Milestone man Nathan Sharpe retains high hopes of ending his Super Rugby career with a bang despite the Western Force’s stumbling start to the season.
Sharpe will become the first player to notch 150 Super caps when he lines up in Friday night’s home clash with the Hurricanes at nib Stadium.
Despite the groundbreaking achievement, it’s team success rather than individual accolades that is driving Sharpe, who is desperate to help the Force reach a maiden finals berth in his final year in the competition.
Losses to the Brumbies and Reds in the opening two rounds haven’t helped that cause.
But Sharpe insists it’s far too early to write off the Force, especially since their opening two matches were away from home.
“In this competition, you can catch up points very, very quickly,” Sharpe said on Tuesday.
“And whilst it’s not ideal to have those games dropped at the start of the year, your away games are traditionally always very hard.
“We’re intent on winning all our home games this year.
“If we can do that, that puts us in a really strong position.
“So in the scheme of the season, within two weeks, we could be back up around it.”
The Force could be bolstered by the return of fullback Cameron Shepherd, flanker Richard Brown and lock Sam Wykes against the Hurricanes, who posted a 30-28 win over the Lions in South Africa last week.
Sharpe said his 150-game milestone had crept up quickly on him, and would be something he cherished more once his playing career was over.
The 34-year-old cites the Force’s first game – a 25-10 loss to the Brumbies in Perth – and the franchise’s first home win – an 18-17 triumph over the Hurricanes in 2007 – as two of the more memorable moments of his career.
Sharpe said he was loving his time at the Force, and had no regrets about making the switch from Queensland, where he notched 70 caps and first established himself as one of the finest locks in the country.
“I’ve been very lucky to play with one of the proudest and oldest provinces in the world in Queensland and I loved my time there,” said Sharpe, who has also notched 101 Tests for the Wallabies in a glittering international career.
“But I’ve been also lucky to come to Perth.
“It’s a new culture evolving – it’s a new rugby town.
“I count myself very lucky to have experienced both.”
Although Sharpe handed over the captaincy to David Pocock at the start of this season, the 200cm lock is a revered figure and still retains a strong leadership role at the Force.
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