After spending the summer annoying his teammates, Western Force flanker Richard Brown will be aiming to get under the skin of his opponents when he makes his return in Friday night’s Super Rugby clash with the Hurricanes in Perth.
Brown’s World Cup dream was shattered at the tail-end of last season when he was forced to undergo full reconstructions on each of his troublesome shoulders.
More than eight months without a Super Rugby match has made the 27-year-old a little stir-crazy, and skipper David Pocock believes the Force will yield the benefits as Brown attempts to re-establish himself as one of the country’s best flankers.
“Over the past two years, he has been carrying shoulder injuries and I think that’s definitely hindered his performance,” Pocock said of the 23-Test Wallaby.
“He hasn’t been able to play at 100 per cent all the time, so it’s going to be great to have him fresh and ready to go.
“He’s pretty motivated.
“He’s been a pest at training over the past couple of weeks, so hopefully this gives him a bit of an outlet for that energy.”
Along with Brown, the winless Force will be further boosted by the return of fullback Cameron Shepherd.
And with former skipper Nathan Sharpe lining up for a record-breaking 150th Super Rugby game, motivation certainly won’t be lacking at the Force.
Sharpe is always reluctant to talk up his personal achievements, but Pocock said the team were determined to mark the occasion with a win.
“There were probably a lot of blokes in diapers when he hit his 50 and 100, so it’s pretty special,” Pocock said.
“Sharpey’s the kind of guy who wouldn’t want any of his personal achievements to detract from team performance, so we’ll do it in a way that honours him but doesn’t detract from our performance.”
Coincidentally, the match will be played five years to the day of the Force’s historic 18-17 win over the Hurricanes in Perth.
In that game, Shepherd scored a late try and nailed the sideline conversion after the siren to seal the Force’s first win at Subiaco Oval.
Both Shepherd and the Force will be hoping history repeats itself on Friday night, but the Hurricanes have other ideas after posting a confidence-boosting 30-28 win over the Lions in South Africa last week.
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.
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