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Force not fazed by Sharks snub

27th March, 2015
6

Western Force coach Michael Foley says the Sharks’ decision to rest a host of their best players this weekend shouldn’t be viewed as a slap in the face for his side.

Star Springboks trio Cobus Reinach, Marcell Coetzee, and Pat Lambie have all been given the week off, while captain Bismarck du Plessis is suspended after kicking an opponent in the face.

Under an agreement with the South African Rugby Union, all Springboks players must be rested at some point during the Super Rugby season in order to keep them fresh for the World Cup.

But Foley doesn’t feel aggrieved that the Sharks chose Saturday night’s match against the Force in Durban to implement the restings.

“If we are going to be motivated by those external things, there’s a problem for us,” Foley said.

“Anything that potentially dilutes the focus (of how we want to play) is dangerous for us.

“We’re a relatively young team, and we’re certainly here to win.

“We’ve got to stay focused on the things we can control, and not let any of that type of thing cloud our view and focus.”

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Foley said the fifth-placed Sharks remained a formidable outfit even without some of their first-choice players.

“They’ve replaced Pat Lambie with with Francois Steyn at flyhalf,” Foley said.

“They haven’t gone searching for a local club gem to put in there ahead of Lambie.

“The South African teams have incredible depth.

“When you look at their team on paper, you’d be silly to think that it’s going to be anything other than a big challenge for us.”

Steyn was initially cleared of dangerous player against Chiefs five-eighth Aaron Cruden, but SANZAR have appealed the decision.

The appeal was scheduled to be heard on Friday, but has now been moved to next Tuesday, freeing Steyn to play against the Force.

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The Force’s finals hopes hang in the balance following a five-match losing run.

But Foley was heartened by the team’s performance against the Bulls in Pretoria last week, when the Force ran in three tries to one before losing 25-24 to a last-minute penalty.

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