The Western Force want to become Super Rugby’s party poopers, and they’ve set their sights on derailing the Waratahs’ finals hopes.
The Force are in danger of collecting their second wooden spoon following a demoralising 10-match losing run that has left them rooted to the bottom of the table.
In contrast, the Waratahs are in pole position to top the Australian conference following a three-match winning run.
The Force’s only win this year came in round one, when they secured a four-try bonus point in a shock 25-13 triumph over the Waratahs in Sydney.
NSW are desperate to avenge that loss in Saturday night’s re-match in Perth.
But the Force would love nothing more than to put a major dent in the Waratahs’ title defence.
“Putting pressure on other teams and making them slip up is what our goal is,” Force skipper Matt Hodgson said on Tuesday.
“That’s our role in the competition now that finals are out of reach.
“And we want to finish strongly, because we saw in 2013 when we finished with some momentum, it rolled into 2014.”
Hodgson said the round-one win over the Waratahs had given the Force a blueprint of how to go about beating the Australian powerhouse.
“It was all about aggression and attitude. We took it to the Waratahs and they didn’t like it,” Hodgson said.
“We look at them as the No.1 team in the competition. They’re going to come at us to get a win, and we are going to come at them as well.”
Force scrumhalf Alby Mathewson (knee) and lock Adam Coleman (shoulder) are a chance to return from injury, but Sam Wykes (foot) remains sidelined.
The Waratahs are sweating on the fitness of Wallabies hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau, who was concussed early in last week’s 13-10 win over the Brumbies in Canberra.
The Force’s 10-match losing run is the worst in their history, but Hodgson said it wasn’t consuming the player group’s thoughts.
“Obviously it’s disappointing to get a run like that. But if you stop and think about it, you’re going to waste time and effort,” Hodgson said.
“So we’re focusing on us and what we can control.
“It’s frustrating. You can see all the effort and the work going in. It’s just lapses that are costing us dearly.”
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