Statistics in favour of Force
FOR a side which has achieved very little and was kicked out of the competition four years ago, the Force has the wood on the Highlanders.
The Highlanders will take on the Force in Perth in the first game between the sides for four years. The game kicks off at 9.45pm [NZ time] on Friday.
The two sides have played each other 11 times since the Force came into the competition in 2006, the Force winning six games.
The Force side had a run of seven years when it won every game it played against the Highlanders.
The Force recorded a win in Perth in 2008 and won every game until 2015 when the Highlanders managed to win 233 in Perth. No game was played in 2012.
The Highlanders bounced back to win the past three games over the Force.
They beat the West Australian side 3320 in Dunedin in 2016 while the most recent game between the two sides ended with a big 556 win to the Highlanders in Perth.
A couple of the losses have been among some of the the Highlanders’ most disappointing defeats.
The team lost 4127 in Queenstown in 2010 when its discipline went out the window and the defence fell apart.
It was the first time Ben Smith had played fullback for the Highlanders and, although he played well, the rest of the team was off the pace as the Force strolled to victory. That was the beginning of the end for coach Glenn Moore.
In 2013, the Highlanders were having a poor season and played the Force in Perth on the way back from South Africa.
The side, which was stacked with All Blacks, somehow managed to lose 1918 through missing chances and making numerous mistakes.
The Force came into Super Rugby in 2006 and was an underwhelming performer.
It never made the playoffs and won 56 out of 174 games played.
It was kicked out after the 2017 season but came back last year in the Australian Super Rugby domestic competition.
It finished third in the just completed Super Rugby AU competition, winning four out of eight regularseason games before losing to the Brumbies in the semifinals.