Talk is cheap according to Western Force head coach Simon Cron who says it’s time for actions ahead of Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific clash with the Queensland Reds.
The Force host the Reds from 4:35pm at HBF Park on Saturday afternoon in the second part of a double-header following the Buildcorp Super Rugby Women’s encounter between the two clubs from 2:05pm.
Following a promising off-season recruitment drive and some positive pre-season results, the Force are winless this season despite periods of dominance in games.
Cron, who was scathing of his side following last Friday’s 22-14 loss to Moana Pasifika, said it was time to turn that talk into something tangible on the pitch.
“One of the things we talked about all week is talking is done,” Cron told reporters following captain’s run at HBF Park on Friday.
“You can only talk so much and there’s some good accountability for the playing group this week in certain areas and some boys really wanting to step forward.
“For us, it’s about actions now. I think for us, it’s all about performance. We’ve had some good starts - Rebels 50 minutes, the Brumbies was a good 80, we just gave away some penalties in that last 20 that alleviated pressure.
“It’s about putting together a performance for 85 minutes as a team and that includes the guys coming off the bench, it includes the starters, getting a squad performance.”
Cron said the players had responded well during the week in training following Friday’s disappointing defeat and the post-game fallout.
“I delivered that message as part of the team,” he said. “That’s where they were at in the sheds after the ground.
“Who can control it? We can, as a team, coaches and players, they’ve been good this week.”
While the Force are winless, the Reds are sitting second on the ladder prior to Round 5 with a 3-1 record.
“They’ve got some good players across the park all doing their job,” Cron said.
“Kissy has done a good job there. The boys they’ve had there for a couple of years are stepping up into those roles. We’re excited for it.”
The Force will be boosted by the returns of Wallabies scrum-half Nic White and 2023 Nathan Sharpe medalist Sam Spink following short-term injuries.
Spink’s return sees Harry Potter move to full-back, where he played during last year’s Toyota Challenge against the Cheetahs, and Bayley Kuenzle revert to right wing.
“Defensively he’s one of our better defenders,” Cron said about Kuenzle. “He’s also quite explosive and powerful. He can be quite hard to defend, so that’s the reasoning around giving him that opportunity.
“During that cheetahs series, one of the things we did was blood players in positions we thought they might play in. Potts was a guy that played full-back for us doing that series and it gives him an opportunity to now show what he can do there.
On Kuenzle and Spink, Cron added: “They’re a good combination together. Bayley is an 80-minute player. He’s a guy that can run all day which is important for us as well.”
The double-header is part of Kids’ Round, where the first 1,500 kids through the gates at HBF Park will receive a $20 food and beverage voucher to spend at the game. The vouchers will be distributed at Gate 1, via the Western Force Cheer Crew.
The double-header will be live on Stan Sport, while there will be regular updates @WesternForce on social media. The SRP men’s game will also be live on 9GEM with kick-off at 4:35pm
