Force look for Godwin to lift
Western Force centre Kyle Godwin will be looking to produce the form that put him on the Wallabies radar in tonight's all-important Super Rugby clash with Australian conference leaders the Brumbies.
Godwin will be quietly going up against in-form bulldozing Brumbies midfielder Tevita Kuridrani in front of new Wallabies backs guru and Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham, while all the hype surrounds the return of Nick Cummins.
Force coach Michael Foley has selected the "Honey Badger" on the left wing for his first appearance since returning from Japan, pushing Marcel Brache to the right flank and Luke Morahan to full-back.
In other changes open-side flanker Chris Alcock returns from injury, Brynard Stander starts at No.6 and second-rower Wilhelm Steenkamp comes into the match-day squad for the first time to help combat the Brumbies' line-out threat.
Godwin has not been able to impress so far this year, getting too much ball with little time and space in a back-pedalling line.
Foley said the side needed momentum to give the young gun decent possession.
"Kyle is getting a lot of carries but he is getting the ball where the defence is strong. He is getting the ball on the back foot," Foley said.
"We are trying to get him the ball in a lot of different situations rather than using him as a battering ram. We need to give him better ball to play with, give him quality of opportunity.
"Opposition is generally more aware of Kyle now and we're looking to find more space for him.
"He plays at an amazing intensity. He busted his backside to get involved last week.
"He brings a lot of desire and even if we played him in the fourth row of the grandstand he'd still get touches."
Foley identified Kuridrani as one of the Brumbies' big threats.
The ACT side likes to kick from defence, but Foley expects it to attack from anywhere around the 60m mark using big ball carriers like Kuridrani.
"He is a very, very big player for them. We've looked at what we're doing in the centres as part of our preparation," Foley said.
"There's no question we've got to be good in that area."
·The Waratahs are anxiously trying to treat a rare and "perplexing" knee injury that has sidelined back-line ace Adam Ashley-Cooper indefinitely.
Ashley-Cooper was yesterday scratched from tomorrow night's derby with the Queensland Reds as a precaution, but Waratahs assistant coach Daryl Gibson admitted the 104-Test veteran may require surgery.
Gibson said Ashley-Cooper's right knee injury had medical staff flummoxed.
"It started as a Baker's cyst and then it exploded and it's developed into something that's got the medical people a bit stumped," Gibson said.
"There's very few of this injury and what it's developed into so it's very perplexing.
"The unknown is we don't know how it will react to rehab or to strenuous exercise so we want to be very cautious at this early stage."
FIXTURES
TODAY: Chiefs v Highlanders, Brumbies v Western Force
TOMORROW: Blues v Lions, Reds v Waratahs, Cheetahs v Bulls, Stormers v Sharks
- with AAP
