Force insist new low won't see players jump ship
The Western Force believe they can retain their five Wallabies in the face of a failing season that plunged to another low on Saturday night when they were taken apart in a 31-3 loss to the NSW Waratahs.
Force chief executive Vern Reid said the current campaign, which has produced just one victory from seven matches, wouldn't prompt Nathan Sharpe, James O'Connor, Ben McCalman, Matt Hodgson and Pek Cowan to leave at the end of the season.
Nor does he believe it will be a stumbling block to the club attracting new players.
The Brumbies and Rebels have targeted O'Connor, who is out of contract at the end of the season, and the Rebels have also shown interest in McCalman.
"I don't think players are going to run away on the back of a couple of bad results," Reid said.
"Results like Saturday night don't help but in the scheme of things there are bigger issues at stake.
"There are two reasons why players sign or move on. One is for the opportunities a club can offer and the other is if they see a franchise will be a success.
"We've always offered opportunities, now we have to demonstrate opportunities for success. We've got to make sure our solution comes from within."
The Force's vaunted early-season aggressive defence was almost non-existent as the Waratahs throttled, stretched and then fractured the Force line.
The Tahs had the ascendancy in scrum and line-out, setting the platform for an overwhelming 63 per cent of possession that put the often-disorganised Force under so much pressure they had to make 116 tackles compared with 59 by the visitors.
And they slipped off 25 of those collisions.
Force coach Richard Graham could only be forthright.
"Outclassed right across the field, to be honest," Graham said. "In terms of the sting in our defence, we lacked the sting that we have had."
He may have to rethink his strategy of playing O'Connor at full-back, where his attacking presence was nullified on Saturday.
O'Connor had few attacking options but on the couple of occasions when he did get his hands on the ball in space, he produced moments of brilliance.
He may be brought closer to the action against the Brumbies in Canberra on Sunday, but that could mean the consistent Gene Fairbanks loses the No.12 jumper.
"Regardless of how many times he (O'Connor) touched the ball, we probably didn't value possession for long enough periods of play to actually get anyone involved in the game," Graham said.
He was pleased that playmaker Willie Ripia, who had a solid if not spectacular debut behind a retreating pack, had lasted 80 minutes.
Full-back Cameron Shepherd faces a fitness test before the Canberra clash.
He landed on his head after his legs were taken out from under him by John Ulugia.
