Four teams become two this weekend as the Western Force and the NSW Waratahs head on a collision course to Wannaroo for the Super Rugby AUS final.
The visitors will be coming in hot off the back of a 42-34 win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra.
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The Force, meanwhile, were given a wakeup call by the Queensland Reds, with the Sunshine State running out 47-22 victors at Tompkins Park in Perth.
The result saw several stars from the Reds and Waratahs announce themselves as potential starters for next year’s Super Rugby Pacific season, carrying over their form from previous weeks.
Rugby Australia's High Performance staff select their Team of the Week from Round Three.
The Reds’ prop had a strong day out against the Western Force, spearheading a dominant scrum across his 55-minute performance.
With a perfect defensive record, what was more impressive was his discipline, not conceding a single error throughout the entire match.
One of the hooker’s best matches in the sky blue jersey. Across 71 minutes, Dobbins made 15 tackles without a miss, eight carries and bumped one tackle on his way to scoring a try.
Complete with 16 lineout throws and 16 lineout wins, it was a performance that sets him in good standing for a tough assignment this weekend.
The big man scored a try against the Force, but in combination with Fa’agase, Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen’s real success came at the scrum with not a single error made, putting the Force set piece to the sword.
Playing for the full match, Charlie Brosnan attempted the most number of tackles across the whole weekend, with 17 attempted.
Partnering well with Joe Brial in the lineout, the young lock showed his great potential as a hard workhorse for Les Kiss’ side next year.
In another 80-minute performance, Ben Grant didn’t just come up with a try, but really took ownership of the lineout space with Miles Amatosero.
The result bodes well for Dan McKellar’s side that the engine room will be competitive next year, once Wallaby Matt Phillip returns from his suspension.
Further adding to the competitive loose-forward options, Clem Halaholo threw his hat into the ring across his 66-minute performance.
Ending with a perfect defensive record and busting a tackle, Halaholo was everywhere in Canberra, being rewarded for his efforts with a try.
The Englishman makes his second consecutive appearance in the team of the week, this time going one step better from his second-round antics.
Picking up two tries, Adamson’s physicality was impressive, bumping off four tackles, making a line break, and causing all sorts of problems for the Brumbies.
Completing a loose forward clean sweep for the Waratahs, Leafi Talataina made six carries and busted a tackle, serving a third handy lineout option for the visitors.
His work helped the Tahs gain the ascendancy at set piece, which proved critical to win in Viking Park.
The first Brumby to make the list, Thorn went toe-to-toe with Kalani Thomas for the best halfback performance of the weekend.
While Thomas did well in the west, Thorn pipped him at the post for his attack versatility, making a linebreak and a try assist for the Brumbies, with his long-range intercept try the icing on the cake.
While Thomas was pipped at halfback, his running mate couldn’t be denied. Up against an incumbent Wallaby in blustery conditions in Perth, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips thrived.
Making a linebreak and busting a tackle, the Reds fly-half excelled off the boot, hitting six out of seven conversions in challenging conditions.
One of the breakout stars of the tournament, Sid Harvey, makes his second consecutive appearance in the team of the week, and nails down the left wing.
Busting two tackles, making a linebreak and playing a major part in the aerial contest, Harvey finished with a perfect night off the kicking tee - quickly rising up the ranks as one of Australia’s best kickers.
Jarrah McLeod has advanced in leaps and bounds across the 2025 season, and this match showed how exciting an option he is for the Brumbies in 2026.
With this match seeing the centre fix up his defence, the big successes came in a barnstorming attack, breaking five tackles, making a linebreak, and capping it off with two tries.
The Western Force backline is a big reason why the side is in the final, and it would take a special player to shut them down effectively.
A major distributor in the backline, Wallaby Josh Flook proved able to unleash the weapons outside him, playing a major part in the Reds’ first-half blitz.
Speaking of Reds weapons, Xavier Rubens had a breakout weekend for the Queensland side, arguably being best on park in the first half with two tries inside ten minutes.
Outside scoring, he also made 12 tackles, busted three defenders and made two linebreaks, making a compelling case to Les Kiss to have him in the mix for the Reds’ back three calculations.
Finishing with his second consecutive appearance in the team of the week, James Hendren may not have scored four tries like in Narribri, but in every other aspect, the Waratah picked up exactly where he left off in round two.
Making 11 carries, beating three defenders and making a linebreak and offload, the fullback is showing himself to be an exciting attacking weapon for the men in sky blue.
