He's the 22-year-old with just 15 minutes of Super Rugby experience but the Western Force are confident that Jordan Olowofela can be their 'secret weapon' ahead of their must-win clash with the Rebels.
Joining the club on a loan deal, Olowofela made his debut off their bench during their Round Six loss to the Brumbies.
Watch every minute of Super Rugby AU on Stan Sport. Start your Free Sport Trial Now
With the Force needing the win to maintain their finals aspirations, coach Tim Sampson elevated Olowofela to the starting line-up against the Rebels at AAMI Park on Friday.
He adds to the strong contingency of Englishmen to play Super Rugby, following the footsteps of Danny Cipriani and current Wallabies forwards coach Geoff Parling.
Whilst the latter pair made their name for their opposition, the Force are confident that the former U20's England representative can break open the game.
“He’s a quality player who is highly regarded in England,” Force captain Kyle Godwin told reporters.
“He’s a little bit unknown down in Australia. He’s going to be a secret weapon for us.
“He’s got absolute speed to burn and a great skill set so looking forward to seeing him in space tomorrow.”
With the Force held to just seven points in the corresponding fixture this year, Sampson was hopeful that they could create ample opportunities for the Leicester product to show his pace.
“Genuine speed on the edge for us, he’s very quick,” he added when asked about Olowofela.
“He’s quite good on the high ball as he’s played a lot of fullback so he’s a good all-round player.
“I just hope we can get some opportunities and get the ball to him nice and early with some space."
READ MORE:
EXPANSION PLANS?: Cooper, Genia back 'Champions League'
CLUB CORNER: All roads lead here
WALLABIES BOOST: Aussie Lock returns
Sampson is well-aware of the importance of the game, with a loss all but ending their finals dreams, looking to rectify their mistakes from Round Four.
“We weren’t pleased with our performance from that game, it was a low scoreline so we didn’t show our hand against the Rebels on that particular night,” Sampson said.
“I think you learn from performances like that is guys are pretty honest and know that we left a lot out on the field and we hand more to offer.
“It’s been the discussion this week on the importance of this game with only two rounds left after this fixture so it’s definitely important.”
The Rebels will kick off round eight of Harvey Norman Super Rugby AU on Friday evening when they host the Western Force at AAMI Park kicking off at 7.45pm AEDT, LIVE on Stan Sport, click here to purchase tickets.
