Wykes gets his half-ton

The Western Force has made three changes to its starting XV to tackle the Melbourne Rebels at nib Stadium on Saturday.

Flank Angus Cottrell and fullback Will Tupou return to the run-on side, while prop Kieran Longbottom replaces Pek Cowan in the starting front row after a strong performance off the bench against the Waratahs.

Coincidently, Saturday's match will be Longbottom's first run-on appearance since starting at loosehead prop against the Rebels in Round Five last year.

Cottrell returns to the blindside flank with Ben McCalman shifting to the back of the scrum in place of Richard Brown.

Both Brown and Cowan have been rested after playing the bulk of time in the opening six matches.

In the backline, Tupou resumes his place at fullback with Alfie Mafi returning to his more customary position on the wing.

The match is set to mark Western Force lock Sam Wykes' 50th Super Rugby cap for the province, having made his debut as a 19-year-old against the Cheetahs in Week Two of the 2008 Super 14 competition.

Wykes, who has played all but one match for the Force this season, after missing the bulk of 2012 with hamstring, ankle and knee injuries, will start from the bench.

He will be joined by prop Tetera Faulkner and scrumhalf Mick Snowden, who have both been reinstated on the Western Australian reserves list.

Western Force coach Michael Foley says his side is looking to turn around the result from the two sides' season opener.

"This is a group with tremendous character that has taken big strides towards becoming the team we aspire  to be," he said.

"We've realised significant improvement in our defence shown by conceding just two tries in the past three matches. We're also creating opportunities with ball in hand. The challenge for us is to ensure we're patient to convert more of those opportunities into points.

"This week marks an important milestone for Sam [Wykes]. He's been an excellent performer for the club over a number of years, he's someone who has the respect of his teammates, and they'll be doing everything they can to make it a memorable occasion for him on Saturday."

Saturday's encounter will also bring up the Western Force's 50th home match in Super Rugby, having already recorded their 100th in the competition this season against the Bulls in in Pretoria in Week Three.

Matches between the Western Force and Rebels have traditionally been close, with the Melbourne side's seven-point victory in Week One this year the greatest margin in five encounters between the two sides, with three of them decided by a lone point.

Western Force: 15 Will Tupou, 14 Patrick Dellit, 13 Winston Stanley, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Alfie Mafi, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Matt Hodgson (captain), 6 Angus Cottrell, 5 Hugh McMeniman, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Heath Tessmann, 1 Kieran Longbottom.

Replacements: 16 Ben Whittaker, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Sam Wykes, 19 Chris Alcock, 20 Mick Snowden, 21 Sam Christie, 22 Sam Norton-Knight.

Date: Saturday, April 6

Venue: NIB Stadium, Perth

Kick-off: 16.40 (10.40 SA time; 8.40 GMT)

Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)

Assistant referees: Rohan Hoffman (Australia), James Leckie (Australia)

TMO: Matt Goddard (Australia)