VENUE & TIME: Members Equity Stadium, Perth, Saturday March 20, 10.10pm (AEDT).
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 4 – Waratahs 2, Force 1, Draw 1.
LAST TIME: April 18, 2009 (Sydney) – Force 15-14 Waratahs (round 10).
LAST TIME AT VENUE: April 12, 2008 (Perth) – Waratahs 17-12 Force (round 9).
Match Odds: Luxbet: Force: $4.85, Waratahs: $1.18
WALKING WOUNDED: Chris Hickey has named an unchanged 22 for the third straight week as the Waratahs look to continue their climb up the ladder. There is some concern over No.8 Wycliff Palu and veteran prop Al Baxter (calf) but both are expected to take their places in the starting line-up. The Force are still without the services of flanker David Pocock (finger), No.8 Richard Brown (shoulder) and winger Cameron Shepherd (quad) after the Wallabies trio all suffered injuries in the opening round of the campaign.
FORM:
Waratahs Past Five:
Week 5: Win, 73-12 v Lions, Sydney
Week 4: Win, 25-21 v Sharks, Sydney
Week 3: Loss, 48-38 v Bulls, Pretoria
Week2: Loss, 27-6 v Stormers, Cape Town
Week 1: Win, 30-28 v Reds, Brisbane
Force Past Five:
Week 5: Loss, 50-10 v Reds, Brisbane
Week 3: Loss, 37-19 v Chiefs, Perth
Week2: Loss, 47-22 v Hurricanes, Wellington
Week 1: Loss, 24-15 v Brumbies, Perth
Week 14: Win, 33-28 v Highlanders, Perth
Having been booed by their own fans the previous week on the way to a narrow win over the Sharks, the Waratahs took their frustrations out on the hapless Lions with an 11-tries-to-two shellacking in perfect conditions at the SFS. The resounding win lifted Chris Hickey's men into seventh spot on the standings, two points adrift of the top four. While it must be remembered that it was the second time this season that the Lions conceded 70-plus points, the win leaves the Waratahs well placed with home fixtures against the Blues and Cheetahs' to follow this weekend's clash against the men from the west. The Force simply can't play any worse than they did in the first half against the Reds - or can they? Fresh from the bye week, John Mitchell's men hardly looked like a side that had enjoyed the benefit of a fortnight to prepare to face the banana benders, as they stumbled and fumbled their way to a 36-3 deficit at the break. Sure, they are severely undermanned and down on confidence, but at least they had a crack in their previous three losses. To their credit, they did stem the flow of points in the second forty which shows there is still some fight left, but it's hard to see a way out for the Force who are absolute certainties to claim the wooden spoon in 2010.
WHO'S HOT: Drew Mitchell enjoyed his best game in Waratahs colours against the Lions, scoring a record four tries to claim man-of-the-match honours in just his fifth appearance for NSW since moving on from the Force in the off-season. Lock Dean Mumm continued his impressive form from the Sharks game with a dominant display in his side's romp over the hapless Lions, while skipper Phil Waugh was as lively as ever in his 119th appearance for his home state. While you could make a case for including every Waratahs player in this category, it would be a stretch to include any members of the bottom-placed Force line-up after a woeful showing against the Reds.
WE THINK: Based on form there is absolutely no way the Force can turn things around and beat the Waratahs this weekend - but logic and commonsense should never enter the equation when tipping an all-Australian derby. The Force, who are staring down the barrel of a whitewash against the Australian provinces this season, were embarrassed by their performance against the Reds, and the Waratahs are understandably on high alert ahead of Saturday's clash. But with several key players still missing from the hosts' line-up, the visitors should be far too strong in the end. Waratahs by 15.
TEAMS:
Waratahs: 15. Sosene Anesi, 14. Lachie Turner, 13. Tom Carter, 12. Berrick Barnes, 11. Drew Mitchell, 10. Daniel Halangahu, 9. Luke Burgess, 8. Wycliff Palu, 7. Phil Waugh (c), 6. Dave Dennis, 5. Kane Douglas, 4. Dean Mumm, 3. Al Baxter, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1. Benn Robinson.
Reserves: 16. Damien Fitzpatrick, 17. Sekope Kepu, 18. Will Caldwell, 19. Ben Mowen, 20. Josh Holmes, 21. Kurtley Beale, 22. Rob Horne.
Force: TBC
REFEREE: Jaco Peyper