Rob Kearney will be forced to sit out Western Force's Super Rugby AU semi-final on Saturday night when the underdogs take on champions and the highly-fancied ACT Brumbies in their own backyard.
Four years after they were cut from Super Rugby and a year on from losing all eight games in the inaugural Super Rugby AU competition, the team from Perth stand just one game away from an unlikely final date with Queensland Reds.
We need your consent to load this SoundCloud contentWe use SoundCloud to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
One man who won’t feature however is former Ireland full-back Kearney.
The 35-year-old hasn't played since injuring his adductor on 20 March, though was named to start in last week’s pulsating 30-27 win over the high-flying Queensland Reds, Force’s third win on the bounce.
He was a late change in personnel, though Force coach Tim Sampson remained confident the 95-cap Ireland international would return for the semi-final, but the Louth man has failed to prove his fitness.
Jake Strachan has been named at full-back for his first start of the season.
Last week’s morale-boosting win has come at the perfect time according to Simpson as the Perth-based outfit compete in their first play-off fixture.
The club was always heading in the right direction
"No doubt. If you make the finals, no matter what competition you play in, you’re doing something right," Force head coach Tim Sampson said.
"The club was always heading in the right direction. We internally knew exactly what we were doing.
"All the knockers who didn't understand what we were aiming to achieve, I think some of their comments were pretty rich."
A title decider against the Reds is on the line for both sides, but this season’s form would indicate Force have it all to do to progress.
They travelled to Canberra last month and after trailing the Brumbies 28-0 at the break, went down on a crushing 42-14 scoreline. They lost the home fixture 27-11.
It is uncharted territory for almost all the players and staff, given the Force never reached the play-offs in 12 seasons after joining Super Rugby as an expansion side in 2006.
They were axed by Rugby Australia (RA) in 2017 over concerns the country had neither the playing stocks nor the funds to prop up five teams.
That was despite the Force finishing the season second best of the Australian teams, with more championship points than the New South Wales Waratahs, Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels.
Angry fans protested in Perth and former captain Matt Hodgson wept in front of reporters as he pleaded for RA to give him a proper explanation.
The Melbourne Rebels, who joined Super Rugby five years after the Force, were the major beneficiary of the Force's demise.
They poached Dave Wessels to be their head coach and recruited many of the team's best players.
The Rebels missed the play-offs this year, with the Force's win over the Reds ensuring their elimination in a neat piece of irony.
Hodgson is now the Force's high performance boss, having remained with the club as it was repurposed to play in Global Rapid Rugby, an Asia-Pacific competition with modified rules driven by mining tycoon Andrew Forrest.
"Definitely, where we were from four years ago, I think if you looked through the crystal ball, you wouldn’t say we’d be playing in a Super Rugby finals series," former Wallabies flanker Hodgson told Reuters.
"It’s pretty exciting and a just reward for everyone that’s stayed and backed the club over the last few years."
In 2017, RA rejected a A$50 million (€32 million) offer of financial support from Force backer Forrest to keep the Perth team in Super Rugby.
The tables have turned and RA recently offered the Force a five-year licence to remain in the top flight with the other four Australian teams.
The licence will give Force breathing room to continue their rebuild, further develop players and lock in long-term sponsors.
"I think we’ve already started something big, so this will be keeping the train rolling," said Hodgson.
"We’re definitely happy with reaching the finals, but now we can turn another page in history by winning our first one."
