Round 9 of Super Rugby sees the Western Force return to Perth looking to make it five wins in a row against the NSW Waratahs who are fresh off the back of a win against the Stormers in Cape Town last weekend.
The script for the return leg between the Force and the Waratahs couldn’t read any differently to the one that played out at Allianz Stadium in Sydney way back in February. The Western Force are red hot right now and are basking in the attention that winning four in a row brings. With a last gasp try to beat the Reds in Brisbane last weekend, the Force will be excited to return to nib Stadium and their adoring Sea of Blue to try and grab their first ever home win against the Waratahs.
The Waratahs are sure to be have been sore during the week after two bruising encounters in South Africa. A tough win over the Stormers last weekend will bring them confidence that their forwards are able to consistently produce a strong physical performance for the first time in years.
A huge matchup looms in the front row. The Force trio of Pek Cowan, Nathan Charles and Kieran Longbottom have settled nicely and are playing quality rugby both around the park and at scrum time. They’ll rate their chances of getting on top of their all Wallaby counterparts, Benn Robinson, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Sekope Kepu. The Waratahs will have hoped last week’s improvement at scrum time wasn’t a fluke and will be wary of how far their set piece has slipped in the last year. Pride and potentially Wallaby spots could be on the line and expect plenty of tension within this group and there’s sure to be plenty of strong tackling. The reserve front rows from both sides could very well be central to the outcome of the match.
At scrum half, Nick Phipps will have his work cut out for him controlling Alby Mathewson. Mathewson has found a new lease of life at the Force and is clearly one of the form halfbacks in the competition. A real leader around the park, it is clear how committed Alby is to the Force and has been a big part of their winning streak. Phipps has been producing plenty of good football of his own this season and was instrumental in the Tahs win last weekend scoring their only try. Phipps will know that the blueprint for beating the Tahs this year is pressure on the inside backs and he’ll be looking to provide fast service and limit the disruption the Force lose forwards cause him.
The back three have been a feature for the Western Force where Jayden Hayward and Luke Morahan in particular have created a stellar partnership. Both scored tries last weekend and together with Nick Cummins provide solid defence and scintillating attack. The Waratahs have a completely new combination with Israel Folau returning from two weeks out injured together with Rob Horne after his one game suspension and Cam Crawford who makes his return to the first XV for the first time this year. He’s going to have his work cut out for him against his dangerous opposition.
As this is a battle between 4th and 5th on the table, there is plenty at stake. Add to that the Force are in uncharted territory after four wins in a row and this match looks like an Aussie derby for the ages. The forward battle in particular should be immense and it’s hard to imagine there being nearly as many tries scored as back in round 2. This is likely to come down to which team takes their chances better and the goal kicking of Sias Ebersohn, Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale is sure to prove crucial.
The Waratahs have never gone to Perth to play a Force side like this and coming away with a win is likely to be incredibly difficult. They’ll know that this game could represent a pivotal moment in their season. We’re halfway through and they can finish this round as one of the pace setters or sitting mid field amongst a pile of teams just starting to find form. If the Waratahs can reproduce their physicality from South Africa and maintain a good level of accuracy I think they’ll scrape over the line but this game is sure to be close and brutal. Tahs by 5.
Western Force
1 Pek Cowan, 2 Nathan Charles, 3 Kieran Longbottom, 4 Sam Wykes, 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 6 Angus Cottrell,7 Matt Hodgson (c), 8 Ben McCalman, 9 Alby Mathewson, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 11 Nick Cummins, 12 Kyle Godwin, 13 Marcel Brache 14 Luke Morahan, 15 Jayden Hayward
Reserves
16 Heath Tessmann, 17 Tetera Faulkner 18 Oli Hoskins, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Brynard Stander, 21 Ian Prior, 22 Zack Holmes 23 Chris Tuatara-Morrison*
* possible Super Rugby debut
NSW Waratahs
1 Benn Robinson 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau 3 Sekope Kepu 4 Will Skelton 5 Kane Douglas 6 Jacques Potgieter 7 Michael Hooper 8 Dave Dennis (c) 9 Nick Phipps 10 Bernard Foley 11 Rob Horne 12 Kurtley Beale 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper 14 Cam Crawford 15 Israel Folau
Reserves
16 Tolu Latu, 17 Jeremy Tilse 18 Paddy Ryan 19 Stephen Hoiles 20 Pat McCutcheon 21 Brendan McKibbin 22 Jono Lance 23 Matt Cararro
Referee: Angus Gardner
Assistant Ref 1: Ian Smith
Assistant Ref 2: Damien Mitchelmore
TMO: Steve Leszczynski
