But S Africa waits
After the Force had their future thrown into doubt a fortnight ago, captain Matt Hodgson put an emotional face on his side’s fate, breaking down in a press conference and issuing a plea for the franchise to remain in Super Rugby. And on Saturday, in the Force’s first action since, Hodgson turned that sentiment into a fiery display against the Chiefs. Expected to finish a distant second, Hodgson’s fight and first-half try instead carried the Force to the verge of an epic upset. The skipper led his team with 48 metres, eight tackles and two turnovers won, again showing there’s at least one person who truly cares about rugby in Perth. field. No one feels they have their position as of right and everyone is desperate to hold on to their jersey.
First-five Richie Mo’unga, who played the first match of the season and was forced to sit out the next six due to a hand injury, made his return against the Sunwolves a week earlier, but the form of replacement Mitch Hunt meant he wasn’t sure of his selection status for the Stormers game. “I knew that when I came back and had my chance I had to nail it,” he said. “I was nervous actually and What do you get when you add 18 points, 36 turnovers and 25 penalties? The worst game of the season, that’s what. The Sharks and Rebels spent 80 interminable minutes in Durban showing they should be the teams who see the Super Rugby axe, playing out a 9-9 draw for the ages. It was almost impressive how the teams failed to manage a try between them, given the Sharks played 63 minutes with 14 men and the Rebels received two yellow cards and a late red of their own. But despite the reduction in defenders, the only points came from the boots of Curwin Bosch and Reece Hodge. More like Stupor Rugby. I’m nervous every week because that’s the competition we have in the No 10 jersey every week.
“And Marty [McKenzie] has been doing an awesome job coming off the bench. It’s healthy competition and that’s good for the team. You don’t just look at the 10 jersey, you look at the locks, at the props and our midfield, how competitive it is there. Our wings are doing an awesome job, too.
“That’s what’s driving this team, no one’s slacking off or taking it easy because you can’t.”