Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force prop and Nathan Sharpe Medallist Tom Robertson re-signs until 2027
Freshly-minted Nathan Sharpe Medallist Tom Robertson has signed on to return to Western Force, with the important front-rower inking a new two-year deal.
Less than a week after he claimed the club's highest individual men's honour, the Force have announced the popular prop has signed on until 2027, keeping him in Australia for the Rugby World Cup.
The 30 year-old is the only prop n the club's history to win the medal, with his teammates voting him their player of the year after a superb season in blue.
Playing slightly out of position at tighthead as opposed to his natural loosehead, Robertson started every game and held down the fort as injuries affected the Force's front-row stocks.
Around the ground, Robertson's contibution was sizable as he finished fourth in Super Rugby for tackles (197) this season, one less than teammate Carlo Tizzano.
He also had 71 carries for more than 300 metres, including his now-famous runaway try against the Reds in Brisbane.
Making it even more impressive, it was Robertson's first season back following a torn ACL and study sabbatical at Oxford University in 2024.
With 31 Wallabies games to his name, Robertson will be firmly in contention for a spot in their squad for July and August's tour from the British and Irish Lions.
Robertson said he and his wife Belle and five-month-old son Darby were delighted to stay in Perth a few more years.
'It's a special time for the Western Force, even after a disappointing end to the season, there were certainly some green shoots at the start,' he said.
'In terms of the playing and coaching group, I certainly think this is the most cohesive squad we've had since I joined the Force at the end of 2020.
'On and off the field, there's a feeling we love to be around each other and hopefully that'll pay off in the next couple of years as we build towards a finals berth.
'On a personal level, having a young family and wanting that stability for the next couple of years was important to me as well. We call Perth home now so we're thrilled to stay.'
Force head coach Simon Cron was delighted to see Robertson re-sign with the Force.
''Throbba' is a big part of the current environment and always has a team-first mentality,' Cron said.
'His ability to play both sides of the scrum is a huge asset to the team. We are really happy to have him re-commit for two more years as he is a leader in our team.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Wallabies legend reveals why he turned down Lions invite
Former Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper admits time has caught up with him after turning down the opportunity of a final playing farewell against the British and Irish Lions. Hooper was invited to play for the combined Australian and New Zealand XV against the Lions in Adelaide, but told Stan Sport's Inside Line podcast he felt his body was no longer up to the rigours of facing the world's best players. This masthead reported earlier this week that Hooper would not feature in the game, after the former Wallabies captain finished his eight-game stint with Japanese side Toyota Verblitz last month. 'I've played the Lions before, I know that they're a week out from a three-game Test series, and it's getting pointy end of that tour, and you've got probably a fully-fit starting team who's going to play against the Wallabies a week later, champing at the bit, battle-hardened,' Hooper said. 'And I looked at myself and I thought, 'Well, I've had a good time in Japan, they pour a good Asahi [beer], they make a nice rice ball at the local conveni [convenience store]. 'I'm about eight weeks to 10 weeks out of being battle-hardened, not in a Test environment. So I'd have to come home now, train by myself, maybe try and get a run for Manly – which would have been cool as well – but come up against those [Lions] guys in a team that you pulled together for a week. 'As a young guy? Perhaps two years, four years, five years, six years ago – oh my God, how good. 'As an almost 34-year-old who made a fleeting comeback? No, it didn't sound like a game that would be a fairytale ending for me. Not that I was ever after a fairytale ending.'
Herald Sun
5 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Lewis Hamilton's social media following dwarfs rest of Formula One grid
Don't miss out on the headlines from F1. Followed categories will be added to My News. From recreating a famous scene from a cult Hollywood movie to high-end fashion shoots, 'iconic' team debuts and daredevil exploits away from the track – one driver is the clear-cut king of social media on the Formula 1 grid. His first season for Ferrari might not be humming as much as he would like, but seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton remains far-and-away the most popular driver based on his huge social media following. The undisputed 'rock star' of the F1 grid, the British driver is open to sharing his passions away from the track with his fans – and they lap it up. Hamilton has a combined following of more than 48 million across platforms Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), more than double the next closest driver – his Monegasque Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc (22 million combined). Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen has more than 18 million combined followers, while Australia's championship leader Oscar Piastri has almost 5 million across both Instagram and X. While Hamilton shares plenty of action from race days like most of the other drivers, it is his fashion-forward life away from the track which has opened him up to a massive audience. The 40-year-old almost broke the internet when he shared the first image of himself as a Ferrari driver in January wearing a double-breasted suit and long black coat standing alongside a Ferrari F40 out the front of team founder Enzo Ferrari's old house in Maranello. The image, which was dubbed 'iconic' by his former Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, had more than 56K comments on it on Instagram, including fellow Brits Lando Norris replying 'Don' and his former Silver Arrows teammate George Russell 'Auguri fratello'. PREMIUM CONTENT 'Coolest driver in F1 history': How Piastri pulled off the impossible 'What are you doing?': Teen mates lift lid on young Oscar's wild start In March, Hamilton also set the web alight when he celebrated his first season at Ferrari by recreating an iconic scene from cult 1980s movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In the scene featuring his 'dream car', Hamilton plays the garage employee who takes the Ferrari owned by Cameron Frye's father for a joy ride through the Chicago streets. The video, which landed just before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and his first race with the Scuderia, also went viral on social media. 'No better way to start the season than by fulfilling another dream,' Hamilton wrote on Instagram. 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off has been one of my favourite movies since I was a kid. This is to pay homage to the iconic film and to celebrate my first season with Ferrari. 'It definitely took a lot of cutting edge tech, production and planning to get right. Had to get the exact car too … it's been a dream car since seeing the movie.' Hamilton also regularly appears in fashion shoots on his social media, including his iconic looks from the Met Gala. He has also shown his adrenaline-chasing exploits away from the track, sharing videos of himself skydiving, surfing and on the ski slopes. Hamilton's beloved bulldog, Roscoe, has also featured regularly in his social media feed. Social media's next most popular driver on the grid, Leclerc also isn't afraid to have a bit of fun on social media, posting a video last week testing his speed off the track with an attempt at cracking the world record for the most ice-cream cones scooped in one minute (he didn't succeed). He has also flaunted his talent away from the cockpit as a pianist tinkering the ivories with his faithful canine companion, Leo, sitting at his feet. Like Roscoe, Leo also features often in Leclerc's social media feed and even has his own Instagram account. Leclerc's home town of Monaco provides a picturesque backdrop for many of his fashion collaboration shoots, while he has also shared his off-season snowscapades. Piastri might be leading the drivers' championship standings, but the Melbourne-born star is still building his social following. The title frontrunner posts mostly about his days at the track and some behind the scenes of his training and preparation, but has shared some personal snaps alongside his girlfriend Lily Zneimer holidaying during the off-season and some sweet images of himself as a kid. Piastri's love of cricket also features, sharing his catch-ups with the Australian cricket team, including a picture alongside captain Pat Cummins captioned: 'Bowling royalty meets part-time medium pacer'. But the 24-year-old's mic-drop moment on social media happened before his F1 career had even taken off in August, 2022, when he famously rejected Alpine's announcement that he would be racing for the team the following year. Piastri's viral tweet had 392K likes, was shared 97K times and had 13,000 comments. 'I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year,' Piastri wrote. Piastri also shares images of his regular paddle ball battles, which has become a favourite pastime among many of the F1 cohort. Verstappen prefers to focus on his action at the track, but has shared some personal snaps alongside his partner Kelly Piquet and, most recently, celebrating the birth of their first child together, a daughter named Lily. 'Welcome to the world, sweet Lily,' Verstappen wrote. 'Our hearts are fuller than ever – you are our greatest gift. We love you so much.' Verstappen's love of sim racing also features regularly, with the Dutch champion recently featuring in a social media video from his sim racing team cutting a virtual lap of Mount Panorama. Piastri's teammate Lando Norris' interest in photography features heavily in his timeline with the McLaren star often pictured with his own camera in hand. Norris, who boasts the fifth most followers on Instagram with 10 million, had more than 8000 comments on a picture he posted last year of Verstappen and himself from their karting days congratulating his Red Bull rival on his fourth straight championship. 'Congrats on the 4th title in a row mate, awesome drive this year. Was fun fighting you for it. Feels like yesterday we took this pic in karting,' Norris wrote on Instagram. The Brit's most viewed video on Tik Tok was a collaboration with Australian Olympic gold-medal winning skateboarder Keegan Palmer, which had 11.7m views. The drivers aren't afraid to engage in a bit of banter, either, with Russell last week quipping on his social media that 'Dinner (is) on you tonight Albono!!!' to Alex Albon after the Williams driver held him up during the Monaco Grand Prix. Albon replied, 'I'll take you to a drive thru' with a laughing emoji. He did end up taking Russell out to dinner and picked up the bill, revealing ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix the Mercedes star ordered a lobster pasta, but skipped on dessert. The fourth most followed driver on Instagram, Williams' 'smooth operator' Carlos Sainz shares his love of cycling regularly and the slick Spaniard captured plenty of attention wearing a tuxedo to attend this year's Cannes film festival. In a nod to the original smooth agent, 007 James Bond, Sainz posted a playful video having fun with his on-track nickname. 'My name is Operator. Smooth Operator,' Sainz said before walking off laughing. The Instagram video before his walk on the Cannes red carpet captured almost 8000 comments. Originally published as Lewis Hamilton's social media empire shows how much Oscar Piastri can grow
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- News.com.au
Larkham dismisses easy path as odd finals scheduling means Brumbies and Hurricanes could make semis before kick-off
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has vowed there will be no easing of effort in their quarter-final match against the Hurricanes even if they're safe from elimination before kick-off. In a vagary of the Super Rugby Pacific draw in the first round of the playoffs, the Brumbies and Hurricanes could already be guaranteed entry into the semi-finals before they play, if other results go to script. That is because their game is last of the three quarter-finals, and Queensland Reds and Blues could already be eliminated by the time referee Nic Berry blows his whistle at Canberra's GIO Stadium. The first-placed Chiefs host the Blues in Hamilton on Saturday, while second-placed Crusaders host the Reds in Christchurch on Friday night. Given the Reds and Brumbies have a combined 0-19 record in finals games in New Zealand, Queensland is facing a daunting task, while the Brumbies must also buck the trend if they're to go all the way. In these circumstances, if the Brumbies are already guaranteed a final four place before the game against the Canes, you could forgive Larkham for taking an easy approach to the fixture to conserve energy. 'We are the last game this weekend but we've been pretty firm on making sure that we get a good performance out there on the field, so irrespective of the other results we need to know that we're playing well,' Larkham said. 'We can't get distracted by these other games and the other results. 'Realistically the Chiefs and Crusaders are in really good form and when you look at their opponents, Blues and the Reds, are also in exceptional form so we don't know where those games are going to go, and the most important thing for us right now is to focus on our preparation so that we can have our best performance this weekend, and either way we're going out there to try and win the game.' The Brumbies welcome the return of skipper Allan Alaalatoa, who missed last week's 33-31 loss to the Crusaders with a strained calf. 'He rehabbed really well, so back to full training last week before we got to the game against Crusaders and he's had a good week so far this week,' Larkham said. 'So (he's) ticked everything off in terms of all the rehab markers with his strength, running, contact. 'He's been outstanding with the scrum this year. We've certainly seen him lifting his game around that, but it's the leadership that he brings to the team both on and off the field. Very vocal and a great motivator of the boys, I mean he's an outstanding rugby player.' The Canes will come to Canberra full of confidence, having beaten the Brumbies there recently while riding a five-game winning streak. 'They're a physical side, the contests at the breakdown are very similar to Crusaders, they're entering a lot of rucks defensively,' Larkham said. 'They're putting a lot of pressure at the breakdown. They bring a bit of line speed. They've got the leading poacher in the competition (Du'Plessis Kirifi). 'They're very good with the ball in hand. They've got dangerous threats around the ruck with their nine running (Cam Roigard), centres and wingers coming in. They've got the ability to shift the ball quite well.'
