Western Force head coach Dylan Parsons says he’s rapt with his side’s growth and experience gained following the conclusion of their three-game Japan tour on Saturday.
The Force played four hybrid 40-minute rotation games along with a full 80-minute game against Japanese champions Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix across the two-and-a-half-week tour.
The side only managed one win among that, edging out Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars 7-5 on Saturday, but Parsons noted the four losses were all narrow.
The Force opened the tour with 40-minute losses to the Mie Pearls (19-12) and Yokohama TKM (17-12) in Nagano, followed by an 80-minute 27-24 defeat to the Phoenix in Fujiyoshida.
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On the weekend gone, the Force broke their duck against the Artemi-Stars followed by a 7-0 loss in driving rain in Tokyo to the Phoenix.
The Force took a 28-player group on the historic tour exposing every player to minutes, coming up against high-quality, competitive opposition, offering a meaningful opportunity to play in the Force jersey.
“Overall, we walk away very happy with the growth and the experience gained from the three-game tour against the best in Japan,” Parsons said.
“The purpose of the tour was to strengthen our connections with a squad that consisted of new, young and existing players from the 2024 season.
“Throughout the year we have had a kaizen mindset to our training which in Japanese simply means everyday striving for continuous improvement, so it was only fitting to have this as one of our themes and purposes for the tour.
“We knew if we worked towards this throughout the tour then we would drive good performances which in turn would create lasting memories for this group.”
Parsons acknowledged it would’ve been nice to win a few more games, with the loss to the Phoenix coming after they had led 24-5. But their resolve to beat the Artemi-Stars in the final weekend was a positive sign.
“Obviously we would have liked to see the scoreboard go our way more times but the way the tour was structured it allowed us the experience to play four different Japanese teams over three games,” Parsons said.
“We are developing a gritty attitude in how we play the game and to give ourselves a shot to win all those fixtures with the margins being seven or under was a positive takeaway.”
There were plenty of individual positives throughout the tour, with Kalamunda front-rower Braxton Walker, Australia A lock Rosie Ebbage, Wanneroo back-rower Nami Dickson and Wests Scarborough utility Brooklyn Teki-Joyce all starting every game.
New recruit Grace Freeman also started every game at fly-half, acting as vice-captain throughout in a sign of her emerging leadership. Otago utility back Sheree Hume offered experience to the backline, starting every game at full-back, while Wanneroo newcomer Ngamihi Monk also started every game at inside-centre in the absence of captain Trilleen Pomare.
Tamika Jones returned from a metatarsal injury during the tour, scoring twice in the opening game, while recruits Cecilia Smith, Sera Naiqama, Loretta Mailangi and Allana Sikimeti all played alongside their new teammates for the first time, the former two both scoring against the Phoenix.
“Lastly the players and staff are extremely grateful to the club and the sponsors for providing such an opportunity to develop the team with high level games, a new culture and the chance for 15 new players pulling on the Western Force jersey,” Parsons added.
“With eight of the players being 20 years old or younger the future is bright and there has been some strong foundations laid for the 2025 Super Rugby Women’s season.”
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Western Force Japan tour fixtures
Game 1, Saturday 19 October, Nagano
Western Force 12 (Jones 2x) def by Pearls 19
Western Force 12 (Walker, Wood) def by Yokohama TKM 17
Game 2: Sunday 27 October, Fujiyoshida
Western Force 24 (Malcolm Heke, Smith, Downey, Naiqama) def by Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix 27
Game 3: Saturday 2 November, Tokyo
Western Force 7 (Ngauamo) def Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars 5
Western Force 0 def by Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix 7
