Western Force captain Jeremy Williams says the players will be “obsessed” this week as they chase a maiden Super Rugby Pacific finals berth.
The Force’s loss to the Queensland Reds on Saturday left destiny outside the WA club’s hands heading into the final round of the 2024 Super Rugby season.
Ahead of Round 15, four sides can still finish eighth and claim the last finals spot; Fijian Drua (currently eighth on 21 points), Force (ninth on 19 points), Crusaders (10th on 19 points) and Moana (11th on 18 points).
Put simply, to qualify for the finals, the Force must beat the ACT Brumbies at HBF Park on Saturday from 5:35pm WST and the eighth-placed Drua must lose to the Melbourne Rebels in Lautoka from 10:05am WST on Saturday.
The Crusaders and Moana Pasifika will face off at 3:05pm WST on Friday, making the scenario a bit more complicated if either secures a bonus-point win.
The Force are currently level on points with the Crusaders but ahead due to having more wins which is the first determining countback factor, followed by points difference from all matches, giving the WA side an edge over Moana.
But all that is irrelevant if the Force don’t keep up their end of the bargain and beat the Brumbies on Saturday night, which Williams said would be their obsession this week.
“We’re definitely going to keep playing like we’ve got a shot at the finals,” Williams said after Saturday night’s defeat.
“We’ll review this, we’ll have a good look in the mirror. We’ll take our learnings, then we’ll flush it.
“New week next week, new challenge. We’ve got to be obsessed and do everything we can this week to get the win at home.”
Tickets to the Force-Brumbies game are available via Ticketmaster, along with the Force’s Flexi Membership, with four tickets to the fixture for only $75.
The Round 15 game will be preceded by the Rendezvous Scarborough Challenge Cup final between Associates and Kalamunda from 3pm.
Gate 1 opens at 2:50pm, with all gates open at 4:05pm. View our Game Day Hub for more info.
