Force 19, Chiefs 37
Posted by Morné - 27/02/10 at 12:02 pm under Super 14The build-up to this game has been overshadowed by the injury problems in both caps – maybe more so for the home team, the Western Force, than the visitors.
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The injury ravaged Force were at least given a late reprieve when Scott Staniforth was cleared to play, after some initial resistance from the Australian Rugby Union. But their biggest boost came in the form of the return from injury by Mark Bartholomeusz, Ryan Cross and Nick Cummins.
This has resulted in multi-talented James O’Connor shifting to flyhalf, where he is likely to have a far bigger impact than the roving role – between fullback and No.10 – that he had in the opening weeks.
The Chiefs have also had their share of selection issues – with No.8 Sione Lauaki (suspended), wing Sitiveni Sivivatu (shoulder), lock Craig Clarke (groin) and prop James McGougan (back) all unavailable. The positive news is the return of wing Lelia Masaga.
The most crucial aspect of this game is the battle of the flyhalves – James O’Connor (Force) against Stephen Donald (Chiefs).
O’Connor has been the stand-out player for the Force in the first two weeks and Donald was the instigator of the 18-try revelry against the Lions in Johannesburg.
Force coach John Mitchell felt that O’Connor, who played as first receiver on attack last week, will have an even more influential role this week.
“What I’m happy about is that he [O'Connor] will be in one position,” Mitchell said, adding: “He’s had to manage a lot the last two weeks in terms of a dual role and certainly before the Brumbies we had no opportunity to prepare him to play at No.10.
“Last week he had two roles to fill and it’s important for such a young guy, who has carried a lot in the last year, to settle him down to play one position.”
Mitchell said he expected the Chiefs to thrown the proverbial kitchen sink at them, as they did against the Lions last week.
“On the first play of that game in Johannesburg they played wide and had a real crack with the ball, so I don’t see that intent changing.
“They are quite a formidable side, are very confident and have a lot of belief on what they achieved last year.”
The Chiefs, who have not had a winning start to a season in about five years, are looking for a rare hat-trick to open their campaign.
Assistant coach Craig Stevenson said they had been working on getting combinations right.
“We’re very keen to finish our three-game tour well, and expect a very motivated Western Force team this weekend.”
Super 14 results:
2009: Chiefs won 31-13, Hamilton
2008: Force won 22-21, Perth
2007: Chiefs won 64-36, Hamilton
2006: Chiefs won 26-9, Perth
rugby365.com Prediction: Western Force coach John Mitchell is going to have a job on his hands this season to arrest the slide. Injuries and other departures have ripped the heart out of his team and they simply don’t have the depth to cope with it. The Chiefs probably won’t score nine tries again, but they have a great chance of collecting another bonus-point win. The Chiefs by 15 points.
Teams:
Western Force: 15 Mark Bartholomeusz, 14 Scott Staniforth, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Mitch Inman, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Sam Wykes, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Ben McCalman, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Tom Hockings, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Pek Cowan, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Tyrrell, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Richard Stanford, 19 Luke Jones, 20 Chris O’Young, 21 Sam Harris, 22 Dane Haylett-Petty.
Chiefs: 15 Mike Delany, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Callum Bruce, 11 Dwayne Sweeney, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Colin Bourke, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam (captain), 5 Culum Retallick, 4 Romana Graham, 3 Nathan White, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Sona Taumalolo.
Replacements: 16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Ben Afeaki, 18 Jarrad Hoeata, 19 Luke Braid, 20 Junior Poluleuligaga, 21 Jackson Willison, 22 Tim Nanai-Williams.
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Ian Smith (Australia), Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
TMO: Julian Pritchard (Australia)
