James Stannard’s punt on his rugby skills has paid off and he hopes Western Force coach Richard Graham will again roll the dice with him against the Queensland Reds.
The unheralded sevens specialist, recruited by Graham as a halfback, has been a revelation as a stop-gap five-eighth and is now licking his lips about taking on Wallabies No.10 Quade Cooper on Saturday night.
The Force are expected to have Kiwi import Willie Ripia and star utility both back available from injuries but Stannard’s set for a third straight start on the back of his effort in New Zealand against the Hurricanes and Highlanders.
He’s desperate for the chance also after coming off the bench to play halfback in round one when Queensland stole a 21-20 win at the death at Suncorp Stadium.
“We owe them one,” the 28-year-old told AAP. “I’d love to play (Cooper) and have a crack at him – you never know what he’s going to do
“He’s the benchmark in Australia and you want to play against the best.”
A Brisbane boilermaker, Stannard left his home club Souths in 2007 and paid his way west to try his luck in Perth in the hope of a contract with the newly-established Force.
He managed to break into the squad in 2008 and played 10 matches at halfback but opportunities dried up in the seasons that followed and last year he managed a total of just four minutes on the field for the Brumbies.
It was only through his starring efforts with the Australian sevens team, helping Michael O’Connor’s men to a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, that grabbed Graham’s attention and earned him a return to Perth.
“I liked the sevens and I was thinking geez I could do this for the time being and if anything comes up it comes up – I was more focused on the sevens,” Stannard said.
While Ripia will struggle to regain his starting spot and there’s concerns over fullback Cameron Shepherd (hamstring), halfback Brett Sheehan and inside centre O’Connor are both fit and likely to slot straight back in at No.9 and No.12.
Terry Kidd
Guest
Mate, O'Connor has not said a word, the media alone have said plenty and the reason that nothing has been announced is that he has yet to sign an ARU contract which must come first, before the franchise contract.
Buddha
Guest
Western Force now have to playmakers, Stannard and O'Connor. I wonder if O'Connor is going to play more like a crash ball inside centre. I am ten years old.
Nashi
Guest
That is actually starting to look like a pretty good backline. Pity Shepherd won't be there..... Delitt looks pretty robust at 13, not sure who they have available for 15 though.
soapit
Guest
its just a shame he got in so late in the season. with the force losing so many tight ones he really could have made the difference. being a bit older probably helps his maturity in play as well. a good advertisement for the benefits of just playing more rugby. maybe not as naturally gifted as others but looks to be quality super rugby level player due to experience.
Gary Russell-Sharam
Guest
Great to see James Stannard do well, I have long been a admirer of him and have followed his progress since he started with the Force back in 2008. I always wondered why they didn't keep him and nurture him. He has a good pass and has now developed into a good reader of the game. They should stay with him and give him the chance that he deserves. With O'Connor at 12 they will be hard to contain against the Reds on Saturday. If Shepard is injured Ripia could slot back there most flyhalfs can play fullback. It certainly shapes as a tough game for the Reds. This is shades of last season with the Reds faltering due to injury at the same time last season. I just hope they can scrape through for a narrow win.
Happy Hooker
Guest
Firepower! Love it Capital!
Frustrated
Guest
Leave combination as in last 2 games. Joc should warm the bench- his behaviour over where he is going hasn't helped his team mates and it is a strong case why the ARU should do something about all players contracts so that they don't arise during the season and bugger up the team they are playing with,
Capital
Roar Guru
Not enough coffee :) Thanks
Harry
Guest
As a reds fan I hope the Force don't pick Stannard this weekend! As an Australian rugby suporter and supporting the Force as my 2nd team, its been great to see him emerge as a running, linking 10 in the last two matches and I hope he can go on with it. One point - Stannard's play shows the strength of the sevens system in developing players - one of the many things we did wrong in the mid noughties was Australia under-invested/didn't take seriously the global 7's circuit. The last three years, with Michael O'Conner coaching, have seen improvement with the odd tournament win and a host of players improving and developing.
stu
Guest
Capital - your 13 capital plays for the rebels i'd keep swanepoel over sheehan i.e. 9 - swanepoel 10 - stannard 11 - smith 12 - o'connnor 13 - delitt 14 - cummins 15 - shepherd Sidey and Inman to the bench -
Capital
Roar Guru
You would have to be crazy not to include him - Shirley? The guy has added another cog to the defensive line, and in attack he is dangerous - sniping and running lines in broken play. He also adds a new dimension to JOC, as it gives the Force two distributors when both are fit. And with Gerrard at 13, Shepherd at 15, the Force have the firepower (sorry :), no they don't) to actually fire in the backline with being targeted. He has been one of the standouts for me in the latter half of the year, and the Force benefits from his decision making at 10.