Western Force coach Simon Cron knows exactly how high the stakes are on Saturday night’s clash with defending champions Crusaders at HBF Park from 7:55pm.
It is almost go-for-broke time against the 13-time title holders in Round 10 of the Swyftx Super Rugby Pacific competition in the Force’s ‘Party At The Park’ fixture.
The Crusaders are 10 points ahead of the Force, who sit in 10th on the ladder, and Cron pulled no punches at Friday's CD Dodd Coaches’ Conference.
"Every game that we play now - it has to be do-or-die," he said. "We've got to go at it.
"We've got to have the mentality to go out there and play our game and go as hard as we can in everything we do.
"You've got to compete to win in every moment of the game against a team like the Crusaders and that's our job."
Saturday’s game (kick-off 7.55pm WST) has been tagged ‘Party At The Park’ with a range of entertainment in a flashback to Global Rapid Rugby.
Cron has brought three Wallabies back into the starting line-up: prop Tom Robertson, second-rower Darcy Swain and flanker Carlo Tizzano while star signing Zac Lomax will make his starting debut on the right wing after a 20-minute cameo from the bench in the last round 24-22 loss to Fijian Drua in Lautoka.
Robertson and Swain return after missing the Drua game with head injury protocols and illness respectively. Tizzano has missed the last two matches with a knee injury.
Lomax's selection sees former All Black George Bridge move back to outside centre.
"You've got to do what you've got to do around these combinations," Cron said.
"Bridgey's been a stand-out 13 so we get him back into his preferred position at the moment."
The door has opened to NRL convert Lomax, who Cron said could play the full 80 minutes, on the back of the loss of winger Darby Lancaster for the rest of the season.
Lancaster damaged his ankle scoring a spectacular try against the Reds and Cron said it was "gut-wrenching" to lose him.
"Such a talented individual and amazing for our team," he said. "Disappointing for him and the team."
Cron was pleased with Lomax's work at the ruck and a line break against the Drua.
"He did a couple of good things at the breakdown that maybe people don't notice, that's an area of the game he is still learning," he said.
"He did a great job (on the break). That was a big moment for us.
"We needed to make sure we nailed a few things in the last 15 minutes of that game and he was a big part of that."
Cron said he had chatted with Lomax about what it takes to come to Perth and what was needed as a team before he signed.
"He was all in from that moment," Cron said. "He's done nothing but be laser focused since he walked in. The boys are really enjoying him."
Cron described the review of the Drua defeat, watching missed opportunities and a poor kicking game as "eye-watering".
"We kicked the ball away too much and gave them to much possession rather than playing our game," he said. "It's about laser-focusing back on what we need to do.
"If you're going to kick it's either a contest or it's right in the corner, never down the middle to the guys catching.
"We gave them too much easy unstructured possession and that was a frustrating part of that game.
"The boys know that. We had the opportunity to win four or five times. That was disappointing."
The Force were hit with a gastro outbreak in Fiji with some players ill during the game.
A couple were still suffering as late as Tuesday but Cron said the squad was now fit.
Prop Harry Johnson-Holmes will bring up his 100th Super Rugby cap when he comes from the reserves while Kurtley Beale will notch up his 182nd Super game, moving into outright fifth in competition history, if he comes off the bench.
The Crusaders have made seven changes to the side that lost 31-26 to the Reds in the last round.
Captain David Havili is out with concussion protocols but Macca Springer - who scored five tries against the Force last season - makes his Super Rugby Pacific return on the left win after not playing since last year's final. Back-rower Christian Lio-Willie will captain the side.
"They have made a few changes, but they are a side that has an enormous amount of depth and a phenomenal feeder system," Cron said.
"They won't come half-arsed. They'll be pretty focused."
Cron said he felt for Moana Pasifika players and staff after it was announced they will be axed at the end of the season.
"It's really disappointing,” he said. “Hopefully someone comes in with a solution but there are barriers to success that Moana face.”
Western Force starting side: 1 Tom Robertson, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 3 Misinale Epenisa, 4 Jeremy Williams (c), 5 Darcy Swain, 6 Nick Champion de Crespigny (vc), 7 Carlo Tizzano, 8 Vaiolini Ekuasi, 9 Henry Robertson, 10 Ben Donaldson (vc), 11 Dylan Pietsch, 12 Bayley Kuenzle, 13 George Bridge, 14 Zac Lomax, 15 Mac Grealy.
Reserves: 16 Nic Dolly, 17 Sef Fa’agase, 18 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Will Harris, 21 Nathan Hastie, 22 Hamish Stewart, 23 Kurtley Beale.
Crusaders starting side: 1 Finlay Brewis, 2 George Bell, 3 Seb Calder, 4 Tahlor Cahill, 5 Jamie Hannah, 6 Dom Gardiner, 7 Johnny Lee,
8 Christian Lio‑Willie (c), 9 Louie Chapman, 10 Taha Kemara, 11 Macca Springer, 12 Dallas McLeod (vc), 13 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 14 Chay Fihaki, 15 Johnny McNicholl.
Reserves: 16 Manumaua Letiu, 17 George Bower, 18. Kershawl Sykes-Martin, 19 Will Tucker, 20 Corey Kellow, 21 Noah Hotham, 22 Rivez Reihana, 23 Sevu Reece.
Game details
Western Force vs Crusaders
Saturday 18 April, 7:55pm WST
HBF Park, Perth
Live on Stan Sport (TV) & 91.3 SportFM (radio)
