The NSW Waratahs have announced a 38-player squad for the upcoming Swyftx Super Rugby Aus tournament next month.
The Waratahs won the inaugural edition of the competition in 2025 and will be looking to defend their crown, with Head Coach Lachlan McCaffrey returning to mentor the side once again. Dan Palmer, Jack Debreczeni and Jake Gordon are the side’s assistant coaches.
This year’s group is a strong blend of Academy, Shute Shield and existing Super Rugby Pacific players. Seven members of Australia U20s’ squad for the recent World Junior Rugby Championships in Georgia are included, alongside seven players from six different Shute Shield clubs and 688 caps' worth of Super Rugby Pacific experience from the Waratahs.
They are headlined by number eight Pete Samu and scrum-half Nick Phipps, while new signing from the Brumbies Luke Reimer will also make his first appearances in a Waratahs jersey.
McCaffrey is excited at the prospect of mixing the different pillars of Academy, Shute Shield and Super Rugby Pacific with the competition proving a hugely beneficial experience for many players last year.
“Last year we went with the approach of giving Academy players the first crack in selection and they performed incredibly well,” McCaffrey said.
“We’ll be going with the same approach in 2026. This competition provided a really strong platform for younger players to showcase their talents for Super Rugby Pacific. And this will be the case again for those younger players.
“It’s also been nice to reward some individual stand-out performers from Shute Shield in a really competitive season at that level.”
There is plenty of experience in the forwards, with the likes of Tom Lambert, Isaac Kailea, Ethan Dobbins and Folau Faingaa offering depth in the front row. Miles Amatosero, who recently made his Wallabies debut against Italy in Perth, is named as part of the second-row.
Edwin Langi (prop), Eamon Doyle (lock/flanker) and Marshall Le Maitre (flanker) lead the younger contingent in the forwards, with Langi named Dave Dennis Young Player of the Year at the Waratahs annual awards night last month.
In the backs, scrum-halves Teddy Wilson and Angus Grover are named, with Phipps providing extra competition for the nine jersey. Grover, 18, was a key part of the Australia U20s’ squad at the recent tournament in Georgia and is an exciting prospect.
Joey Fowler looks set to line up in the fly-half position ahead of his first season of Super Rugby Pacific in 2027, with the contracts of Max Burey and Bernard Foley not starting until pre-season in November.
Sid Harvey and James Hendren are named in the outside backs, with both having made a significant impact in last year’s competition. Hendren scored four tries against the Reds in Narrabri in Round 2, while Harvey was metronomic from the tee, kicking 17/19 attempts during the tournament.
The Waratahs will begin their title defence in Bungendore on Sunday 13 September against the Brumbies (2PM kick-off), before travelling to Roma to face the Reds on Saturday 19 September (5:45PM kick-off) as part of the Santos Festival of rugby.
They then face the Western Force at Rat Park on Sunday 27 September (1PM kick-off) with the top two of the four teams taking each other on in the Grand Final on Saturday 3 October.
NSW Waratahs: 2026 Swftyx Super Rugby Aus squad
Forwards:
- Miles Amatosero
- Toby Brial
- Luca Cleverley
- Brady Dawson
- Ethan Dobbins
- Eamon Doyle
- Folau Faingaa
- Oniti Finau
- Isaac Fonua
- Tom Girle
- Will Goddard
- Isaac Kailea
- Tom Lambert
- Edwin Langi
- Marshall Le Maitre
- Joe Mangelsdorf
- Tyler Maybery
- Apolosi Ranawai
- Luke Reimer
- Pete Samu
- Angus Scott-Young
- Justice Taumoepeau
- Nate Tiitii
- Lotu Vunipolu
Backs:
- Latrell Smiler Ah-Koing
- Charlie Bird
- Nick Chan
- Joey Fowler
- Angus Grover
- Jack Hardy
- Sid Harvey
- James Hendren
- Nick Phipps
- George Poolman
- Otto Serfontein
- Hadley Tonga
- Freedom Vahaakolo
- Teddy Wilson
NSW Waratahs: 2026 Swyftx Super Rugby Aus fixtures
- Round 1: ACT Brumbies v NSW Waratahs – Sunday 13 September (2PM kick-off), Bungendore Sports Hub, Bungendore
- Round 2: Queensland Reds v NSW Waratahs - Saturday 19 September (5:45PM kick off), Fox Gallas Park, Roma
- Round 3: NSW Waratahs v Western Force - Sunday 27 September (1PM kick-off), Pittwater Rugby Park, Sydney
- Grand Final: 1 v 2 – Saturday 3 October, venue TBC
