make an impact in Super Rugby AU.

A July 11 clash against the Waratahs in Sydney will be their first Super Rugby AU outing, nearly three years after they were axed from Super Rugby.

The Force have not played against the other four Australian professional sides since then, instead playing in their standalone Rapid Rugby competition and fielding a team in the NRC.

A group of new recruits has been brought in recently to bolster the squad and Tessmann said they were confident they would be able to make a stamp in the competition.

"None of us go out there just to make up numbers," he said.

"We're not putting our hand up to be part of this competition just to play a bit of rugby because we're bored.

"We want to go out there and we want to win games.

"At the end of the day, that's what our goal is going to be and should always be."

Tessmann, who likened himself to a classic FJ cruiser when speaking to media, is one of the older heads in the squad at 36.

He has been with the Force since 2013 and said he was eager to test himself in the new competition.

"For me personally, i didn't get my first professional contract until I was 24,25 years old so...it's like finding an old FJ cruiser in the garage that's only got 10,000 ks on it," he laughed.

"It's tough, might be a bit old but it still works pretty well, still pretty handy hopefully.

"For me, I love playing, I still turn up here every day excited to go out and compete.

"I still want to cross the white line, I want to win no matter what I'm doing."

Tessmann had an interrupted start to the season, managing a snapped plantar fascia, but the enforced sporting shutdown in recent months has helped him recover from that injury.

The Force will be based in NSW's Hunter Valley in the opening rounds of the competition and have their first home game slated for July 25.

That Perth game, though, will be dependent on WA borders reopening or an exemption so travelling teams don't have to observe two-week quarantine periods on arrival.

The Western Force take on the Waratahs on Saturday July 11 in Sydney, kicking off at 7:15pm AEST, 5:15pm AWST, LIVE on Foxtel, Foxtel Now and Kayo Sports. Buy a Kayo subscription here.

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