Western Force coach Richard Graham rates a run of home games as a hugely critical part of their Super Rugby campaign, as they attempt to build on the momentum generated by a crushing win over Queensland.
The 45-19 demolition of the Reds in Perth moved the Force off the bottom of the ladder and up four places to 11th.
More significantly, it moved them to within striking distance of Australian conference leaders the Brumbies, following a round in which all of the other four local teams lost.
The Brumbies lead the Reds and Waratahs by five points and the Force by six, but Graham pointed out the three chasers all had a four-point bye in hand over the Canberra-based pacesetters.
If the Force beat the Chiefs in Perth next Friday and the Reds topple the Brumbies in Brisbane the same night, there might be only two points separating the top four Australian teams with NSW having the bye this week.
The Force are in the midst of a run of four straight home games, with the Reds and Chiefs followed to Perth by the Waratahs and Stormers.
Graham acknowledged the importance of maintaining the Force’s momentum at home, where they have struggled to string together wins in the past.
“It’s huge,” Graham told AAP on Sunday.
“Wins in isolation are easy in a sense because you get up for one or two games.
“The key for sides that are improving and good sides are that they win consistently and that’s the challenge for us over this next period of time.”
Graham prefers to focus on the recent positives racked up by the side, which include a win in Sydney over NSW and successive four-try bonus point’s against the Rebels and Reds, rather than dwell on the Force’s low success rate at home.
They have won just 25 per cent of their home fixtures over the past two and a half seasons.
“It’s not something we’ve talked about, because I think the more you talk about it, the more you fuel it,” Graham said.
“I think you focus more on positive things.
“Against the Rebels it was the first time in a period we’d scored four tries.
“We backed that up with a big win at home, another four tries, so things are on the improve.”
He said the clash with the fourth-placed Chiefs would be a good challenge.
“We’ve got a six-day turnaround, we’ll prepare well, we’re looking forward to it,” Graham said.
He anticipated five-eighth James Stannard could miss that match with an ankle injury, while lock Phoenix Battye has been cited for a lifting tackle on Reds halfback Will Genia.
