Western Force utility back Marcel Brache is no stranger to Loftus Versfeld. That is why he feels the men from Perth requires a ‘change of attitude’.
The Force arrived in South Africa this week, ahead of Saturday’s Super Rugby Round 6 encounter, with a few injury concerns.
Their opponents, the Vodacom Bulls, are coming off a BYE – which was preceded by morale-boosting victories over the Cell C Sharks (43 / 35) and Toyota Cheetahs (39 / 20).
The Force, in stark contrast, have lost to the Reds, Hurricanes, Brumbies and Rebels – despite an opening round win over the defending champion Waratahs.
And there is concern over the fitness of prop Pek Cowan, who is in a race against time to recover from a shoulder knock. Sydney prop Guy Millar has been called into the squad as cover.
Other injury concerns include Luke Morahan (hamstring), Angus Cottrell (ankle), and Dane Haylett-Petty (foot). They are more likely to be fit than Cowan.
However, it is their own attitude and the threats posed by the Bulls – rather than injury concerns – that appear to be the West-Australian team’s biggest headache.
Brache said the Force had to acknowledge the challenge in Pretoria.
“The Bulls are a challenge whether they have had a bye or not,” he said.
“You’ve got all the elements. Loftus has seen a couple of Super Rugby titles won there, you’ve got altitude and the game plan that they bring – with a big pack and an exciting back line.
“We have to acknowledge what it is and what we are going up against.”
Brache says the Force players must take responsibility for the poor start.
“We’ve had a couple of discussions, but discussion can only take you so far,” said Brache, who was capped once by the Stormers before he moved to Perth in 2014.
“The coaches give us a game plan. It’s about actually going out there and executing that plan.
“It’s up to us to make sure we are all on the same page.
“It’s an attitude thing, we’re letting minor moments slip.
“It’s that we have to rectify as players.”
The utility back also admitted they can’t afford to be ‘sleep-walking’ in the early stages of matches, as they have been in their last few matches.
“The fast start, we want to rectify it,” Brache said, adding: “Attitude, whatever you want to call it, it’s about us going out there and making sure we get out there early.
“We want the opportunity to actually close down a game rather than chasing it.
“Confidence is still very high. We believe in ourselves as a team even though the results haven’t gone out way.”
Stand-in Force skipper Sam Wykes also spoke of the need to put the poor start to the season behind them and playing to their true potential.
Although 4 straight losses can make for a somber mood, Wykes doesn’t want his teammates to get too down about things.
“We’ve been down this path many times before,” Wykes said.
“In the history of the Western Force, we’ve been through some tough times in terms of results. So we know how to bounce back from it.
“At the end of the day, we’re reviewing football. No one has died or anything like that.
“We’re going to keep it positive, and we’ll keep fighting for it.”
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