Western Force and Melbourne Rebels second encounter of Super Rugby under cancellation threat
Western Force and Melbourne Rebels second encounter in the history of the Super Rugby championship may be cancelled due to the spread of Volcanic Ash across the country. The ash is being caused by the eruption of Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle. The volcano began erupting on June 4 and has spewed ash since then.
Rebels will host the Force at the AAMI Park at Melbourne on Friday, June 17. Earlier both teams met during round seven of the 2011 Super Rugby competition in which the Super Rugby new entrants defeated the Force 26 – 25 in front of their home crowd at Perth Oval on April 2nd.
Club officials have confirmed on Wednesday, June 15th, that they are considering taking a train to reach Melbourne because all the major carriers have stopped flights to and from Perth. This includes Qantas, Virgin Australian and Jetstar. All have cancelled flights to and from Perth due to the volcanic ash.
The volcanic ash entered Western Australia territory and has forced the carriers to stop flights flying to and from the Perth, the capital of the Western Australia. According to the reports in the media, the volcanic ash cloud over Western Australia is at a lower level and is hovering at approximately 15,000 feet or 4500 meters.
Force head coach, Richard Graham, when asked about the situation and the management solution to the problem replied, “We’ll Walk” with a laugh. He further added, “No seriously, we're keen to get there, so if we have to get the train overnight and fly from Adelaide, we're exploring everything because we're very keen to get there and play on Friday night.”
The Friday’s game is the last match of the season for the both teams. Graham has expressed hope that they will be able to play against the Rebels and win to end their season on a high note. Graham further added, “The Rebels have enjoyed good support at home in Melbourne this year and like us will want to finish the season well.”
The Western Force Squad announced for the Friday’s encounter includes:-
Starting xv: 1. Kieran Longbottom,2. Nathan Charles,3. Matt Dunning,4. Ben McCalman,5. Sam Wykes,6. Matt Hodgson,7. David Pocock (Captain),8. Richard Brown,9. Brett Sheehan,10. James Stannard,11. David Smith,12. Rory Sidey,13. Mitch Inman,14. Alfie Mafi,15. Patrick Dellit
Reserves:16. Ben Whittaker,17. Tetera Faulkner,18. Tom Hockings,19. Jono Jenkins,20. Mark Swanepoel,21. Willie Ripia,22. Cameron Shepherd
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