Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force winger Darby Lancaster confident side can overcome slow start to the season

Western Force winger Darby Lancaster insists belief still persists within the team despite their early-season struggles as his side prepare for a do-or-die fixture with the Chiefs. After three weeks in New Zealand, the Force have emerged from their bye week with everything to prove as they sit second-last on the ladder. Defeat to the sixth-placed Chiefs at HBF Park on Saturday could potentially leave them as many 14 points back of a potential finals berth just six games into a season which promised far more on its eve. But the in-form Lancaster said confidence had not dropped among the squad and said a turnaround was well within their reach. “The belief is definitely there. Everyone in the building and everyone on-field can pretty confidently say that we’ve got the players here to win games, and it’s just got to come together,” he said. The Force will take some heart from the fact three of their four losses have come against the top three teams on the ladder (Hurricanes, Brumbies and Blues). Conversely, it will sting they led in all three of those matches and matched their opponents for large portions, but fade-outs after half-time in all three of those games cost them a bonus point in any of those matches. “We’re still disappointed, but you can take a little bit of confidence out of that. It’s just all about what we can do now and then in the future,” Lancaster said. “We talked about it, quite detailed. We’re talking about at half-time, where we’ve got to stay just as hungry and just as determined. Little lapses are costing us at the moment. We’ve addressed it and are hoping to fix it.” High-profile NRL convert Zac Lomax has begun training with his teammates after arriving in Perth last week and Lancaster said the ex-State of Origin representative had hit the ground running as he builds his fitness base. “He’s very professional. He seems to be fitting in around the group and I look forward to seeing where he can add,” he said. “He’s obviously a big body and a real danger in the air so I’m looking forward to seeing him add his game into our team.” Lancaster has scored two tries in his first three starts and paid credit to the Force’s back-line for putting him into positions to thrive in the outside channels. “I ended up in the right place a couple of times, so that’s always nice. The boys inside of me are doing some good work and putting me away, which is credit to them,” he said. “There’s some great players inside of me and the more they get the ball, the happier I am. That’s their job to spread it around and my job to run when I get it.”