Latest news with #JohnEalesMedalist
West Australian
6 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Western Force's Simon Cron, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Mac Grealy named in AUNZ invitational side
Having already impressed against the British and Irish Lions, a pair of Western Force starters — and their coach — will get a chance at an encore in Adelaide this week. Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Mac Grealy will be the Force representatives named in the AUNZ squad to face the Lions at Adelaide Oval on Saturday in their final tune-up before the Wallabies Tests begin. Force coach Simon Cron will also serve as an assistant to departing Reds and incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss. The AUNZ invitational squad, which features players from both Australia and New Zealand, was officially unveiled today following the drip-feeding of several members over the past month. Hooker Paenga-Amosa, who had an injury-affected first season out west, showed his class against the Lions in the Force's clash with them at Optus Stadium. The Wallabies front-rower helped the Force turn the tables on the Lions' scrum and after he missed out on selection for Australia's squad to face Fiji, Paenga-Amosa will have another chance to catch Joe Schmidt's eye. Grealy's selection comes after his impressive showing against the Lions, where he repeatedly threatened with the ball in hand. The outside back finished the match with a team-high 71 carry metres and nine broken tackles. Eight All Blacks have been named in the 30-man squad, and a host of Super Rugby Pacific-based Kiwi stars have also been included, such as Hoskins Sotutu. There are also nine former Wallabies in the side, including Darcy Lancaster, who impressed for the Waratahs against the Lions over the weekend and has been linked with a move to the Force. Two-time John Eales Medalist Marika Koroibete has flown in from Japan for the game after the winger struggled to impress Schmidt for the Wallabies last year.
West Australian
15-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force and Wallabies great Nathan Sharpe praises Jeremy Williams and Darcy Swain
Wallabies great Nathan Sharpe has hailed the impact of Western Force locks Jeremy Williams and Darcy Swain and declared the pair both deserve to be in Joe Schmidt's Test plans. Force captain Williams and Swain have been Super Rugby Pacific's best second row duo this season, have led their side to the league's best line-out percentage. Despite the Force's season petering out, two-time John Eales Medalist and inaugural Force captain Sharpe told The West Australian he expected Williams to be in Schmidt's plans for the looming British and Irish Lions series. And Sharpe also said Swain, who has not played for the Wallabies since 2022 but leads the league for line-outs won, also deserved a recall. '(Jeremy) has been terrific, and the way that he's led the team has been outstanding. He's a guy that's gone from strength to strength, played a lot of tests for the Wallabies last year, and I'm sure he will again this year, he's been sensational,' Sharpe said. 'Darcy Swain has been a great addition as well, the line-outs function well on most occasions, and those two have created a good pairing, that's for sure. 'They've been outstanding this year, and I'm looking forward to both of them having opportunities with the Wallabies this year.' Despite last Saturday's loss against the Brumbies, who entered the game as the best line-out team in the league, the Force won 11-13 of their own throws compared to 13-18 for the visitors. More importantly, the Force also stole three line-outs, while the Brumbies were unable to pilfer any off Force throws. Per Opta Stats, the Force have won a league-high 88.7 per cent of line-outs, with ex-Brumby Swain having won 72 line-outs — seven more than the next closest player, Wallabies lock Nick Frost. Williams and Swain have also combined for 15 line-out steals and sit equal-first and third in the league individually, while teammate Will Harris is also in the top 10 with four. The Force skipper also recorded an eye-raising 31 tackles without a miss in the Brumbies loss, and Sharpe said his engine and ability to play as a back-rower were key to the 24-year-old taking the next step and becoming a very good international player. 'His mobility is sensational, isn't it? He's got all the qualities of a back rower: he can carry, link, attack the ball at the breakdown, his work rate is phenomenal,' he said. 'It's one of those positions where he's going to have to continue to squeeze all that juice in all those things that he's got strengths in and translate that into international rugby, where he probably gives away a few kilos to some of the international locks. 'In those games that are a little bit tighter, he's got to find a way to make those strengths stand out for his team, and contribute in that regard, rather than some of the more traditional ways.'
