Western Force coach Tim Sampson is looking for his players to 'roll up their sleeves' as they look to bounce back against the Fijian Drua.
Sampson showed his disappointment after their defeat to the Waratahs, lambasting their second-half performance after they falled to capitalise on a wave of attacking chances.
Knowing they missed a chance to climb into the top four, Sampson has called on his side to embrace the hard work after a brutal review.
“The review was honest,” Sampson told reporters. “I counted 12 negative actions in 20 minutes which we could control which is disappointing.
“The main focus is to roll up sleeves and get in some hard yakka. We don’t have to go left-field or bring in new innovations or a new playbook. It’s about just doing the hard work.
“That was an opportunity lost last week to jump into fourth place which would have been nice but the pressure now to win this week increases.
“The players take ownership of it. We will see the response on Saturday.”
The Force will be without Tom Robertson (calf), Kyle Godwin and Toni Pulu (both concussion) for Saturday's must-win clash at Leichhardt Oval as they deal with the short turnaround.
Sampson has opted for a new halves partnership in Ian Prior and Jake McIntrye, looking to 'take the pressure' of young gun Reesjan Pasitoa after talks of a Wallaby call-up began after just one Super Rugby start.
“We’ve said from day one it’s great to have different styles of players in the 9 and 10 jerseys,” he believes
“Ian started the first couple of games for us and did quite well. He is a good calming influence and hopefully, we see that this week.
“…If he plays to his strengths I’m sure will benefit the team.
“I think Reesjan (Pasitoa) has been excellent in his starts. We just want to take the pressure off Reesjan and I’m sure Jake (McIntyre) will do great in that jersey, he’s earned the start and when Reesjan comes on, he’ll deliver the goods for us.”
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With the Drua starting to build combinations and connections, the Force recognised the importance of limiting their opportunities in free space.
“I think you have to very smart with how you play against them,” Sampson notes.
“The Reds showed a lot of intent early and wanted to throw the ball around and run the Fijians around. You’ve got to be wary of them, there are a highly skilled team that love up-tempo and having the ball in the field of play.
“We’re well aware of their strengths. It’s a priority to shut them down and take away opportunities where we give them free ball.”
