Western Force captain Jeremy Williams has spoken about “the danger around the bye week” as the Perth-based side turn their focus towards a decisive Super Rugby Pacific clash with the Hurricanes on Saturday.
After defeating the Highlanders 29-20 on April 5, it was the Force’s turn to enjoy a week off. Williams visited Esperance – a town on the south coast of Western Australia – which was a chance for the skipper to “get away from footy for a week.”
But the Force haven’t skipped a beat now they’re back together as a group. Ahead of what will be their first match in 14 days, the Western Australians have been training well in the lead-up to a showdown between two teams with playoff ambitions.
The Hurricanes haven’t won since beating the NSW Waratahs 57-12 at Wellington’s Sky Stadium on March 28, with the men from New Zealand’s windy capital going down to the Blues by one point and the Crusaders 31-24 in recent weeks.
But the Hurricanes still sit on the cusp of a top-six spot, in fact, they can leapfrog the sixth-place Force with a bonus point win at HBF Park. As for the Force, they could surge up the ladder ahead of their Australian rivals depending on other results in round 10.
“I don’t think it’s pressure at all. We haven’t really spoken about it too much as a team,” Williams told reporters.
“We’re pretty focused on coming in fresh off the bye and getting back to our form post the bye week.
“We haven’t really spoken about where we sit on the ladder, we just want to take it week by week and it’s the Hurricanes this week and we’re focusing on doing what we want to do as a team to get the win come Saturday at HBF.
“There’s a little bit of danger around the bye week that you come in and you’re still on that bye week come Monday but the boys showed up really well yesterday and today,” he added later in the press conference.
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“We’ve hit the ground running and keen to get stuck in this weekend.”
After eight matches this season, the Force have a 4-4 record which has included wins at home over Moana Pasifika, the Fijian Drua and Highlanders. Their one win on the road was a historic 45-42 upset against the ACT Brumbies in Canberra.
Backrowers Carlo Tizzano and Nick Champion de Crespigny have been among the standouts during the course of the campaign, while Ben Donaldson has steered the ship as the team’s chief playmaker in the No. 10 jersey.
While the Hurricanes boast a star-studded lineup, Williams is confident the Force have what it takes to “give ourselves every chance” of another upset.
“We just want to get back to doing what we do best and that’s holding the ball and building possession and kicking on our terms and playing at the right ends of the field,” Williams explained.
“If we can do all those things and put all those things together, then we’ll give ourselves every chance to get out there and get a dub.”
