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Perth Now
2 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Western Force players shine at glamour-packed awards night
Nick MacLennan & Georgina Thorp, Nick Champion & Olivia O'Donnell and Maddi Beale & Kurtley Beale. Picture: John Koh Western Force stars and their partners glammed up for the team's annual awards night, where the best players were honoured for their sporting skills. The River View Room at Optus Stadium was transformed into a sea of glamour as the talented players and team members let their hair down for an evening of celebrations after the Force's season wrapped up. Tom Robertson claimed the Nathan Sharpe Medal which is the club's highest individual men's honour while women's stalwart and captain Trilleen Pomare won the Rebecca Clough Medal for their best Super W player. Nick Champion de Crespigny and Anneka Stephens won the Force man and woman awards respectively, awarded to the players who best embody the Force spirit on and off the field as judged by the coaches.
West Australian
5 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Western Force prop Tom Robertson wins Nathan Sharpe Medal, centre Trilleen Pomare claims Rebecca Clough Medal
Western Force prop Tom Robertson has marked an incredible comeback season by claiming the Nathan Sharpe Medal — the club's highest individual men's honour. It came as women's stalwart and captain Trilleen Pomare won the Rebecca Clough Medal for their best Super W player at the Force's annual awards night. After missing last season through a combination of a torn ACL and study sabbatical at Oxford University, Robertson produced an excellent first year back with the Force. He became the first prop to win the award, which is voted on a 3-2-1 basis by players after each game, finishing on 267 votes ahead of winger Harry Potter (241) and Carlo Tizzano (200), while locks Darcy Swain (196) and captain Jeremy Williams (136) rounded out the top five. A natural loosehead prop, Robertson started every game at tighthead and never once looked out of place, while consistently putting up startling defensive numbers. He finished on 197 tackles for the season, which was second in Super Rugby only to teammate Tizzano heading into the final round of the year. He also scored a memorable, breakaway try against the Red in round seven. The 30 year-old will surely be in Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt's squad for the British and Irish Lions tour, and will be hoping to add to his 30 Test caps. Force coach Simon Cron hailed Robertson's impact this season. 'He has been the rock in the team this year. He's played the most amount of minutes as a front-row forward in the whole competition, which is testament to his attitude and preparation. He's got an unmatched work rate, tackle count and effective involvements. 'He's done an incredible job having to play tighthead prop for us, especially when he's a specialist loosehead. No one else could've done what he's done and we're thrilled to see that recognised.' WA women's rugby royalty Rebecca Clough was in attendance to present her medal to inside centre Pomare, who has missed just one Force game since Super W's inception in 2018 and has been captain since 2020. Pomare had yet another fruitful season, highlighted by her finishing in the league's top 10 for successful tackles and dominant tackles, while also continuing to punish defences with the ball in hand. She pipped back-rower Anneka Stephens to the award, finishing on 74 votes to Stephens' 71, while emerging local Tamika Jones finished third. Force Super W head coach Dylan Parsons said Pomare's 2025 was one of her best seasons and she was a worthy winner. 'She came into the season in a really good position. She was very motivated for the team and herself to do well, and because of that we've seen some really good performances from her throughout the whole season,' he said. 'When things aren't going well, she's the first one to step up and try to make something happen. Trill leads through grit and determination. Pomare was also voted member's Super W MVP, while homegrown Wallaby Tizzano capped a similarly superb season by winning the members' Super Rugby Pacific MVP for the second straight year. Back-rowers Nick Champion de Crespigny and Stephens won the Force man and woman awards respectively, awarded to the players who best embody the Force spirit on and off the field as judged by the coaches. Emerging hooker Albert Alcock and fly-half Grace Freeman won the Matt Hodgson and Debby Carley rising star awards, while innovation and sustainability manager Anton Zackey won the Adrian Blacker award, which recognises an off-field member who upholds and instills the club's values. Nathan Sharpe medal top 10 1. Tom Robertson (267 votes) 2. Harry Potter (241) 3. Carlo Tizzano (200) 4. Darcy Swain (196) 5. Jeremy Williams (136) 6. Nick Champion de Crespigny (115) 7. Ben Donaldson (87) 8. Marley Pearce (86) 9. Kane Koteka (78) 10. Hamish Stewart (78) Rebecca Clough medal top 5 1. Trilleen Pomare (74 votes) 2. Anneka Stephens (71) 3. Tamika Jones (41) 4. Pia Tapsell (34) 5. Ashley Marsters (25)
The Age
24-04-2025
- Sport
- The Age
‘Set up to fail': Levi's World Cup bid in jeopardy as agent raises issue of ‘animosity' among players
The plan was for Levi, arguably the best sevens player in the world, to play some XVs rugby for the Queensland Reds earlier this year, but that fell through when she broke her hand in January. The 22-year-old is contracted with the Australian sevens team and will play for them in the LA Sevens tournament early next month. From there, the expectation has been that Levi will come into Wallaroos camp and push for selection. Levi could have made herself available for the Wallaroos' opening Test next month by skipping the final sevens event of the season. Whether she will commit to XVs remains unclear. Her inclusion would bolster the Wallaroos' chances of making their first World Cup final. Australia have only made one semi-final from seven World Cup appearances. However, if Levi was picked for Australia without playing a single XVs match, it might not go down well with her new teammates. Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp said on Tuesday she did not believe the inclusion of high-profile sevens players – such as Levi, Charlotte Caslick and Tia Hinds – would create tension in camp with regular XVs players vying for World Cup spots. However, Rogers has hinted at existing friction, revealing there had already been issues during Super W involving sevens players. Levi and her sister Teagan were both signed to the Reds, though only Teagan played – in just one match. 'I just think we should let the sevens girls do what they do, and the 15s [do what they do], then right before the World Cup just say to all sevens girls, yeah, you can go and play in the 15s and see if it doesn't create any animosity between the players. Because that's what's happened this year, and it wasn't pretty,' Rogers said. 'I'm being facetious there, but it's been unfair on the sevens girls and unfair on the XVs girls. 'I just know as a player, if I'm busting my butt in the XVs team, and all of a sudden you get these seven or eight girls go, oh, I want to play XVs … I would have been absolutely filthy.' After the Fiji fixture early next month, the Wallaroos have three more Tests in May against New Zealand, the US and Canada. Levi could feasibly play in three Tests for Australia before the World Cup begins on August 23, but the likelihood of that appears to be fading by the day. Loading 'Ultimately, we want to make sure we're setting Maddi up for success,' Yapp said this week. 'Bringing her straight in to play a Test match without any real XVs exposure or experience … wouldn't be fair on her. If we're bringing her in, we need to give her opportunities to train with the group first. 'We know that we've got a strong back line that has been performing well. When you look at Maya [Stewart], Desi [Desiree Miller], G Fred [Georgina Friedrichs] and C Smith [Cecilia Smith] ... they're strong players for us. What it does is allow us to create some depth in areas that we've not had.'
Sydney Morning Herald
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Set up to fail': Levi's World Cup bid in jeopardy as agent raises issue of ‘animosity' among players
The plan was for Levi, arguably the best sevens player in the world, to play some XVs rugby for the Queensland Reds earlier this year, but that fell through when she broke her hand in January. The 22-year-old is contracted with the Australian sevens team and will play for them in the LA Sevens tournament early next month. From there, the expectation has been that Levi will come into Wallaroos camp and push for selection. Levi could have made herself available for the Wallaroos' opening Test next month by skipping the final sevens event of the season. Whether she will commit to XVs remains unclear. Her inclusion would bolster the Wallaroos' chances of making their first World Cup final. Australia have only made one semi-final from seven World Cup appearances. However, if Levi was picked for Australia without playing a single XVs match, it might not go down well with her new teammates. Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp said on Tuesday she did not believe the inclusion of high-profile sevens players – such as Levi, Charlotte Caslick and Tia Hinds – would create tension in camp with regular XVs players vying for World Cup spots. However, Rogers has hinted at existing friction, revealing there had already been issues during Super W involving sevens players. Levi and her sister Teagan were both signed to the Reds, though only Teagan played – in just one match. 'I just think we should let the sevens girls do what they do, and the 15s [do what they do], then right before the World Cup just say to all sevens girls, yeah, you can go and play in the 15s and see if it doesn't create any animosity between the players. Because that's what's happened this year, and it wasn't pretty,' Rogers said. 'I'm being facetious there, but it's been unfair on the sevens girls and unfair on the XVs girls. 'I just know as a player, if I'm busting my butt in the XVs team, and all of a sudden you get these seven or eight girls go, oh, I want to play XVs … I would have been absolutely filthy.' After the Fiji fixture early next month, the Wallaroos have three more Tests in May against New Zealand, the US and Canada. Levi could feasibly play in three Tests for Australia before the World Cup begins on August 23, but the likelihood of that appears to be fading by the day. Loading 'Ultimately, we want to make sure we're setting Maddi up for success,' Yapp said this week. 'Bringing her straight in to play a Test match without any real XVs exposure or experience … wouldn't be fair on her. If we're bringing her in, we need to give her opportunities to train with the group first. 'We know that we've got a strong back line that has been performing well. When you look at Maya [Stewart], Desi [Desiree Miller], G Fred [Georgina Friedrichs] and C Smith [Cecilia Smith] ... they're strong players for us. What it does is allow us to create some depth in areas that we've not had.'
The Guardian
17-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
NSW Waratahs suffer heavy loss to Auckland Blues in Super Rugby Women's Champions final
They're the cream of the crop when it comes to Australian women's rugby, but the NSW Waratahs have been given a massive reality check after suffering a 36-5 loss to the Auckland-based Blues. Trans-Tasman bragging rights were on the line for Thursday's inaugural Super Rugby Women's Champions final and it was NZ champions the Blues who came up trumps in a six-tries-to-one onslaught. Wet and windy conditions greeted the players for the clash in Auckland, and the scoreline read 31-0 before the Waratahs finally crossed for a try in the 74th minute. The pace and power of the Blues were simply too much for the Waratahs to handle. Blues fullback Braxton Sorensen-McGee scored a first-half double, including a slicing run in which she shook off two tacklers in her sprint to the line. The scoreline read 19-0 at half-time, and it was game over in the 54th minute when Portia Woodman crossed to make it 24-0. The only joy for the Waratahs came when winger Desiree Miller sprinted on to a clever chip kick to touch down for the visitors with six minutes remaining in the match. The final result was a big downer for the Waratahs, who just last week claimed their sixth Super W title with a 43-21 win over the Queensland Reds. 'Well done to the Blues, because they played exceptionally,' the Waratahs captain, Emily Chancellor, told Stan. 'As you might be able to tell from the way we played, we haven't had a lot of practice in those sorts of conditions in Australia this season. 'It was a really difficult game, but it was also really fun.' Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion The Waratahs found it tough going in the wet conditions at Auckland's North Harbour Stadium. The Blues captain, Maiakawanakaulani Roos, was thrilled with the win, which came on the back of her team winning the Super Rugby Aupiki crown for the second straight season. 'We are so happy to be here and take the W,' Roos said. 'We've worked hard all season and to have the opportunity to play against our Tasman sisters was really cool. 'It's a really big step towards growing the game.'
