Western Force
Zack Holmes
Western Force flyhalf Zack Holmes has signed a 2-year deal with La Rochelle, the Top 14 club announced on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Perth-born Holmes, an Australian Sevens international who previously played with Force’s Super Rugby rivals Brumbies, will replace South African playmaker Peter Grant who was released with a season to run on his contract for family reasons.
Force (21) 33 / 20 (6) Brumbies
The Western Force and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 13:00 SA Time (19:00 AWST, 21:00 AEST, 11:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Highlanders (11) 36 / 9 (3) Chiefs
The Highlanders and Chiefs did battle in Super Rugby at
Rugby Park, Invercargill at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Force (10) 10 / 32 (18) Reds
The Western Force and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 11:40 SA Time (17:40 AWST, 19:40 AEST, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Force (3) 3 / 23 (6) Highlanders (Final Score)
The Western Force and Highlanders did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 13:45 SA Time (19:45 AWST. 21:45 AEST, 23:45 NZ Time, 11:45 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Jono Lance
Out of favour Waratahs’ utility back Jono Lance will join the Western Force for 2016, after signing with the franchise for 2 seasons.
Lance, who can play flyhalf, centre and fullback, hasn’t been featuring at the ‘Tahs playing behind Wallabies such as Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale, Israel Folouu and Adam Ashley-Cooper, and is ready to play a starting role in Super Rugby.
He was a starting member of the Queensland Reds’ 2011 Super Rugby championship-winning team, before joining the Waratahs ahead of the 2014 season.
The 24-year-old son of former Canberra Raiders rugby league captain, Dean Lance, has represented the Australian Under 20 (2010) and Sevens squads (2010 / 2011).
Lance says he’s excited to have the opportunity to represent the Force from next season.
Force (13) 18 / 11 (6) Waratahs (Final Score)
The Western Force and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 11:40 SA Time (17:40 AWST, 19:40 AEST, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Blues (17) 41 / 24 (0) Force (Final Score)
The Blues and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at
Eden Park, Auckland at 07:30 SA Time (17:30 NZ Time, 13:30 AWST, 05:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Ian Prior
The SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton QC has accepted a guilty plea from Ian Prior of the Force for contravening Law 10.4 (j) Lifting Tackle, after he was sent off following a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Prior has been suspended from all forms of the game for 3 weeks up to and including Sunday 17 May 2015.
The incident occurred in the 28th minute of the match between the Chiefs and Force at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on 24 April 2015.
SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton QC assessed the case.
Ian Prior
Ian Prior of the Western Force received a Red Card for a tip-tackle on Tim Nanai-Williams during a Super Rugby match against the Chiefs on Friday.
Prior dumped Nanai-Williams in a tackle that saw the Chiefs wing land on his neck and head, in an incident that occurred in the 28th minute of the match at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton.
He is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (j) Lifting a player from the ground and dropping or driving that player into the ground whilst that player’s feet are still off the ground such that the player’s head and / or upper body come into contact with the ground.
The case is to be ruled by SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton.
Chiefs (23) 35 / 27 (8) Force (Final Score)
The Chiefs and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 15:35 AWST, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Matt Hodgson
Wallaby flank, and inspirational captain, Matt Hodgson will make his long awaited return to Super Rugby for the Western Force when he runs out against the Chiefs on Friday.
Hodgson, a massive part of the Force’s successful season last year, has not made an appearance in 2015 due to a hamstring injury suffered in a pre-season fixture against the Asia Pacific Dragons.
The Force skipper will return to his familiar openside flank position and join No 8 Ben McCalman and blindside flank Angus Cottrell in a loose forward combination that started in 11 of 16 matches during the 2014 season.
A foot injury to interim captain Sam Wykes sees Steve Mafi shift from side of the scrum into the second row.
In the backline, Ian Prior will start his 1st match of 2015, replacing scrumhalf Alby Mathewson, who has been sidelined with a knee injury.
On the bench, Cottelsoe scrumhalf Ryan Louwrens is in line to make his Super Rugby debut after a knee injury – requiring a reconstruction – scuppered his 2014 season.
Flank Kane Koteka makes his return after being rested against the Stormers following concussion, while big lock Wilhelm Steenkamp will also start from the Western Force reserves list.
Prop Pek Cowan is also set to become the 2nd player to play 100 Super Rugby matches for the Western Force, when he runs out against the Chiefs.
Matt Hodgson
Captain Matt Hodgson is set to make his return to Super Rugby after being named in the Force’s 25-man travelling squad for its 2-match New Zealand tour.
Hodgson sustained a hamstring injury in the Force’s final pre-season fixture against the Asia Pacific Dragons, and has been unavailable through the 1st half of the competition.
The 33-year-old will resume the captaincy of the squad, coinciding with the news that interim captain Sam Wykes will be unable to travel with the team after succumbing to a foot injury suffered in Saturday night’s match against the Stormers.
Force (6) 6 / 13 (10) Stormers (Final Score)
The Western Force and DHL Stormers did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 13:45 SA Time (19:45 AWST, 21:45 AEST, 11:45 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Matt Hodgson
The Western Force have been given a boost as captain Matt Hodgson has signed a contract to play Super Rugby for the Perth side again in 2016, with the option of a further season in 2017.
The evergreen back-rower, who is currently sidelined as he returns from a hamstring injury, remains the most-capped player in the club’s history (113 matches) having made his Super Rugby debut for the Force against the Brumbies in the club’s inaugural match in 2006.
Hodgson, who along with Pek Cowan remain the only current foundation players, claimed his 3rd Nathan Sharpe Medal for the Force’s player of the year in 2014, and returned to the Wallabies squad where he captained the national side in their 40 / 36 win over the Barbarians in London.
Michael Cheika – Wallabies coach
The Australian conference’s struggles in Super Rugby has alarm bells ringing Down Under, where media pundits have condemned the nation’s lack of playing depth in a Rugby World Cup year.
4 Of Australia’s teams, including the reigning champion Waratahs, are mired in the bottom 6 of the 15-team southern hemisphere competition halfway through the season.
The 5th, Canberra-based Brumbies, are 2nd but battling to hold ground against New Zealand and South African rivals amid a mounting injury toll.
The conference’s solid performance last season, when the Waratahs broke through for their maiden title and the Brumbies reached the semi-finals, was hailed as a sign of the increasing depth of Australian rugby.
Those achievements have been quickly forgotten, with the Melbourne Rebels, Reds and Western Force conjuring a total of 5 wins between them from the opening 9 Rounds.
Luke Burton
Western Force inside centre Luke Burton will remain with the Force for a further 2 seasons, extending his contract through to the end of the 2017 season.
The Perth-born 21-year-old made his debut for the Force last season, before adding 8 further caps – including 5 in the starting 15 – to his tally in 2015.
Burton, who has started at both fullback and inside centre this season, has forged a strong partnership with fellow local, Kyle Godwin, in the midfield over the past 3 matches.
The former Australian Under 20 representative says he’s excited about extending his stay at the club.
“I love being a part of the Force and I’m really stoked to be able to stay with the club for another 2 years,” he said.
Force (10) 15 / 24 (8) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Western Force and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 13:45 SA Time (19:45 AWST, 11:45 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Fullback Dane Haylett-Petty will return to the Western Force starting line-up for the franchise’s 10th season anniversary match against the Toyota Cheetahs in Perth on Saturday.
The Force entered the Super Rugby competition with the Cheetahs in 2006, with the Western Australian franchise recording its 1st tournament victory against the Bloemfontein-based side in Kimberly that same year.
Haylett-Petty, who returned from a 6-week foot injury off the bench against the Sharks a fortnight ago, will start in the No 15 jersey, with Luke Morahan to start on the wing.
On the bench, Chris Alcock returns to the Force’s match day 23 while Marcel Brache will provide coverage for the outside backs.
Sarel Pretorius
The Toyota Cheetahs have named live-wire scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius in the starting 15 for their match against the Western Force in Perth on Saturday.
There are only 2 changes to the Cheetahs team, namely up front where BG Uys starts and Danie Mienie moving to the bench and at the back with Sarel Pretorius back in the starting line-up and Tian Meyer on the bench.
This will mark the 9th Super Rugby encounter between the 2 teams.
The Western Force is leading with 5 wins to the 3 wins of the Cheetahs.
Dane Haylett-Petty
Sam Wykes
Western Force fullback Dane Haylett-Petty has extended his stay with the Western Australian franchise for a further 2 seasons – through to the end of 2017.
The 25-year-old Durban-born back returned to the Western Force for the 2014 season, after 3 seasons playing in France and Japan.
He has since re-established himself as a key member of the Western Australian backline.
Haylett-Petty, who started the season at fullback, returned to the Western Force line-up in last weekend’s match against the Cell C Sharks, after being sidelined for 5 matches with a foot injury.
Haylett-Petty’s re-signing coincides with the confirmation that lock Sam Wykes will depart the club at the end of the 2015 season to take up an opportunity in Japan.
Wykes, who made his debut for the Force in 2008, has amassed 81 matches for the Force over 8 seasons.
The Cell C Sharks secured a scrappy 15 / 9 victory over the Western Force on Saturday in a game that won’t be remembered for quality.
It wasn’t pretty in Durban, far from it, but the home side won’t worry about that as they got the job done against a Force side who should have scored 3 tries, 2 of which were chalked off by the match officials.
The Sharks asserted their physical authority early on as a dominant scrum against the head led to a 1st shot for flyhalf Francois Steyn, who was off-target on the 5-minute mark. However, it looked like the set-piece was definitely going to be a trump card for the Sharks.
Surprisingly though, the Force would win a scrum penalty at the next scrum but this time Sias Ebersohn was the player missing his attempt at goal.
Sharks (0) 15 / 9 (6) Force (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at
Growthpoint Kings Park at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT, 23:05 AWST, 02:05 AEDT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Western Force head coach Michael Foley has made no changes to his starting line-up that will take on the Cell C Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
The only alteration comes on the bench where fullback Dane Haylett-Petty is set to make his return from a foot injury should he come on to the field.
Otherwise it’s the same squad that was beaten, 25 / 24, by the Bulls last week.
Haylett-Petty suffered a foot injury in the Western Force’s Week One 25 / 13 win over the Waratahs, but has recovered to reclaim his place in the match-day 23.
The Vodacom Bulls left it late, beating the Force 25 / 24 with a late penalty.
Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard kicked 20 points as his Vodacom Bulls side sneaked home against the Western Force in their Vodacom Super Rugby match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Marcel van der Merwe scored a try but his team were outscored 3 to 1 in the try-scoring stakes, as the Force’s spoiling game worked exceptionally well on their opponents. The Bulls failed to capitalise on the Force being down to 13 men at one stage.
The Bulls, who had just returned from a BYE week, were poor and out-of-sorts, and for large periods of time it looked as if it was the Force who were the home side with the way they played.
But thanks to Pollard they managed to sneak home through a penalty in the last minute, shortly after Sias Ebersohn kicked a 59-metre bomb that gave the Force the lead.
Bulls (9) 25 / 24 (7) Force (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at
Lftus Versfeld at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT, 23:05 AWST, Sunday 02:05 AEDT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Marcel van der Merwe and Dean Greyling will earn 1st starts in the 2015 Vodacom Super Rugby competition as Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke made 3 changes to his pack that will face the Western Force at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Van der Merwe and Greyling, who both made late starts to the competition due to injury, will swop places with Trevor Nyakane and Morné Mellett respectively. In anther swop, Grant Hattingh will earn his 1st start of the season whilst Victor Matfield will move to the bench.
The bench also has 2 new faces this week, with Arno Botha returning and Jaco Visagie replacing the injured Callie Visagie as hooker replacement. Should he take to the field, Visagie will make his Vodacom Bulls and Vodacom Super Rugby debut.
Botha, who was injured in the season’s opener against the DHL Stormers, is fit again and replaces Hanro Liebenberg.
Ludeke left his backs unchanged.
Flanker Kane Koteka will make his starting debut when the Western Force take on the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
Koteka, the 1st player to graduate to Super Rugby from the Perth-based franchise’s Future Force academy program, will run on for his 4th cap having made his debut against the Hurricanes in Round 3.
The 21-year-old will start as part of a new-look back row alongside blindside flanker Steve Mafi and No 8 Ben McCalman.
In the second row, Adam Coleman completes his comeback from a hip injury with his return to the starting 15, packing down alongside captain Sam Wykes.
South African-born playmaker Sias Ebersohn makes his return to the run-on side at flyhalf and will start inside the new midfield pairing of Luke Burton (inside centre) and Kyle Godwin (outside centre).
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.
The Western Force has announced its 28-man travelling squad for the 2-match South African leg of Super Rugby.
Flanker Angus Cottrell (ankle), fullback Dane Haylett-Petty (foot) and winger Luke Morahan (hamstring) are set to make their returns from injury and will travel to ‘the Republic’ with the 23 players involved in Friday night’s match against the Melbourne Rebels.
Lock Wilhelm Steenkamp, who started off the bench in last Friday’s match against the Brumbies, has been selected in the Force squad, as has Greater Sydney Rams prop Guy Millar, who will provide additional coverage in the front row, following Francois van Wyk’s season-ending pectoral injury suffered against the Reds a fortnight ago.
Force (7) 17 / 21 (15) Rebels (Final Score)
The Western Force and Melbourne Rebels did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 13:00 SA Time (19:00 AWST, 22:00 AEDT, 11:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Brumbies (19) 27 / 15 (8) Force (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at
GIO Stadium, Canberra at 10:40 SA Time (19:40 AEDT, 16:40 AWST, 08:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Force (6) 13 / 42 (15) Hurricanes (Final Score)
The Western Force and Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 13:00 SA Time (19:00 AWST, 11:00 GMT, Saturday 00:00 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Reds (11) 18 / 6 (6) Force (Final Score)
The Reds and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 10:40 SA Time (19:40 AEDT, 17:40 AWST, 08:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Cyclone Marcia in Brisbane
Cyclone Marcia could force only the 2nd abandoned match in Super Rugby history, with the Round 2 clash between the Reds and Western Force in major doubt as heavy wind and torrential rain batters Brisbane.
Should the match be abandoned, the game will be deemed a draw, with both the Reds and Force to collect 2 competition points each.
Officials from SANZAR, the ARU and both teams were locked in deep discussion on Friday, planning possible contingencies if the category 3 storm continues to cause havoc in the city.
Francois van Wyk
South African Loosehead prop Francois van Wyk will make his first appearance in the starting fifteen when the Western Force takes on the Queensland Reds at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
Van Wyk, who scored the Force’s final try in last weekend’s 25 / 13 win over the Waratahs, has played 3 matches off the bench for the Western Australian club, and will pack down alongside Wallabies Nathan Charles and Tetera Faulkner.
The 24-year-old front rower replaces Pek Cowan, who will be monitored regarding his pending return after scans cleared him of any serious injury having been carried from the field on Sunday.
The other change to the starting 15 sees Zack Holmes promoted to fullback in the absence of Dane Haylett-Petty, who has been ruled out with a foot injury.