Fighting Force lift Brache
Western Force winger Marcel Brache believes the side has finally rediscovered the “mongrel” that pushed them to their best ever Super Rugby season last year.
They had struggled to break their long losing streak, which had stretched to 10 matches before Saturday night’s 18-11 win over the Waratahs where they strangled the visitors out of the game with a huge physical performance.
Brache, a late-call up for Dane Haylett-Petty (groin), had his best game for the club, particularly in defence where he pulled off a number of crucial tackles.
“There are moments in a game when you can let it slip or you can grab it by the scruff of the neck like we did last year,” Brache said.
“We had lacked character at times, which was very unlike us, and we’ve been trying to hone in on that mongrel attitude that won us a lot of games last year.
“We found that against the Waratahs.
“We’ve got to do it for the rest of the season because it’s important that we set ourselves up for the rest of the year.
Brache, who has an infectious attitude to the game, had to take on a couple of unusual roles on Saturday.
He took his first penalty for the club, which he missed, when Sias Ebersohn was off the ground having a concussion check and had to join the side of the scrum when captain Matt Hodgson was in the sin bin.
“To get the late call-up was a bit of mixed emotions with Dane pulling out but we’re 23 brothers out there and you work for your brother," Brache said.
“It’s being able to put your head into dark places in the tackle and hopefully come up and make the next one.
“When you see guys like Hodgo (Hodgson), Benny (McCalman) and Kyle (Godwin) doing it on a weekly basis you get inspired to back it up yourself.
“That’s exactly what we did, we did the business for each other.
“Going into the scrum was a bit of foreign territory for me but really helped me appreciate what the big boys up front are doing for us.”
Coach Michael Foley said Brache had an excellent game.
“He got an opportunity and he grabbed it. You’ve got to take you hat off to him. It came out of nowhere and dived at it,” Foley said.
“There’s no doubt he’s got an infectious attitude. He adds a lot of energy.”
Even after Saturday's final whistle a limping Brache had time for supporters, getting players to sign a ball for a young fan.
“If some clubs were going through the same situation as us, I don’t know if their fans and supporters would be as loyal as the Sea of Blue,” Brache said.
“Rain or shine, win or lose, they are always there and after the game want a chat. That’s all you want, a little bit of interaction and a little bit of love after the game.”
