The Western Force will welcome back three Wallabies to the starting line-up for Saturday night’s Swyftx Super Rugby Pacific Round 10 encounter with the Crusaders at HBF Park, while Zac Lomax will make his starting debut.
Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Carlo Tizzano will all return to the Force XV following lay-offs in a welcome boost for Saturday’s ‘Party At The Park’ game that kicks off at 7:55pm WST.
The game will also be a major milestone for Harry Johnson-Holmes who will bring up his 100th Super Rugby cap, with the prop named among the reserves.
Loosehead prop Robertson and lock Swain return after missing last round’s narrow defeat to the Fijian Drua in Lautoka due to head injury protocols and illness respectively.
Tizzano is back at openside flanker after missing the past two games due to a knee injury sustained against the Chiefs in Round 7.
UWA forward Jack Daly, who started at openside flanker in the past two games, is unavailable in head injury protocols from the Drua game.
Recent recruit Lomax comes into the Force starting side on the right wing following an exciting 20-minute cameo in Fiji to mark his debut.
Scrum-half Nathan Hastie also returns among the reserves following two games out with a rib issue.
Johnson-Holmes is named among the impacts for his 100th Super Rugby appearance. Johnson-Holmes joined the Force in late 2024 after 91 caps for the NSW Waratahs. He has overcome back-to-back Achilles and ACL injuries to bring up triple figures, having not missed a game this season.
In the run-on side, Robertson will team up with Wallabies hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Tongan tighthead Misinale Epenisa – who scored his maiden Super Rugby try last weekend – on the front row.
Skipper Jeremy Williams links up with Swain in the second row, with Tizzano joining vice-captain Nick Champion de Crespigny and number 8 Vaiolini Ekuasi on the back row.
Scrum-half Henry Robertson and fly-half Ben Donaldson will start together for the fifth straight game. Bayley Kuenzle runs on again at inside-centre with former All Blacks star George Bridge reverting to outside-centre from the wing.
Wallaby Dylan Pietsch – who scored in his second game back from a foot injury last round – starts on the left wing, with Lomax to run on from the right edge. Mac Grealy rounds out the back three at full-back.
The reserves are Nic Dolly, Sef Fa’agase, 100-gamer Johnson-Holmes, Franco Molina, Will Harris, Hastie, Hamish Stewart and Kurtley Beale.
If he plays, Beale will notch up his 182nd Super Rugby game, moving into outright fifth in competition history.
For the later 7:55pm kick-off, the Force will put on a range of entertainment in a flashback to the Global Rapid Rugby days, with fireworks, pyrotechnics, a saxophonist, DJs and a bucking bull among the activities.
Fans on Field will return for the first time this season and take place after the game. Tickets are sale from $28 for adults and $22 for students via Ticketmaster.
Meanwhile, in-form winger Darby Lancaster has been ruled out for the remainder of the Super Rugby season after scans last week revealed a medial ligament rupture in his ankle.
Game details
Western Force vs Crusaders
Saturday 18 April, 7:55pm WST
HBF Park, Perth
Live on Stan Sport (TV) & 91.3 SportFM (radio)
Western Force team list
1 Tom Robertson
2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa
3 Misinale Epenisa
4 Jeremy Williams (c)
5 Darcy Swain
6 Nick Champion de Crespigny (vc)
7 Carlo Tizzano
8 Vaiolini Ekuasi
9 Henry Robertson
10 Ben Donaldson (vc)
11 Dylan Pietsch
12 Bayley Kuenzle
13 George Bridge
14 Zac Lomax
15 Mac Grealy
Reserves; 16 Nic Dolly, 17 Sef Fa’agase, 18 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Will Harris, 21 Nathan Hastie, 22 Hamish Stewart, 23 Kurtley Beale
SKG Radiology Unavailable List
Jack Daly (head injury) – return to play protocols
Feao Fotuaika (foot) – short term
Taj Annan (knee) – medium term
Ronan Leahy (knee) – medium term
Doug Philipson (knee) – medium term
Alex Harford (shoulder) – long term
Darby Lancaster (ankle) – season
