Latest news with #JeremyWilliams
West Australian
13-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force captain Jeremy Williams says team eager to respond after Brumbies loss
Western Force captain Jeremy Williams says his side need no motivation to haul themselves off the canvas and fight for their finals fate against Fijian Drua on Saturday. Needing to win their final two games of the season, collect a couple of bonus points in the process and hope other results go their way, the Force have arrived in Fiji knowing their Super Rugby Pacific top six hopes are fading. Saturday night's draining 33-14 loss to the Brumbies at HBF Park left the Force with a mountain to climb to secure a historic finals berth. Players looked devastated at the game's conclusion, but Williams said he and his teammates were ready to right the wrongs against the Drua. 'We're obviously quite disappointed but we've got to stay level and bring ourselves back to neutral,' he said. 'Whether you win or you get a loss, you've got to reset and go again on Monday, so while we're disappointed, we got some good fixes that we can take out there and get better on during the week, and then go perform come Saturday. 'We've got a pretty energetic group, and it doesn't take much to motivate the boys.' The Force made a staggering 311 tackles to just 85 against the Brumbies, and Williams himself recorded 32 without a single miss — two shy of teammate Carlo Tizzano's season-high for a single game. But the Wallabies lock said while they were proud of the defensive effort, they had been forced to make so many tackles because they kept turning the ball over and surrendering possession to the Brumbies too easily. 'A lot of the things that went wrong in the Brumbies game are things that we can fix and control around our discipline and holding possession,' Williams said. 'We don't want to be making that many tackles in a rugby game and making it hard on ourselves. We've got to be able to hold the ball for long periods of play and make them tackle. If we can do that, and let our backs strike out wide and do a lot of the work, that'll be a positive thing for us. 'For us, it's all about securing the breakdown, making sure that we've got good ball placement, good cleaners, our ruck arrivals are good so we can give the backs good platforms to attack on.' Now in his second season as captain, Williams is set to play his 50th Super Rugby Pacific game against the Drua. After extending his contract with the Force until 2027, the former Waratah said he had grown to love Perth. 'This is my third year, and I absolutely love the club, I love the city as a whole. It's a place I call home now,' he said.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Force-ful boost as Beale returns for Super finals push
Kurtley Beale will start at fullback for the Western Force in the 36-year-old's injury comeback as the Perth squad plots an Auckland upset. The 95-Test Wallabies talent was on the cusp of an international recall when he hurt his achilles playing club rugby in Sydney last June. Ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour, he'll put himself back on the radar for what would be a remarkable Test return when the Force look to hold on to a top-six spot against the battling Blues at Eden Park on Friday. The Blues (17 points), last year's runaway Super Rugby Pacific champions, are ninth with a 3-7 record. But they would draw level on points with the Force (4-1-5) with a bonus-point win in round 12 at their traditional fortress. Force skipper Jeremy Williams is also back at lock, while cagey halfback Nic White will come off the bench after missing last week's loss to the Chiefs with concussion. The Waratahs, sitting in seventh place, have also reloaded for their clutch contest against the ACT Brumbies. Captain and halfback Jake Gordon will start in his comeback from a knee injury suffered in round two. Props Angus Bell and Taniela Tupou, as well as flanker Rob Leota are back from an enforced rest, while Langi Gleeson will wear the No.8. The Waratahs can do their own finals hopes wonders, and strike a blow to the Brumbies' chances of a top-four finish, with a victory in Canberra on Saturday. "It's a big boost for the group to get our captain and leader back, especially in a big game like this," Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said. "They (Tupou, Bell and Leota) have freshened up and they've been bouncing around the building this week. "They're keen and excited to get back on the field and contribute." Rory Scott swaps in for Luke Reimer at flanker in the Brumbies' only change to the starting side that was upset by the Hurricanes. The Reds will attempt to strike the right balance in Suva, with key trio Tom Lynagh, Josh Canham and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto all named on the bench to face the Fijian Drua. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips will start in the No.10 instead of Lynagh, while Ryan Smith and Angus Blyth will be the starting locks. George Blake, injured when coming on at hooker last weekend, joined Josh Nasser and Matt Faessler on the sidelines to offer Max Craig a potential Super Rugby debut off the bench. The Reds are fourth and have away games against the Drua, Waratahs and Brumbies in coming weeks.
West Australian
30-04-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Force-ful boost as Beale returns for Super finals push
Kurtley Beale will start at fullback for the Western Force in the 36-year-old's injury comeback as the Perth squad plots an Auckland upset. The 95-Test Wallabies talent was on the cusp of an international recall when he hurt his achilles playing club rugby in Sydney last June. Ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour, he'll put himself back on the radar for what would be a remarkable Test return when the Force look to hold on to a top-six spot against the battling Blues at Eden Park on Friday. The Blues (17 points), last year's runaway Super Rugby Pacific champions, are ninth with a 3-7 record. But they would draw level on points with the Force (4-1-5) with a bonus-point win in round 12 at their traditional fortress. Force skipper Jeremy Williams is also back at lock, while cagey halfback Nic White will come off the bench after missing last week's loss to the Chiefs with concussion. The Waratahs, sitting in seventh place, have also reloaded for their clutch contest against the ACT Brumbies. Captain and halfback Jake Gordon will start in his comeback from a knee injury suffered in round two. Props Angus Bell and Taniela Tupou, as well as flanker Rob Leota are back from an enforced rest, while Langi Gleeson will wear the No.8. The Waratahs can do their own finals hopes wonders, and strike a blow to the Brumbies' chances of a top-four finish, with a victory in Canberra on Saturday. "It's a big boost for the group to get our captain and leader back, especially in a big game like this," Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said. "They (Tupou, Bell and Leota) have freshened up and they've been bouncing around the building this week."They're keen and excited to get back on the field and contribute." Rory Scott swaps in for Luke Reimer at flanker in the Brumbies' only change to the starting side that was upset by the Hurricanes. The Reds will attempt to strike the right balance in Suva, with key trio Tom Lynagh, Josh Canham and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto all named on the bench to face the Fijian Drua. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips will start in the No.10 instead of Lynagh, while Ryan Smith and Angus Blyth will be the starting locks. George Blake, injured when coming on at hooker last weekend, joined Josh Nasser and Matt Faessler on the sidelines to offer Max Craig a potential Super Rugby debut off the bench. The Reds are fourth and have away games against the Drua, Waratahs and Brumbies in coming weeks.
Perth Now
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Force-ful boost as Beale returns for Super finals push
Kurtley Beale will start at fullback for the Western Force in the 36-year-old's injury comeback as the Perth squad plots an Auckland upset. The 95-Test Wallabies talent was on the cusp of an international recall when he hurt his achilles playing club rugby in Sydney last June. Ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour, he'll put himself back on the radar for what would be a remarkable Test return when the Force look to hold on to a top-six spot against the battling Blues at Eden Park on Friday. The Blues (17 points), last year's runaway Super Rugby Pacific champions, are ninth with a 3-7 record. But they would draw level on points with the Force (4-1-5) with a bonus-point win in round 12 at their traditional fortress. Force skipper Jeremy Williams is also back at lock, while cagey halfback Nic White will come off the bench after missing last week's loss to the Chiefs with concussion. The Waratahs, sitting in seventh place, have also reloaded for their clutch contest against the ACT Brumbies. Captain and halfback Jake Gordon will start in his comeback from a knee injury suffered in round two. Props Angus Bell and Taniela Tupou, as well as flanker Rob Leota are back from an enforced rest, while Langi Gleeson will wear the No.8. The Waratahs can do their own finals hopes wonders, and strike a blow to the Brumbies' chances of a top-four finish, with a victory in Canberra on Saturday. "It's a big boost for the group to get our captain and leader back, especially in a big game like this," Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said. "They (Tupou, Bell and Leota) have freshened up and they've been bouncing around the building this week."They're keen and excited to get back on the field and contribute." Rory Scott swaps in for Luke Reimer at flanker in the Brumbies' only change to the starting side that was upset by the Hurricanes. The Reds will attempt to strike the right balance in Suva, with key trio Tom Lynagh, Josh Canham and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto all named on the bench to face the Fijian Drua. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips will start in the No.10 instead of Lynagh, while Ryan Smith and Angus Blyth will be the starting locks. George Blake, injured when coming on at hooker last weekend, joined Josh Nasser and Matt Faessler on the sidelines to offer Max Craig a potential Super Rugby debut off the bench. The Reds are fourth and have away games against the Drua, Waratahs and Brumbies in coming weeks.
West Australian
25-04-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Chiefs brush off bizarre blunder to put away Force
The Chiefs have brushed aside an embarrassing defensive lapse to shrug off the Western Force and ensure they maintain the Super Rugby Pacific pace. Their 56-22 bonus point Anzac Day win, in their first visit to Tauranga's Blake Park in 12 years, shot the ladder-leaders (8-2) clear with five rounds to play before the finals. Stung by the late loss of skipper Jeremy Williams, the Force (4-1-5) came armed with a few tricks but their injury-hit squad couldn't maintain the pace. "We had good moments there but the 50-50s and spark from the chiefs, they're very dangerous when they get some loose ball and it's hard to defend," stand-in Force captain Sam Carter said. "We wanted to come over here and hunt together ... and we saw some brilliance. "But you've got to put it together for 80 minutes." The Chiefs led 25-15 after 40 frenetic minutes, overcoming an embarrassing early gaffe to go ahead thanks to a head-scratching moment of their own. The Force led 12-10 when flyhalf Ben Donaldson's quick restart from a Chiefs try caught the hosts napping. Winger Harry Potter flew past a host of snoozing Chiefs, who were still walking back to their marks, to score a bizarre heads-up try. A yellow card for Force centre Sio Tomkinson, who clipped Shaun Stevenson high with his shoulder, slowed the visitors though. Prop Samisoni Taukei'aho stormed over for a try in his 100th game to put the Chiefs back in front before the sides traded penalties. The madcap half was complete when Chiefs No.7 Kaylum Boshie was awarded a try, but only after it had been disallowed and the Force went 100 metres the other way to almost score themselves. Play was eventually halted to confirm and explain the initial result, but further replays prompted a closer look. Referee James Doleman then reversed his decision, returning to the other end of the field to award the try. Ollie Norris barged over three minutes into the second half to create a 17-point buffer that quickly swelled when halfback Cortez Ratima's support of Boshie earnt him a try. Potter scored again to keep the Force in it, grubbering ahead and calmly finishing in traffic. Stevenson put the foot down though in a scintillating first-phase strike from a scrum, with Ratima there again to finish the good work. Luke Jacobson's try then put the result beyond doubt with 12 minutes to play before Daniel Rona's effort helped them raise the bat for their half-century. All Blacks centre Anton Lienert-Brown failed to finish and had his arm in a sling-post in a potentially key blow for the title contenders.
