W Force v Crusaders: Teams

A shoulder injury means James O'Connor will miss Western Force's clash with the Crusaders on Friday.

O'Connor faces a fortnight on the sidelines, so Mark Bartholomeusz will fill in a full-back.

Coach John Mitchell has made six changes in total with experienced front-rower Pek Cowan and scrum-half Brett Sheehan also coming into the starting XV alongside Ben Whittaker, Ben McCalman and Nick Cummins.

"James has a shoulder injury and it's about a week (recovery time) but we may manage it for two weeks to give him the right opportunity of repairing it," Mitchell said.

"He has a long season ahead (with Wallabies duties) and it is important that we manage him properly."

The Crusaders have also rung the changes for the trip to Perth, with Todd Blackadder making seven into total.

Dan Carter returns at fly-half after passing a fitness test, while Robbie Fruean, Zac Guildford and Adam Whitelock are also promoted to the starting line-up.

Flanker Kieran Read, tighthead prop Owen Franks and lock Brad Thorn all come back into the pack.

Western Force: 15 Mark Bartholomeusz, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Ryan Cross, 11 Cameron Shepherd, 10 David Hill, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe (capt), 4 Ben McCalman, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Ben Whittaker, 1 Pek Cowan.
Replacements: 16 Nathan Charles, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Tom Hockings, 19 Sam Wykes, 20 Justin Turner, 21 Sam Harris, 22 Dane Haylett-Petty.

Crusaders: 15 Sean Maitland ,14 Adam Whitelock, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Kieran Read, 5 Chris Jack, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Ti'i Paulo, 1 Ben Franks.
Replacements: 16 Dan Perrin, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 George Whitelock, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Dan Bowden, 22 Colin Slade.