Force could play rivals in the west

RUGBY UNION:

Western Force coach Tim Sampson hopes his team will be playing in Perth by late July but he needs the WA government to come to the party.

The full draw of Australia’s new domestic rugby competition was released yesterday, with the Force to begin their campaign in Round 2 against the Waratahs in Sydney on July 11.

It was initially thought the Force would have to play all eight of their regular-season games in the eastern states due to WA’s tough border-closure stance. But Rugby Australia hopes a deal can be done where

REDS V WARATAHS

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Friday, July 3, 7.05pm

BRUMBIES V REBELS

GIO Stadium, Canberra, Saturday, July 4, 7.15pm Western Force Bye the Force can host at least some – and possibly all – of their home games at HBF Park in Perth. For that to happen, WA would need to relax their mandatory 14-day quarantine period for sporting teams entering the state.

The Force have been tentatively scheduled to play in Perth in rounds five (Rebels), seven (Waratahs) and eight (Reds).

Their Round 4 match against the Brumbies on July 25 could also be played in Perth, given the Force has been slated as the home team and no venue has yet been allocated.

“It’s out of our hands, but it would be nice to get back-toback home games. Four in a row would be great here in Perth,” Sampson said.

The Force were booted out of Super Rugby in 2017 but billionaire Andrew Forrest saved them from extinction by launching Global Rapid Rugby.