Andrew Deegan will start at 10 for the Force as they look to seal Rapid Rugby's Pacific Showcase against the Fijian Latui.
Deegan has played the past three matches off the bench on his comeback from a thumb injury but coach Tim Sampson has handed him the reins for Friday night's clash.
Sampson said Deegan's impact off the bench showed he deserved the start.
“When Andrew has been coming off the bench he has been managing the game very well throughout the second half,” he said.
“We want to start him to give him the chance to showcase his ability to guide and lead the team from the opening whistle.”
Sampson has made four changes to the 23 overall with Clay Uyen among the most high-profile, replacing injured Fiji Sevens international Masivesi Dakuwaqa in the starting side.
The Western Force team to tackle the Rapid Rugby title decider is here!
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“Clay is very abrasive and a strong ball carrier. While he might give away a bit of size compared to Masi he still offers us a lot around the contact areas,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to seeing Clay get his hands on the ball a lot and create some opportunities through his good instinct and attacking capabilities.”
Capped All Black lock Jeremy Thrush has also been named on the pine, adding some experience to the Force outfit.
“There is a lot of experience coming off the bench, and Jeremy’s natural leadership will give the team that extra boost to help them finish off the second half strongly,” he said.
“It has been a trend that we have finished well in just about every match this year which just shows the quality that we have in the team.
“We pride ourselves on our match fitness and it is evident in how strong we finish games."
The Force take on the Fijian Latui on Friday June 21 at Hbf Park, kicking off at 7:40pm local time, 9:40pm AEST, LIVE on SBS Viceland.
TEAM
Force to face Fijian Latui
1. Harrison Lloyd
2. Feleti Kaitu’u
3. Kieran Longbotom
4. Johan Bardoul
5. Fergus Lee-Warner
6. Henry Stowers
7. Tevin Ferris
8. Brynard Stander
9. Issak Fines
10. Andrew Deegan
11. Clay Uyen
12. Henry Taefu
13. Marcel Brache
14. Rod Davies
15. Jack McGregor
Reserves
16. Heath Tessman
17. Cameron Orr
18. Tom Sheminant
19. Jeremy Thrush
20. Leon Power
21. Rory O’Sullivan
22. AJ Alatimu
23. Nick Jooste
