Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force prop and milestone man Harry Johnson-Holmes backs late-season finals push

Western Force prop Harry Johnson-Holmes has seen a lot over his previous 99 Super Rugby Pacific games and as he prepares to raise the bat this weekend, he is confident his side can finish the season strongly. After 91 Waratahs matches and eight for the Force, Johnson-Holmes will reach triple digits when his side host the Crusaders at HBF Park on Saturday night. The Force’s two-point loss to Fijian Drua on Saturday has left them 10 points adrift in the finals race, and defeat to the sixth-placed Crusaders would likely end their top six aspirations. In his previous life as a Waratahs front-rower, Johnson-Holmes was part of NSW teams in 2018 and 2023 who secured four wins from their final six games to catapult themselves into a finals spot by the end of the season. And with the Force enjoying four of their final six games at home, the 29 year-old tighthead said his current team had the capability to do the same. “Sometimes you can find yourself in a bit of a rut and you might not perform the way you want to, but the same can be said for getting a few good runs on the board and and what it does for your positive momentum,” he said. “Once we start nailing those last little bits that are going to get us over the line, momentum is hell of a thing. One will turn into two, and two will turn into three and next thing you’re on a bit of a running streak. It’s just about staying at it. “I remember in that 2018 year, it was super similar to this, whereby we were losing so many games, but by so little. Every week, we just banked on the good things and worked on the bad and eventually we went on a bit of a run and were able to come good by the end. “We’ve got such a talented group here, so many guys that want to do good things on the footy field for this great state.” Johnson-Holmes said little moments kept going against the Force, but attention to detail would allow them to capitalise and turn the tide on their season. “It’s about nailing our roles. It sounds mundane and cliche and all that, but we’re a group that prides ourselves in doing the simple things right,” he said. “When we do the simple things right, we usually come away with points, and when we don’t, we usually give them up.” Despite the fanfare over his looming milestone, Johnson-Holmes said preparation for the Crusaders had been no different to any other week, other than some self-reflection on his career. “I suppose it’s a long time coming, but then again, most hundreds probably are,” he said. “I’m not the first man to play 100 Super caps, and I won’t be the last. It’s about doing all I can for the team. It’s a nice personal milestone for myself, I suppose a nod to longevity and the first one wasn’t a fluke, but it’s another week for us. “When you play 100 games, you get the opportunity to rub elbows with a lot of awesome blokes and great men of the game. For me, it’s reflecting on those boys and how they’ve been part of my journey.” After tearing his ACL on the eve of last season, Johnson-Holmes has played all eight games so far this season and said he was impressed by the club’s ambition. “We’ve only been around for 20 odd years as a club, but the ambition that the place has and the boys have, it’s very impressive,” he said. “That then ties into how guys go about their work, and ultimately why there’s been so many guys that have come over here and become Wallabies. “It’s a seriously hard-working group and nothing’s given to you out in the west. Everyone’s pretty happy to work hard for it.”