Lance pips Grant for Force No.10 jersey
Former Reds teammates Jono Lance and Ben Tapuai will both be in the starting XV at flyhalf and centre, while Jermaine Ainsley, Peter Grant and Semisi Masirewa are all set to come off the bench.
Force head coach Michael Foley says he has full confidence in the abilities of all five debutants and looks forward to seeing them in blue for the first time.
"It's an exciting time for those five players," he said. "They've all worked hard to earn their places in the match squad for Saturday."
"Round One is a great opportunity for every player in the team to put what we've practiced into action. From the beginning of our preparation, every player and staff member has committed to bravely chase the standards and style game of game we believe will bring us success and we’re all looking forward to our first step."
Matt Hodgson will lead the team for the fourth year in a row and pack down in the seven jersey alongside Brynard Stander who will be at blindside flank and Angus Cottrell will start at No.8 in the absence of Ben McCalman.
The front row will boast veteran Pek Cowan at loosehead, alongside hooker Nathan Charles, and young gun Guy Millar will start at tighthead for just the second time in his career.
The familiar pairing of Steve Mafi and Adam Coleman, will start in the second row and look to dominate at set piece.
In the backline, Lance will start at flyhalf for the first time for the Force, with Alby Mathewson on his inside. Kyle Godwin will start at 12, with Ben Tapuai debuting in the No,13 jersey in front of the Sea of Blue. While Marcel Brache, Luke Morahan and Dane Haylett-Petty will form the back three.
On the bench, Nedlands' Ainsley is in line to make his Super Rugby debut, along with former Stormers and Springboks flyhalf Peter Grant and New Zealand speedster Semisi Masirewa.
Western Force: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Ben Tapuai, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Marcel Brache, 10 Jono Lance, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Angus Cottrell, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Brynard Stander, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Steve Mafi, 3 Guy Millar, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pekahou Cowan.
Replacements: 16 Heath Tessmann, 17 Chris Heiberg, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Ross Haylett-Petty, 20 Chris Alcock, 21 Ian Prior, 22 Peter Grant, 23 Semisi Masirewa.
Date: Saturday, February 27
Venue: nib Stadium, Perth
Kick-off: 18.50 (21.50 AEDT; 10.50 GMT)
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Quinton Immelman (South Africa), Graham Cooper (Australia)
TMO: Damien Mitchelmore (Australia)
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