Force must evolve this season
The 2015 Super Rugby season, the Western Force's 10th anniversary year, looms as a huge tactical challenge for the resurgent club and coach Michael Foley.
They were the surprise packets last year, but rocketing from the basement to falling just short of a maiden finals series was of little consolation. Now they must evolve if they are going to make a bigger impact.
There would have been some satisfaction in proving wrong those who had written them off after they lost their first two games in 2014.
The largely unheralded side was tireless in the tackle and relentless at the breakdown.
The team's style was often criticised in some quarters but, largely, it worked.
Their tactics will again be centred on defence, coupled with a kicking game that calls for patience, waiting for opponents' mistakes, but Foley knows identical systems will not work again.
Opposition coaches will have spent plenty of time analysing the Force, devising their own plans to beat their system.
Foley needs to find a balance that sets the same defensive wall, but also produces more tries and brings the elusive bonus points, in both defence and attack, that had them on the cusp of the finals.
"You can't stand still. This year if we are just doing the same things we did last year then we will go backwards," Foley said.
"While our attack improved last year, for us to become a finalist, we have to go further … strategically manipulate defences and break them down.
"That's not radically innovative because you are working from the knowledge you already have, but if we are going to unpick some of the best defences in the competition we can't just play rugby by numbers.
"We can't have a couple of hit-ups and then hope it's going to work out. We can do more with the ball in hand.
"The way we are going to attack this year requires 15 players to look up and to actually contribute to the attacking game.
"It relies a lot less on the nine and 10 being singularly responsible for the decision making in attack.
"Every time we use the ball there needs to be an understanding … in the ball carriers' mind how he can create problems and in the support players who work off him.
"Ultimately we know we've got to score more tries."
Foley has lost seven players, notably prop Kieran Longbottom, but he has retained the core of his key personnel and did not dive headlong into the player market with a fistful of dollars.
The loss of inspirational captain Matt Hodgson with a serious hamstring injury is a big blow, but Foley has a settled squad and there were no distractions once the Nick Cummins U-turn deal from Japan was done.
His biggest signing has been Steve Mafi from English heavyweights Leicester Tigers. He can move from the second row to the back row but Mafi and company will need to show the forward mongrel Hugh McMeniman brought to the side last year.
Foley needs to get more game time out of Wallaby-in-waiting Kyle Godwin, whose 2014 season was cut short by injury.
If Godwin can control the midfield with partner Junior Rasolea it will release the firepower that Foley has in his back three and produce the extra tries.
The 2015 season will be a 16-game sprint without the traditional three-week break for incoming Test tours because of the World Cup.
The Force have a tough opening schedule. Their first three games - against the Waratahs (away), Reds (away) and Hurricanes (home) - come in the space of just 12 days with only a six-day turnaround between each. They also play five of their first seven games on the road, including two in South Africa.
If they are to challenge for a finals spot the Force must win their two home games and pick up at least another two on the road in that first block.
"While our attack improved last year, for us to become a finalist, we have to go further …""Western Force coach *Michael Foley *
