The Highlanders player the Force fears most

INTERVIEW: The Western Force will look to end a seven-year drought against New Zealand opposition when they face the Highlanders in a Trans-Tasman Round Two encounter in Perth on Friday.

The Force has just 12 wins and three draws from 55 encounters with Kiwi opposition – the last victory coming in March 2014, when they edged the Chiefs 18-15 in Perth.

With plenty of positives taken from their season opener against the Chiefs last week, coach Tim Sampson has outlined key areas for the squad to focus on to nullify the Highlanders’ strengths.

“Like all New Zealand teams, the Highlanders are threatening when you give them a lot of time and space. If you turn over the ball cheaply, they’ll take advantage,” Sampson explained.

“They play a direct game.

“They rely a lot on their No.9 Aaron Smith to create opportunities for them.

“They’re a disciplined team and they take their opportunities.

“Momentum is important.

“When we do gain ascendency, we get that nice bit of momentum to put the foot down.”

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All Black and current Force lock Jeremy Thrush is relishing the Trans-Tasman competition and is looking forward to another intriguing battle on Friday.

“It was great for us to come up against something different after Super Rugby AU. We’ll take a lot of learnings from the game against the Chiefs and bring that into the Highlanders game,” Thrush said.

“You can’t get sucked into how they play. We’ve got to stick to our structures and play the way we want and make sure we do that to the best of our ability to put pressure on them.

“The intensity picks up in different areas when you play against New Zealand teams.”