New signing Tom Franklin says he sees similarities in the current Western Force group to the 2015 Super Rugby title-winning Highlanders side that he was a part of.
Former Maori All Black Franklin was unveiled as a new Force signing last week, fresh from National Provincial Championship success with Taranaki.
The Bay of Plenty-born lock, who grew up in Hamilton and studied in Dunedin, was also a key part of the Highlanders’ 2015 triumph, the club’s only in Super Rugby history.
He’s landed in Perth joining a success-starved Force side who seem to be on an upward trajectory ahead of head coach Simon Cron’s second season in charge after an encouraging, but ultimately unfulfilling, 2023 season where they narrowly missed the top eight.
“We had a real tight group at the Highlanders, probably quite similar to the Force,” Franklin told Force TV.
“They had a lot of guys who were not from Dunedin who were brought in from other teams who were sometimes not wanted or sometimes overlooked. We leaned into that.
“We used that to our advantage, we had a chip on our shoulder. We ended up winning that year.
“It was probably the most special thing I’ve done in rugby. It was an awesome campaign and nothing but good things to say.”
Given his recent title success and impact, 33-year-old Franklin is confident he can bring plenty to the Force squad although he said he had a battle on his hands to be among the side’s starting locks with competition from Jeremy Williams, Lopeti Faifua, Felix Kalapu and Izack Rodda.
“I think lock is probably one of our stronger positions,” Franklin said. “We’ve got some young guys who are beasts, like Lopeti and Felix, some of the older heads here.
“Everyone wants to just earn their spot. I’ve got my work cut out of me if I want to get some minutes.
“I’m not officially a Force player until I earn my first cap, so I’m looking forward to working hard and getting that. I love it. I love the competition. The best players will play.”
Franklin only arrived in Perth over the Christmas break but has quickly integrated into training and has been impressed with the mood and intensity around the group in pre-season.
“It’s good, the boys are hungry and keen as,” he said. “We want to make a mark. We want to hit that competition hard.
“The boys are working really hard. We’re not here to participate, we’re here to compete and go well. I’m really impressed.”
On his reasons for joining the Force, Franklin added: “I’ve been in a few different places. But Perth is always a place that has intrigued me.
“I’ve been here and played a few times before and loved it. I’ve been looking forward to coming over and being part of the community.
“The team itself, I know Crono is a young coach and sees big things in this team, and I wanted to be part of something special and try to be part of the best Force team that’s ever been.”
The Force’s pre-season trial games are only a fortnight away with the side taking on the Queensland Reds at Ballymore on Saturday 3 February 1pm WST, followed by a home trial game against the ACT Brumbies on Saturday 10 February 5pm WST at Claremont’s Revo Fitness Stadium.
The club’s annual Fan Day will be held from 4pm-7pm WST around the Force-Brumbies trial game at Revo Fitness Stadium, free of charge.
Become a Force member today. The Force open their 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season on Friday 23 February 7pm against the Hurricanes at HBF Park.
