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Former Worcester halfback finding 'silver lining' in Super Rugby
By AAP
New Western Force scrumhalf Gareth Simpson will captain the side in Sunday’s clash with the Hurricanes after Michael Wells succumbed to an achilles injury.
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Simpson says the heartbreak of watching English club Worcester implode was one of the key factors that attracted him to the Western Force.
The Worcester Warriors were suspended from all competitions by the Rugby Football Union and went into administration last September after tallying debts totalling more than £25 million ($A45.9m).
Worcester’s demise from England’s top tier left Simpson and his teammates fearing for their livelihoods – a similar situation that Force players experienced in 2017 when they were kicked out of Super Rugby by Rugby Australia.
Billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest saved the Force, and Simpson wants to play a role in helping set the foundations for future success at the club.
Simpson joined English club Saracens after Worcester folded, but he jumped at the chance to link up with the Force on a loan deal for this season.
“A couple of months ago it was a really tough time in my career with everything that happened at Worcester,” Simpson said ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Hurricanes in New Zealand.
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“I’d just bought a house there and signed a two-year contract, and I’d been there for a few years and had close friends. It was really tough at the time.
“But it’s opened up a lot of opportunities for me now, and things I never thought I would have done, which has helped me grow as a rugby player and a person.
“Every cloud has a silver lining I guess.”
Simpson sees many similarities between Worcester and the Force.
“I spoke to some of the boys who were here when they (the Force) got kicked out of Super Rugby,” he said.
“I guess that’s one of the things that attracted me here – a bit of an underdog club.
“It was the same at Worcester – we were trying to create something special and make something good from the club.
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“That’s something I want to be part of, and that’s something that attracted me to play for the Force.”
Simpson’s rise at the Perth-based franchise has been meteoric.
The 25-year-old only earned his Force debut two weeks ago at the start of the three-match NZ tour, and he has been named stand-in captain for Sunday’s clash with the Hurricanes.
“To have the opportunity to be playing rugby again – I’m loving being out on the field,” Simpson said.
“And to get some pretty cool privileges that come with it – like captaining the team – is something I’ll always cherish.”
The Force, missing injured captain Michael Wells and Wallabies hooker Folau Fainga’a, will have their work cut out for them against a powerful Hurricanes outfit that dismantled Moana Pasifika 59-0 last week.
