Western Force acting head coach James Stannard says his side needs to step it up in defence for Sunday’s final Super Rugby AUS round-robin game against the Queensland Reds at Tompkins Park from 2:30pm.
The Force have already qualified for the Super Rugby AUS Grand Final, to be played at Wanneroo Rugby Club on Sunday 5 October, but Stannard was urging focus in the meantime as he continually seek to improve.
Stannard pinpointed his side’s defence, after allowing five tries in the 46-35 win over the ACT Brumbies, as an area of improvement against a Reds side likely to play expansive rugby.
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“Nothing really changes around our game,” Stannard told 91.3 Sport FM.
“We’ll focus on ourselves and try to step it up in defence. We’ll have to, because they’re quite expansive. Defensively we’re going to have to aim up.
“They like playing a bit of footy. We’re expecting them to run it from anywhere. They don’t like kicking it back to us too much. They’ve got a good counter and like to offload a bit.”
The Force will welcome back Wallabies fly-half Ben Donaldson into the starting side after an impressive 20-minute cameo last round following an adductor strain.
“He pulled up good,” Stannard said. “It was excellent to see him back, play a bit of footy, get the ball in his hands and he made a good impression with some good carries for us.”
Newcomers Jack Daly and Henry Palmer have earned their first opportunities with the Force after impressing on the track.
Daly is an Irish loose forward who represented his country in rugby sevens and spent five years with Munster. Palmer is a speedy winger out of the ACT Brumbies set-up, whose all had Sevens experience for Australia and recently played for Easts in the NSW Shute Shield decider.
“Jack came in a couple of weeks ago and he’s a tough cookie,” he said. “He loves getting over the ball, so we’re giving him a shot this weekend to show what he can do. He’s trained really well. Strong carry, he does all the one percenters right all the time.
“Henry Palmer is a young kid who’s come out of the Brumbies system. He’s electric, he’s proper quick, so we’re hoping to get him into a bit of space and show his speed.”
Stannard was excited to get out in front of another strong Tompkins Park crow, after being cheered on by a good turnout against the Brumbies, with entry free again for Sunday’s triple-header.
“It was excellent,” he said. “It felt like it was real.
“You had all the locals down from the clubs from all over Perth to watch the game and the U19s. it was a great atmosphere with the stand across the other side.”
The Force will host the Super Rugby AUS Grand Final at Wanneroo Rugby Club on Sunday 5 October, but Stannard said the focus was fully this weekend against the Reds.
“We worry about the next step in front of us which is the Reds,” he said. “That’s the main priority and putting in a performance that we’re proud of, working on the things we need to.”
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