Mitchell stands by Henjak
Western Force coach John Mitchell is standing by his troublesome scrum-half Matt Henjak, naming him in the starting XV to face the Sharks in Round One of the Super 14, in Durban on Friday.
Western Force coach John Mitchell is standing by his troublesome scrum-half Matt Henjak, naming him in the starting XV to face the Sharks in Round One of the Super 14, in Durban on Friday.
Despite growing pressure from Australian Rugby Union (ARU) officials to stand Henjak down, after he allegedly broke teammate Haig Sare's jaw in a barroom brawl at the weekend, Mitchell is standing firm on the player's position.
ARU chief executive John O'Neill was furious that Henjak – a key member of the Force team with a history of off-field indiscretions – was allowed to set off on the three-match trip to South Africa, believing he should have been stood down while such a serious matter was investigated.
However, Henjak is free to play against the Sharks, after a hearing into his alleged altercation with Sare was adjourned until next week.
After scathing criticism from the ARU over the club's handling of the incident, Force bosses fast-tracked a serious misconduct tribunal. But both Henjak and Sare asked for the hearing to be delayed to allow their lawyers to go through the case.
The inclusion of Henjak in the Force team to face the Sharks have overshadowed the Perth-based franchise's buildup the clash with last year's beaten finalists – the first of three matches in South Africa.
The Force will also face the Cheetahs and Lions, before returning to Perth to make their home debut against the Crusaders on March 9.
Port Macquarie-born winger Nick Cummins will make his Super 14 debut after winning selection on the right wing.
Cummins, who was Australia's top try scorer for last year's International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Series, earns his place in the starting side with three more rookies named on a new-look replacement bench.
Cummins (20) will join a host of experienced campaigners in the starting lineup, including World Cup Wallabies Nathan Sharpe, Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Scott Staniforth and Cameron Shepherd.
Richard Brown and Scott Fava will start the season in new roles, swapping their regular positions with Fava to run out in the number six jersey and Brown at number eight.
Mitchell has named three more potential debutantes on the replacement bench – with 24-year-old Brisbane-born scrumhalf James Stannard joining lock Sitaleki Timani and 21-year-old league convert Josh Tatupu for the first time in the selected matchday 22.
Mitchell admitted that several selection battles were tight, but he opted for experience against the three-time Super Rugby runner-up.
“I don't know how you'd define a full strength team but we've certainly opted for players with more experience in this competition,” said Mitchell.
“A number of positions were close and we're delighted with the way some of the younger squad members are pushing through.
“We've got three young guys on the reserves bench who will get their first opportunity to experience rugby at this level and a couple of others in the squad who will get an opportunity in the starting team during this tour,” he said.
Western Force: 15 Cameron Shepherd, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Scott Staniforth, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau (vice-captain), 9 Matt Henjak, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Scott Fava, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 David Pusey, 3 AJ Whalley, 2 Tai McIsaac, 1 Gareth Hardy.
Replacements: 16 Luke Holmes, 17 Troy Takiari, 18 Sitaleki Timani, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 James Stannard, 21 Scott Daruda, 22 Josh Tatupu.
Date: Friday, 15 February
Venue: Absa Stadium, Durban
Kick-off: 19.10 (17.10 GMT)
Referee: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Chris Pollock (New Zealand), Christie du Preez (South Africa)
Television match official: Michael Cupido (South Africa)
Assessor: Arrie Schoonwinkel (South Africa)