Western Force forwards coach Jimmy Duffy says there were plenty of positives to take from Saturday’s narrow 7-6 loss to the Highlanders ahead of the side’s Round 11 clash away to the Chiefs.
The Force traveled to the North Island on Sunday following the one-point defeat in Dunedin, settling in Tauranga for the week ahead of Saturday’s game at FMG Stadium Waikato from 3:05pm WST.
Duffy acknowledged the Chiefs represented “another massive task” for the WA club but pointed to positives from the Highlanders game.
“The biggest positive was we had multiple entries into the final third of the field,” Duffy said on Tuesday.
“We didn’t hold on to the ball which cost us in the end. The fact we got in there quite often, our boys were trying too hard to find the solution on their own and not trust the system is the biggest one.
“When we reviewed, we had 11 chances in the first half. Had we held on to one or two of those it’s a different story.”
The Force’s scrum was another highlight, with 10-5 scrums won, including a crucial scrum penalty on their defensive 5m line in the first half at 0-0.
“We’ve said it numerous times, we have a very, very young bunch of forwards in this club at the moment,” Duffy said.
“There’s one or two who’ve got a lot of experience but the majority are in that 21-22 years of age. They’re playing against quality opposition every weekend.
“There was a big moment before half-time, that scrum penalty was a huge turning point for us 5m out. It was pleasing for the group.
“We’ve another massive task this weekend. For us it’s a constant work-on, make sure those young men are learning on the fly.”
The Chiefs won 38-22 away to the NSW Waratahs last Friday to move into Super Rugby’s top four and Duffy noted their threats.
“Number one is up front always, you’ve got to get parity at least,” the Irishman said. “They’ve got threats, big ball carriers across the park, either up front or the back.
“(Damian) McKenzie drives a really, really good attack picture. It’s about meeting that physicality, making sure we’re on top of that and getting parity at set piece as well, it’ll be crucial.”
The game is the second in the side’s 10-day road trip, marking their third two-game away journey of the season, offering the team time to bond and build relationships.
“It’s an opportunity to spend time with each other,” Duffy said. “It’s our third two-week stint away and fellas get to know each other more.
“They’ll play hard for each other on the weekend and form really good bonds. You can see it, they’re enjoying each other’s company, spending time with each other and talking rugby when they need to and getting away from it also.”
