Western Force head coach Simon Cron says there will be eyes on Saturday’s all-important Fijian Drua game but insists the result won’t change their approach to the Round 15 clash with the ACT Brumbies.
The Force host the Brumbies at HBF Park from 5:35pm Saturday, with tickets on sale via Ticketmaster.
A historic finals berth could be up for grabs, pending other results with the Crusaders getting a 43-10 bonus-point win over the Moana Pasifika, meaning the Force must also win with a bonus point. But if the Fijian Drua beat the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday from 10:05am WST, the Force’s fate will be sealed.
But Cron said that wouldn’t impact their approach.
“There will be eyes on it, however, we talked about it earlier in the week, it doesn’t change what we’ve got to do and our mentality going into this game,” Cron told reporters on Friday.
“Our prep and the way we approach it and how we go into it is still the same.”
The Force have been bolstered by the return of Wallabies lock Sam Carter from a hamstring injury for the game, with captain Jeremy Williams reverting to the back row.
Carter and Williams along with Izack Rodda and Reed Prinsep all offer genuine lineout options among the starting XV.
“Jez is a great lock/six or six/lock and I think that’s where he sits,” Cron said.
“We’ve been wanting to get him back to six and give him an opportunity down the edges and give us a slightly bigger lineout.
“With Carts back after being out for a few weeks it allows us to do that.”
The Force will be without Ben Donaldson due to groin tightness, with Max Burey stepping in at fly-half.
“Maxy gets to step up now,” Cron said. “We’ve got to build that depth.
“The next man up has to step up. It gives him a chance, a great learning opportunity, he’s got great combinations with those guys out there too.”
Cron also reserved special praise for milestone men Hamish Stewart and Santiago Medrano, who’ll play their 100th Super Rugby game and 50th Force game respectively.
“Mish goes tough every week, Cron said.” You talk about mental toughness and physical toughness and that is what he is. It’s great having him.
“When I was coming back from Japan, he was one of the first guys I called. He was keen to come over here. I was lucky enough to coach him at Under-20s and now be on this journey with him.
“Santi is a great man. He was overseas initially and had a lot of phone calls with Santi about his scrum and some areas we wanted to work on.
“He got on the plane and came back to Perth. It’s great for us, great for the team and now he’s up to 50. I’m looking forward to seeing him play tomorrow.”
The round is themed Community Round, with a curtain-raiser between Associates and Kalamunda in the Rendezvous Scarborough Challenge Cup final from 3pm.
The Super Rugby Pacific game will be broadcast live on 9GEM and streamed on Stan Sport, with regular updates @WesternForce on social media.
