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The Western Force face the Melbourne Rebels in a clash that will make or break their finals aspirations. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from 7:40pm (AEST).
The Force are coming off a confidence-building win against the Waratahs last week at home, cementing their place among the wildcard teams. An impressive run of form has seen the Force defeat the Waratahs, Reds, Chiefs, Highlanders and tonight’s opponents the Rebels, proving they can match it with the best in Super Rugby and are genuine title contenders.
But with the Crusaders finding some form they will want a win tonight to ensure they stay in control of their finals hunt.
Ben McCalman has been a revelation for the Force this year and he will be hoping to continue his great form when he comes up against Wallaby back rower Scott Higginbotham.
Nick Cummins was also impressive when he joined the exclusive club of Western Force players to score a hat trick in Super Rugby. In the words of the Honey Badger, he will be “keen for some meat” this week.
The Force won’t have it all their own way though. The Rebels were competitive against the Chiefs last week but, as was the case the week before against the Highlanders, it wasn’t enough to get the victory. They are now last in the Australian conference and stuck with the third-worst record in Super Rugby in 2014, ahead of only the Cheetahs and Stormers.
However the Rebels will gain some confidence from their return to AAMI Park, where they have won two of their three games played there this season. One of those two victories was over the Australian conference-leading Brumbies. The Rebels were competitive when they suffered their only loss at home, to the Crusaders in Round 5.
They may be without Scott Fuglistaller, who has been one of the Rebel’s best this season, as he is battling shoulder soreness. If he is unavailable, first-season flanker Sean McMahon will almost certainly be slotted in to start, alongside Colby Fainga’a and Scott Higginbotham.
Recent matches between the two sides have been close encounters, despite the blow-out earlier in the season where the Force won 32-7 at NIB stadium.
Prior to that match, the largest winning margin between the two sides was seven points, which was completed by the Rebels in the last two matches the sides played. Before those two matches, the Rebels won the prior two match-ups by just one point.
With that said this is a different Force side to previous years and I can see them adding to their two wins from their seven matches against the Rebels, especially as there is more at stake for them in this match.
Prediction
Being in good form and needing a win to continue their hunt for their first finals berth, I’m going to tip the Force to win a tight one away from home.
Force by 7.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.