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AAP
AAP
Justin Chadwick and Murray Wenzel

Force ready to walk the walk against in-form Reds

Western Force coach Simon Cron has urged his players to lift for the game against the Reds. (James Worsfold/AAP PHOTOS)

Western Force coach Simon Cron says the time for talk is over as his side try to bounce back in Saturday's crunch clash with the Queensland Reds at HBF Park.

The Force are 0-4 after starting their Super Rugby Pacific season with losses to the Hurricanes, Rebels, Brumbies and Moana Pasifika.

Cron labelled last week's 22-14 loss to Moana as some of the worst rugby he's ever seen, and even went as far as apologising to the club's fans.

In contrast, the Reds are flying high in second spot following a 3-1 start to the year.

Cron wants to see a big response from his player group this week - through actions, not words.

"One of the things we've talked about all week is talking is done," Cron told reporters on Friday.

"You can only talk so much, and there was some good accountability from the player group this week in certain areas, and some boys really wanting to step forward.

"For us, it's about actions now. 

"We've had some good starts - Rebels for 50 minutes, the Brumbies was a good 80. 

"It's about putting together a performance for 85 minutes as a team, and that includes the guys coming off the bench."

The Force have been boosted by the return of Wallabies scrum-half Nic White from a knee injury.

"The one thing about Nic, it's not just his leadership, he's a competitor," Cron said.

Nic White
Wallabies scrum-half Nic White returns to the Force line-up after recovering from a knee injury. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

"He will compete for everything. The boys around him then compete for everything. He leads by doing.

"He's got a great voice. He's such a calm, focused human off the field, and on the field he's an animal, so we enjoy that." 

The Reds are averaging 38 points per game this season, and coach Les Kiss is encouraging his players to keep expressing themselves - within reason. 

"Finding that sweet spot of our expression is important," Kiss said. 

"I want them to be skilful, and being skilful means understanding the picture in front of you and making strong decisions.

"Part of (that) skill is knowing what not to throw and pass. They'll push the boundaries, but I'm happy with that. 

"We may have to tighten it up at times, but at the moment I want that to flourish a bit.

"It certainly frees them to play the way they see the picture, which I think is pretty cool.

"This game is about fun. You're playing with your mates, do it in a fun way. It's not boring to them at the moment, that's for sure.

"If you're having fun you're a better version of yourself."  

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