The Western Force is thrilled to confirm the re-signings of key trio Michaela Leonard, Sammy Wood and Nicole Ledington for the 2026 Swyftx Super Rugby Women’s season.
The trio are the first confirmed signings for the Force ahead of the 2026 Super W season, with the group having returned to training following a break after the North vs South Women’s Series.
Wallaroos lock Leonard has re-committed for a fourth season in the west, having moved to the Force from her native Canberra ahead of the 2023 season.
Leonard, who was part of the Force’s leadership group in 2025, clocked up 15 Super W caps at the Force, bringing her overall Super W tally to 34.
The 30-year-old former Wallaroos skipper’s re-signing comes after she played at her second World Cup this year, reaching 42 caps for the national team.
Force head coach Dylan Parsons said: “Michaela’s re-signing not only shows her quality as a player, but also shows how she has chosen the Club to be her home.
“She’s someone who we recruited into the program and has now re-committed, which is an endorsement for all the work that has been done around the club in setting up a program that people want to be a part of and commit to long term.
“We’re thrilled to have her re-sign, given she’s a leader in the Wallaroos, who’s also been to multiple World Cups. She’s become a influential leader within our group for a number of seasons now.
“Mac has been able to influence the young group coming through. She understands our values and what we’re about, so she’s able to help drive those values every day.”
The re-signing of ARKS junior and Kalamunda scrum-half Wood, 21, comes after she missed the entire 2025 Super W season with long-term injury, before returning mid-year to be part of the Wallaroos’ World Cup campaign in England.
Wood cemented her status as Australia’s lead scrum-half after she started all four of the team’s games at the World Cup as they reached the quarter-finals.
The young gun debuted for the Force in 2023 and excelled in 2024, winning the Club’s Rebecca Clough Medal and making her Wallaroos debut.
Parsons said: “The resilience she showed with the journey she went on last year is something special. She missed all of Super W with injury but was able to prove people wrong and tick off a dream to play for the Wallaroos at a World Cup.
“She showed at the World Cup how important her skill set can be for teams. For us to be able to re-sign Sammy as one of our local players is an important strategy to the long term success of the program and her signing is another endorsement of what we’re building as well.
“As much as we missed her on the field last year, she was a big part of our season off the field and behind the scenes. However, it will be awesome to see her pull the jersey on and play her part on the field in 2026.”
Kalamunda fly-half Ledington has re-signed for 2026, following her maiden taste of green and gold having spent last week in Wallaroos camp.
Ledington didn’t miss a game in the 2025 Super W season, taking her career tally at the Force to 20 Super W games.
The Aranmore College graduate was a karate champion as an eight-year-old, has a touch rugby background and played at the Sevens National Youth Championships in 2018 and 2019.
Parsons said: “Nicole is another exciting one where we’ve been able to continue to invest in our local girls. It’s a reward for her continued hard work and development.
“For her to get her first taste at a Wallaroos level recently, we’re excited to see how she comes back from that experience and helps our girls here build towards their own ambitions.
“Nicole’s point of difference is her silky skillset. She’s very good around catch-pass decision making, has great rugby instincts and is able to create for herself or others.”
