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The Western Force is by far the most important X factor in AU Super Rugby this year.
Brutally cut from Super Rugby in 2017 by a former Rugby Australia administration cutting costs, billionaire mining mogul Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest stepped in to save the day.
Forrest first organized his own competitions for the Force to play (like you), before COVID-19 provided an unexpected lifeline to rugby last year.
Striving to organize a national alternative to a Super Rugby competition involving four countries, RA has welcomed the Force back into the fold.
They didn’t win a game in the 2020 Super Rugby AU, but were mostly competitive.
Tonight, against defending champion Brumbies, the Force will host a Super Rugby match in Perth for the first time since 2017.
“He (Forrest) came onto the field after the game,” Force captain Ian Prior recalled this week.
“It was 1316 days ago, and he said he was going to go into the trenches with us, not only with us, but also from the front lines.
“And he kept his word, and we’re here today because of it.”
Forrest certainly put his money where it was, signing a string of big Test stars, past and present.
In tonight’s starting lineup are Irish legend Rob Kearney, Argentinian murderers Tomas Lezana and Santiago Medrano and longtime Wallabies star Tevita Kuridrani.
Even the bench features quality internationals in Greg Holmes, Tomas Cubelli and Richard Kahui.
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“One club that needed strengthening and has done it is the Western Force,” said Drew Mitchell, a former Force star who will cover Super Rugby AU for Nine and Stan Sport.
“It went pretty quickly (the 2020 season) so they couldn’t get into the recruiting campaign too hard.
“They did well all things considered. And this offseason, they did what they needed to get some big signings, but also to retain some players they needed.
“You have your Tevita Kuridranis and Tom Robertsons, but also Rob Kearney who is from Ireland. Just the experience he will bring and the excitement he will have of wanting to come out and experience Super Rugby is huge.
“The players will feed off of that and the career he has had and will continue to have is something that a lot of young players can learn from. I think they have been very successful.”
But Morgan Turinui – another ex-Wallaby who now calls the game for Nine and Stan Sport – said there was a “clear margin” between the Brumbies and Queensland Reds and the rest of the competition.
He said the rock-solid Brumbies deserve to be favorites, but wouldn’t be surprised if the Reds take the final step of their upward trajectory.
“The final two weeks of AU Super Rugby last year may have marked a slight change of guard in Australian rugby,” Turinui told Wide World of Sports.
“I always hesitate to speak out about the Brumbies because they just produce players who are well trained and ready to play. Any team that has (coaches) Laurie Fisher and Dan McKellar does a great job. These guys give you confidence the Brumbies will be around.
“But there’s just something about the Reds, spiraling upward, another year after playing test soccer for the (Harry) Wilsons and guys like that, it’s going to get better and better, exponentially, playing a lot together. Spending a lot of time together will be great for them to be just too good for everyone. “
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Meanwhile, Wallabies great Tim Horan agrees the Brumbies and Reds are clearly the teams to beat.
The NSW Waratahs are in the rebuilding phase under Rob Penney and do not have Michael Hooper.
And Melbourne’s rebels are often flatter to fool.
“You know exactly what you’re going to get with the Brumbies,” Horan told Wide World of Sports.
“They probably still have to turn things around a bit more, but Dan McKellar knows that.
“He’s probably the best coach we have in the lineup of Super Rugby right now.
“But I think the Reds this year, they took a good step last year, they came very close to winning this final, but I think this year you really have to give up.”
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