Force V Bulls @ NIB, Rnd 11

[ChargerWA]

Rightio, time for the Force to get back on track. This game is a must win if the Force hope to make the finals. Bulls have been bashed over east and should hopefully be tired on the way home.

Not sure who is due back this week, but hopefully Alby. He is the key for us. Hoping Hayward is feeling OK and can run out too.

Making the trek up for this one with a Bulls supporter, so the boys better do it for my sake.

 

[qwerty51]

Is Alcock injured? Hodgson must be seriously sore, he gets smashed more than any other 7 in the every ruck and has a massive workrate.

 

[Braveheart81]

Is Alcock injured? Hodgson must be seriously sore, he gets smashed more than any other 7 in the every ruck and has a massive workrate.

Alcock did his knee I believe. He is gone for the season.

 

[Blue]

Piet van Zyl, the Bulls 9, is out injured.

Pity because his kicking game is so much better than Hougaard.

Hougaard will move back to 9 and Ndungane back into the wing.

Force by less than 7. Will win the game at the breakdown. We cannot compete there. The opposition has time to stake out a claim, dig, and sift for gold by the time our "openside" gets there.

Bulls have to slow it down. They have no choice as they do not have the personnel in the back row to compete for 80 minutes.

 

[Blue]

Rightio, time for the Force to get back on track. This game is a must win if the Force hope to make the finals. Bulls have been bashed over east and should hopefully be tired on the way home.

Not sure who is due back this week, but hopefully Alby. He is the key for us. Hoping Hayward is feeling OK and can run out too.

Making the trek up for this one with a Bulls supporter, so the boys better do it for my sake.

Check your wallet. No seriously we're an honest bunch, we might be fucking batshit crazy, but we're honest

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Congrats to Kieran Longbottom who will play his 50th match for the Force this weekend.

First WA player to do so!

Massive effort for the boy from Rocky.

 

[Ruggo]

Rightio, time for the Force to get back on track. This game is a must win if the Force hope to make the finals. Bulls have been bashed over east and should hopefully be tired on the way home.

Not sure who is due back this week, but hopefully Alby. He is the key for us. Hoping Hayward is feeling OK and can run out too.

Making the trek up for this one with a Bulls supporter, so the boys better do it for my sake.

Serious question mate. Is there a town south of Perth called Argyle? Odd question I know but I had Lake Argyle in mind.

 

[Forcefield]

None that I know of. It's possible there is a locality called Argyle (maybe used to be a town but has merged into the hinterland of a nearby town).

Any word on Flip van der Merwe? It'd be great for us if he is out.

I feel a bit of confidence for this one. We usually perform well against the Bulls. And these Bulls are tired and injury-depleted. Line-outs will be a danger with big Vic and maybe the scrum too. Our scrum was shit last week, but I don't rate the Bulls' front row either.

 

[Ruggo]

None that I know of. It's possible there is a locality called Argyle (maybe used to be a town but has merged into the hinterland of a nearby town).

Any word on Flip van der Merwe? It'd be great for us if he is out.

I feel a bit of confidence for this one. We usually perform well against the Bulls. And these Bulls are tired and injury-depleted. Line-outs will be a danger with big Vic and maybe the scrum too. Our scrum was shit last week, but I don't rate the Bulls' front row either.

I notice last week the ref kept demanding that the Force pack higher. I think that was the problem because you do a fantastic job of getting low. It is a big strength for the Force.

 

[Forcefield]

I was in the South West and was only able to catch an online feed which wasn't that great. I thought he was telling us to pack higher because the scrums were collapsing because of the wet turf. Maybe I was wrong.

Lots of factors could have influenced that one (I'll discount the Rebels factors simply because there is nothing the Force can do to change them) namely fatigue, wet track, Cowan's leg injury, Coleman starting in place of Wykes. Fingers crossed the extra day's rest will have done us good and Cowan will be in better condition. Rain on the forecast for Saturday- but that could change before then. Coleman had a really good game against the Rebels, I'd keep him starting unless Wykes is close to 100%. Anyone know who the ref will be?

 

[ChargerWA]

Serious question mate. Is there a town south of Perth called Argyle? Odd question I know but I had Lake Argyle in mind.

Just a locality Ruggo. 2.5 hrs south of Perth near Donnybrook.

The scrums last week were strange. I think it was a combo of the wet grass forcing the ref to make them pack higher but more likely a bit of mental softness. They just weren't up for that game.

 

[Blue]

None that I know of. It's possible there is a locality called Argyle (maybe used to be a town but has merged into the hinterland of a nearby town).

Any word on Flip van der Merwe? It'd be great for us if he is out.

I feel a bit of confidence for this one. We usually perform well against the Bulls. And these Bulls are tired and injury-depleted. Line-outs will be a danger with big Vic and maybe the scrum too. Our scrum was shit last week, but I don't rate the Bulls' front row either.

Flip is playing.

The way the Bulls scrum went the last few weeks I reckon we are going to give you lot a bit of a working over. Just as everything else falls to pieces it appears e have fixed our scrum.

 

[Hawko]

I feel a bit of confidence for this one. We usually perform well against the Bulls. And these Bulls are tired and injury-depleted. Line-outs will be a danger with big Vic and maybe the scrum too. Our scrum was shit last week, but I don't rate the Bulls' front row either.

Right now I don't think there's a better scrum in Super Rugby. I am really looking forward to the next Bulls/Sharks game. It might well change selections for the Springbok front row.

The Force will be very lucky to get parity. The Waratahs scrum just concentrated on no disasters - clearly lost the battle but didn't concede any penalty tries or multiple penalties. The week before against the Highlanders scrum, one I rate pretty highly, it was a massacre!

You'll have the job in front of you.

 

[Forcefield]

I was rewatching the Force Highlanders game from earlier in the season on a plane today. We got worked over by the Highlanders scrum in the first half (McCalman put in a fine performance to clean up the mess most of the time). In the second half we were equal or better. Holding out when we were down 2 forwards in the final 7 minutes was epic.

Our scrum performed better than the Waratahs did in the match in Perth two weeks ago. That's cause for hope.

We usually do pretty well against the Bulls at scrum time. It will be interesting to see if that continues. I think we respond better to their style of scrummaging than we do against the New Zealanders.

 

[Nipper]

Alcock did his knee I believe. He is gone for the season.

I believe it was Alcock's shoulder. I've been worried about Hodgson for the past 2-3 weeks, considering the beating he's taken. And there hasn't been a true 7 on the bench. Just Stander, who is really a 6 or an 8, but not sure about him as a 7. Not sure who is in the wider squad who would step up. At one point (Red's game, perhaps?) Tessman came in at 7 - I don't think that's a viable solution!

 

[GaffaCHinO]

I believe it was Alcock's shoulder. I've been worried about Hodgson for the past 2-3 weeks, considering the beating he's taken. And there hasn't been a true 7 on the bench. Just Stander, who is really a 6 or an 8, but not sure about him as a 7. Not sure who is in the wider squad who would step up. At one point (Red's game, perhaps?) Tessman came in at 7 - I don't think that's a viable solution!

There isn't another 7 in the squad. Stander would be the one to step in if Hodgo went down. Richard hardwick a local 7 has been training on and off and is involved in the force a program.

Stander is very good over the ball he is a strange player more 7/8 than 6/8 he has the running game of an 8 but he breakdown and defence work of a 7.

 

[tranquility]

he has the running game of an 8 but he breakdown and defence work of a 7.

The prototype?

 

[GaffaCHinO]

The prototype?

I should say he is lacking in areas to be an out and out 7 or 8.

I mention his skills because you usually see a Player in the back row who is a notta more as a 6/7 or 6/8 not really a 7/8.

Stander is good over and at the the ball but isn't the turnover player lIke a Pocock or gill and as an 8 lacks the height to be a lineout option.

 

[tranquility]

Good points.

Lee Grant is a genius. A 'notta' is such a great rugby phrase, that would not be understood by anyone outside of this forum.

The man is literally broadening the vocabulary of rugby syntax.

 

[Nipper]

There isn't another 7 in the squad. Stander would be the one to step in if Hodgo went down. Richard hardwick a local 7 has been training on and off and is involved in the force a program.

Stander is very good over the ball he is a strange player more 7/8 than 6/8 he has the running game of an 8 but he breakdown and defence work of a 7.

Thanks, Gaffa. That's a bit of a worry, isn't it? No specialist 7?