The NSW Waratahs have brought back scrum-half Teddy Wilson for Saturday’s Swyftx Super Rugby AUS Grand Final against the Western Force at Scotch College in Swanbourne (4:30PM kick-off AEST).
Wilson, 23, missed last week’s 17-12 defeat to the same opposition at Warringah Rugby Club due to being rested. The Easts livewire had previously scored three tries in the first two rounds against the Brumbies and the Reds.
He is one of seven changes to the Waratahs starting line-up from last weekend, with prop Edwin Langi, lock Tom Girle, back-rowers Joe Mangelsdorf and Marshall Le Maitre and Randwick centres Charlie Bird and Nick Chan also added.
The latter pair are among the five Shute Shield players in the starting XV, with seven Academy and just three of our Super Rugby Pacific players from 2026.
Head Coach Lachlan McCaffrey was looking forward to seeing his young side bounce back against the Western Force, having won the 2025 Grand Final 33-26 against them in Perth.
“We are in the same boat as we were last year before the Super Rugby AUS Grand Final, with two wins and one loss through the regular rounds,” McCaffrey said.
“We will learn more after a loss like we had against the Force at the weekend. It is better preparation for a final, as we can take learnings from it and put them into practise in training this week.
“In terms of selection, we’ve gone with strong combinations with seven Academy and five Shute Shield players chosen to start who are hungry to compete and prove themselves at this next level.
“We have fond memories of going over to Perth for the final last year and we will have another crack to become back-to-back Super Rugby AUS champions.”
Two of the three Super Rugby players are in the front-row, with loosehead prop Tom Lambert and Ethan Dobbins retaining their places, with the latter scoring two tries in Round 3 last weekend. Tighthead Edwin Langi is recalled to the starting line-up having impressed in the first two rounds of the tournament.
Eamon Doyle leads the side from lock once again, with Easts second-row Tom Girle called in alongside him.
In the back-row, Mangelsdorf and Le Maitre are added to the back-row at blindside and openside flanker respectively. Le Maitre registered excellent statistics against the Reds in Round 2, with eight carries and a try in just 54 minutes of action. 19-year-old Fonua earns his third start on the spin.
Max Burey partners Wilson in the halves, with last year’s Super Rugby AUS player of the year set to face his old side for the second time in two weeks.
In the centres, Bird and Chan make their first starts of the competition. Bird, 19, appeared for Australia U20s at this year’s World Rugby Junior Championships in Georgia and captained Randwick Colts to a 55-21 win over Gordon in their Grand Final earlier this month. While Chan, 25, has spent the last two seasons with RFC Los Angeles and California Legion in the US.
In the back three, there is a shift around with Sid Harvey ruled out through injury. His teammates at Easts Otto Serfontein and Freedom Vahaakolo are named, with Serfontein moving from outside centre to left wing and Vahaakolo from left to right wing. This accommodates Latrell Smiler-Ah Kiong at full-back, who scored in both of the first two games.
On the bench, Folau Faingaa, Angus Scott-Young and Luke Reimer provide depth and experience, while Hadley Tonga, who is a former Australia Sevens international, is named as a backs replacement.
Western Force v NSW Waratahs
Grand Final, Swyftx Super Rugby AUS, 4:30PM AEST kick-off
Scotch College, 76 Shenton Rd, Swanbourne WA 6010
Starting XV:
- Tom Lambert
- Ethan Dobbins
- Edwin Langi
- Eamon Doyle (c)
- Tom Girle
- Joe Mangelsdorf
- Marshall Le Maitre
- Isaac Fonua
- Teddy Wilson
- Max Burey
- Otto Serfontein
- Charlie Bird
- Nick Chan
- Freedom Vahaakolo
- Latrell Smiler-Ah Kiong
Replacements:
16. Folau Faingaa
17. Brady Dawson
18. Will Goddard
19. Toby Brial
20. Angus Scott-Young
21. Luke Reimer
22. Oniti Finau
23. Ben Fuhiniu
24. Hadley Tonga
25. Joe Dillon
