PERTH - Western Force rugby coach John Mitchell has stood firm on dropping players breaking their alcohol ban.
Scott Fava has been left out of the side to play the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday after he fell foul of the side's in-house alcohol policy for the secondtime. Fava returned an alcohol reading of 0.043 - over the club's 0.04 limit - the morning after the win over the Stormers.
He was replaced in the squad by Matt Hodgson, who will start on the openside flank, with Richard Brown moving to No 8.
Hodgson said although he sympathised with his teammate, he now had a job to do.
"I am happy to be in obviously, but am disappointed for Scott missing out. I'm just going to make the most of my opportunity and put my best foot forward."
Mitchell said the 22-3 Super 14 win in Cape Town over the Stormers was a big gain but needed to be replicated in Pretoria.
"There's no doubt these young men have the footballing ability. What they need to improve is their execution of a game plan and keep their concentration for the full 80 minutes," Mitchell said.
"Last week, we got off the mark with attitude and delivery. It's important we maintain that momentum and keep progressing."
Mitchell said the Bulls were a formidable side, particularly at home, with a big pack and one of the best lineout jumpers in Victor Matfield.
"But there lies our opportunity and we intend to give it a good crack," Mitchell said.
Meanwhile, Brendan Cannon will become only the 14th player in Super history to bring up a century of games when he faces the Bulls. Cannon, 33, will reach 100 appearances after a career spanning time at the Reds, Waratahs and Force.
