Force sign Philip and Arnold for 2017

The Western Force have added depth to their second row stocks with the signing of Matt Philip and Richie Arnold for the 2017 Super Rugby season.

Philip, a former Australian Schoolboys and Australian Under 20s representative was called into the Force squad in a training capacity last season after injuries hit the club’s second row stocks before making his debut off the bench against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

Arnold has been with the Western Force for almost a year now after joining the club last November and after suffering multiple injuries set-backs along the way the 208-cm giant is ready to get on the park in 2017.

Western Force Head Coach Dave Wessels says the signing of the second row pair is a strong move for the club as they continue to add depth to the forward pack for the 2017 season.

“It’s great to have Richie on board. He has taken a little while to get his body right but there is a great Afrikaans saying which is ‘vroeg ryp vroeg vrot’ which is means ‘if you ripen early, then you rot early’, so we think Richie will be great for us.”

“I’m really excited to see how Richie goes this year because he has had to work so hard for it. He has all the attributes to be a world class player, he’s a very big man, he’s aggressive and most importantly he really wants this opportunity, so we are looking forward to getting a full season out of him.”

“Matty is an example of someone who got half a sniff and really made the most of it. When he came in last year he really showed a desire to learn and his ability to understand information tells me that he can certainly play elite level rugby.”

The 2017 Western Force squad will begin their pre-season on Monday, 7 November.