By Justin Chadwick
Western Force coach Simon Cron says he won’t be wasting time cheering for the Queensland Reds or Highlanders this week ahead of Saturday night’s crunch Super Rugby Pacific clash with the Chiefs in Perth.
The Force’s finals fate is no longer in their hands following last week’s 52-14 loss to the Melbourne Rebels.
Marley Pearce of the Western Force passes during his team’s loss to the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park.Credit: Getty Images
That result dropped the Force to ninth spot with just one round remaining.
It means they need either the Highlanders to lose to the Blues on Friday night, or the Reds to lose to Fijian Drua on Saturday, to have any hope of sneaking into the top eight.
If at least one of those results goes the Force’s way, then they’ll need to topple the ladder-leading Chiefs in the final game of the round in order to lock in a finals berth.
Cron says he won’t let the Reds and Highlanders’ games distract him from the task at hand.
“I won’t (pay close attention to them). But the other coaches will. They’ll tell me (the results) most likely,” Cron said.
“I will focus on what we’ve got to do. Ultimately we need to win, so that’s what we need to focus on.”
The Force’s cause has been helped by the fact that the Chiefs have rested most of their front-line players in order to freshen them up for the start of the finals.
The Chiefs’ 31-21 win over the Brumbies last week guaranteed they will finish first, and they’ve made a whopping 11 changes to their starting line-up.
Stars such as Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane, Brad Weber and Damian McKenzie are among the All Blacks being rested, but Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan is still determined to walk away with the win.
“We’ve earned the luxury of being able to do what we’ve done, which has taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” McMillan said.
“We know it’s important going into the finals series to have some momentum.
“Although there’s some front liners that are getting an opportunity to freshen up, our mentality stays the same – to put our best foot forward and keep growing our game.
“If you stay stagnant, you get passed. That’s our mentality.”
The Force are a perfect five-wins-from-five at home this season, and they are desperate to keep that record going.
The return of Wallabies lock Izack Rodda, prop Santiago Medrano and halfback Gareth Simpson in the starting line-up has given them a much-needed dose of firepower.
If the Force end up finishing eighth, they will take on the Chiefs again in the first week of the finals – this time in New Zealand.
“Once you’re in there, anything goes,” Cron said.
“It’s knockout for them, and knockout for us. Once you’re in there, all bets are off.”
AAP
