The Western Force are looking to complete a clean sweep of Global Rapid Rugby's "Pacific Showcase" when they host the Fijian Latui in Friday's final round clash in Perth.
The Force prevailed 27-15 when the teams played in Lautoka four weeks ago. They've also beaten Kagifa Samoa both at home and away.
Former All Black lock Jeremy Thrush, who has been named on the bench for tonight's match after recovering from a groin injury, says they want to end the campaign the right way.
"Coach has kind of put it out there as making it just like it's our final of this competition really. It sounds like we're going to have a pretty good crowd base for the game and a few boys are actually leaving us after this game to either go off to different clubs or retiring so we just want to put out a good performance," Thrush said.
"Obviously we've focused on our defence to make sure we keep our set piece pretyt tidy because if we can do those things it makes it a bit easier for us against the Fiji team that if you give them a bit of loose ball or scraps anything can happen."
Former All Black lock Jeremy Thrush is now playing for the Western Force. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Thrush joined the Western Force last year following stints with the Hurricanes and Gloucester, and says the Pacific Island teams have been a welcome addition to Rapid Rugby.
"I've obviously been injured but watching the games between the teams playing in Fiji and Samoa the crowd numbers there have been great, so they're all wanting to be a part of something, and hopefully as we keep moving forward in this Rapid Rugby competition we can keep bringing these Pacific Island teams in and keep building that," he said.
The Fijian Latui need to win big to have any chance at claiming the "Pacific Showcase" series title. Photo: Facebook/Fiji Rugby
The Fijian Latui still have a faint chance of winning the Pacific Showcase if they can beat the Force by 45 points while denying the home side a bonus point.
Thrush said the hosts are well aware of what the Latui side are capable of.
"They love to play the Fijian style of game and last year we played them at home in Perth during the (Australian) National Rugby Championship and had them inside their 22 about two or three times and somehow ended up between our own goalposts kind of scratching our head. How they got there was offloads and chip and chases like that, so it's going to be a tough challenge on Friday night," Jeremy Thrush said.
Jeremy Thrush also spent three seasons with Gloucester before linking up with the Western Force. Photo: AFP
