The Western Force will be out to finish the season on a high when they face the Melbourne Rebels at McDonald Jones Stadium in NSW on Saturday.
Victory for the Force will deny the Rebels the chance of securing a playoff spot against the Queensland Reds, and ensure the Perth club finishes the all-Australian competition on a memorable note. A win of four or more points for the Rebels would see them finish third and qualify for the finals ahead of the NSW Waratahs.
After two months away from home and their families, seven tough matches against quality opposition, and a rollercoaster ride that has produced highly entertaining rugby, breakout moments for players, and invaluable experience, the task for the Force this weekend is clear.
With the off-season and some well-deserved rest beckoning and one last opportunity to record a Super Rugby AU win for 2020, local WA product Nick Jooste says the group is up for the occasion.
“There’s a lot of motivation to finish off this season strongly,” the back explained.
“A win on Saturday will cap off an exciting campaign for the club.”
The squad will draw inspiration from their last meeting with the Rebels in July, as they were denied victory in dramatic fashion through a Melbourne try in Super Time after the match had ended in a 20-20 draw after 80 minutes.
Despite losses in the three matches leading up to Saturday’s clash, the Force have continued to show strong signs of improvement, particularly in the scrums and lineouts where they did extremely well against the in-form ACT Brumbies last week.
The Force showed plenty of guts and character against the league-leading Brumbies in the capital and will be looking to take all of those positives into Saturday’s match-up.
The rivalry between the two teams has been extremely close in terms of scoreline over the years with many matches that could have gone either way. In the 14 previous meetings, the Force have won four and the Rebels ten.
Significantly, the winning margin has only twice been more than seven points. The Force have scored 36 tries to the Rebels 37 and the Rebels hold a slender points scored advantage, having recorded 332 points to the Force’s 328 over the 14 matches do date.
The Force take on the Rebels at McDonald Jones Stadium this Saturday, 5th September at 1pm AWST. Catch all the action live on Fox Sports and Kayo.
