A serious knee injury to promising Western Force scrumhalf Justin Turner has opened the door for James Stannard to return to the Perth-based Super 15 franchise.

Stannard, who played 10 games for the Force as a rookie in 2008, has signed on for the 2011 campaign, where he will play second fiddle to Brett Sheehan.

Turner, who impressed in several games last season, is expected to spend about nine months on the sidelines after injuring his knee at the IRB Junior World Championships in Argentina last month.

And after the retirement of fellow scrumhalf Chris O'Young last season, the inclusion of Stannard is a crucial one for the Force as they attempt to improve drastically on this year's 13th-placed finish.

Stannard, 27, will represent the Australian Sevens outfit at October's Commonwealth Games in India before re-joining his Force teammates.

"James is a quality player and during his time at the club previously was a popular figure amongst team mates and supporters alike," RugbyWA chief executive Vern Reid said.

"He was very keen to return and we're looking forward to having him back playing for the Western Force.

"He will complement our stocks at scrumhalf and we have no doubt he'll fit into the system very quickly and be a strong contributor for the Force next season."

The Force are still hopeful of securing Hurricanes five-eighth Willie Ripia to replace former All Black David Hill.

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