Hurricanes v Western Force: Teams

Shepherd says injuries wil provide oportunities for youngsters

Western Force kick-off their tour of New Zealand with a showdown against the Hurricanes in Palmerston North on Friday.

The two-week tour promises to be a tough one for the injury-hit Australian side, who are forced to leave several key players behind in Perth.

Force will travel without first-choice back-line players James O'Connor, Willia Ripia, Brett Sheehan and Gene Fairbanks.

To make matters worse for the tourists, the Hurricanes welcome back All Black duo Cory Jane and Conrad Smith and halfback Piri Weepu is set for another run off the bench.

And the 11th-placed Kiwi outfit will be eager to end the final month of a forgettable Super Rugby season on a high.

Force are coming off a 13-13 draw with the struggling Brumbies and, in 12th, place they too will be keen to make the most of their last three matches.

Opportunities

But the loss of O'Connor, who has played in every game so far this season and is the competition's second highest points scorer with 156, is a serious blow.

Returning Wallaby full-back Cameron Shepherd however, believes O'Connor's absence provides a golden opportunity for younger squad members to step up and show what they have to offer.

"It's a big blow, James is a great player but then again it forces all the other players now to step up.

"We've got some exciting young guys coming on the trip because of injuries and as a youngster you look forward to these opportunities," said Shepherd.

"You throw guys in the deep end and hope they make the most of it."

After 12 games, the Hurricanes and the Force have a similar attacking and defensive record, suggesting that Friday's clash could be a tight encounter..

The Hurricanes have scored 229 points and conceded 309, while the Force have scored 236 and conceded 320.

Hurricanes: 15 Cory Jane, 14 Andre Taylor, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Chris Eaton, 8 Victor Vito (c), 7 Jack Lam, 6 Faifili Levave, 5 James Broadhurst, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Dane Coles, 1 John Schwalger.
Replacements: 16 Andrew Hore, 17 Jacob Ellison, 18 Bryn Evans, 19 Mark Reddish, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Jayden Hayward, 22 Julian Savea.

Western Force: 15 Cameron Shepherd, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Patrick Dellit, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 David Smith, 10 James Stannard, 9 Mark Swanepoel, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe (c), 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Kieran Longbottom.
Replacements: 16 Ben Whittaker, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Tom Hockings, 19 Richard Brown, 20 Chris Cottee, 21 Mitch Inman, 22 Alfie Mafi.