Round Eight of Super Rugby Pacific was all about one Australian team in a shortened weekend of action.
The Western Force stunned the Queensland Reds for a comprehensive win at Suncorp Stadium to keep themselves in the race for finals football.
Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season live and on demand via Stan Sport.
Meanwhile, it was a night to forget for the NSW Waratahs against the Chiefs as the ACT Brumbies enjoyed the bye.
Rugby.com.au selects its team of the week from the Australian sides in Round Eight.
The Reds established dominance at scrum-time early, with Ross and Bloomfield going to work against their respective props.
This, along with massive tackle hauls for Ross (21) and Bloomfield (10), earns the pair the nods over their Force counterparts.
Paenga-Amosa stops an all-Queensland shutout after an excellent night around the park for the hooker. He led both sides for carries (15), missed just one throw from 15 and got a five-pointer for good measure
Molina had the dream game for any second-rower, crossing for a remarkable hat-trick.
It was a powerful display from the Los Pumas lock, only adding to his cult hero status.
He partners with Salakaia-Loto, the Reds' enforcer, who was powerful across the park.
Both captains from Saturday’s game earn selection after a back-and-forth contest at ruck time.
Champion de Crespigny lifted his game with no Jeremy Williams, showing great hands for a sharp try before the break.
As for McReight, he almost suffers from the high standards he’s set in the past, with the flanker near perfect in defence with 19 tackles and a turnover.
Samu rounds out the forwards after the Waratah was one of few standouts for the NSW side in a heavy defeat to the Chiefs, crossing for his debut win sky blue to go with several turnovers.
The Force duo of Robertson and Donaldson were damaging across the park, tormenting the Reds in attack.
Robertson’s distribution was spot on all night and looked lively in attack, getting a well-deserved try towards the end of the game.
Meanwhile, Donaldson set up three line breaks and a try as he looked back at the form that saw him the primary playmaker at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The Force dominance continues into the midfield after Kuenzle and Bridge just got the better of Hunter Paisami and Josh Flook.
Kuenzle was a surprising breakdown threat with two steals, shutting down the Reds’ defence in his return from the wing.
Bridge’s experience was also massive, providing some strong carries and support for his outside backs.
Jorgensen stops a remarkable Force clean sweep of the backline but the Wallaby was simply too hard to ignore.
He set up a try, stopped a couple of others in defence and looked a class above every other Waratah on the park.
Jorgensen partners with his old Waratahs teammate Lancaster, with the winger leaping high for an excellent try, although it may cost him several weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
Grealy locks down the fullback position with a huge performance on his return, only fuelling his chances as a Wallabies smoky in 2026.
1. Aidan Ross
2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa
3. Nick Bloomfield
4. Franco Molina
5. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto
6. Nick Champion de Crespigny
7. Fraser McReight
8. Pete Samu
9. Henry Robertson
10. Ben Donaldson
11. Max Jorgensen
12. Bayley Kuenzle
13. George Bridge
14. Darby Lancaster
15. Mac Grealy
