mens
super-rugby-pacific
363 days after the heartbreak of narrow defeat in the inaugural Super Rugby AUS Grand Final, Western Force went one better by beating defending champions NSW Waratahs 53-26 at Perth’s Scotch College.
Winger Dylan Pietsch, 95-Test Wallaby Kurtley Beale and Australia Sevens representative Wallace Charlie was all impressed as the Force ran away with a clear score.
It’s a title drought breaking for the Force, with the men’s team last winning silver at the Global Rapid Rugby and National Rugby Championships in 2019. The Force made the play-offs two years later in Super Rugby AU, but another title awaited.
The Force secured a home decider in the first ever Super Rugby AUS campaign but were defeated by the Waratahs 33-26 on 5 October 2025. But the Perth outfit made history on 3 October 2026, ending a seven-year wait to taste title victory.
One time England whore Nic Dolly lifted the Super Rugby AUS trophy on a skiing afternoon in Western Australia as the Force ran in a flurry of tries to make the 2026 grand final a dominant display.
This is the second meeting between the two sides in the space of a week, with the Force securing another decider at home with a third-round win over Taha. The Force couldn’t have started better, with Beale setting up Jackson Loose after five minutes.
Beale was outstanding during the first quarter, in particular, with the return of the company that set up Pietsch in the 10.th a minute with a high pass. The ball hit Pietsch in the chest, and the winger stuck his ears and jumped for a corner.
The Force raced into a 12-nil lead in the blink of an eye and the home side continued to keep the pressure on. Iose was cleared by Latrell Smiler Ah-Kiong, with the ball in touch.
It was Force ball and captain Dolly benefited from a well-worked move down the right touchline. Dolly ran about 20 meters down the sideline, before going inside and crashing over for the Force’s third try of the afternoon.
The Force had already made their mark on the scoreboard when flanker Jack Daly ran over the ball to win a penalty for the marauders. New South Wales got into a scoring position but Daly started to defend with the Force practically on their line.
Then, at 10 p.mn.d minute, Beale sent a monstrous 50/22 downfield – with the boot finding the ball about a meter outside the Force’s 22. But no points were scored for the next 15 minutes or so, before Australia Sevens representative Charlie produced some individual magic.
Charlie slotted through the gap with a brilliant short ball, before the winger raced downfield and beat covering defender Otto Serfontein with a quick change of pace. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips added the extras and the Force led 26-0.
The Tahs had the final say at half-time though, with Charlie Bird crashing over for an important score just before the break. But with the conversion missing the mark, Force finished top 40 by a wide margin.
Daly and Albert Alcock each added five more points to the hosts’ lead, trading two tries with the Tahs during the third quarter. But the rest of the final was practically one-way traffic, with Pietsch and Charlie standing out.
Pietsch scored two tries in six minutes, completing a memorable hat-trick in just his second game back from injury. Charlie completed the double with a 72n.d-minute effort while the strength crossed the barrier of 50 points.
Australian Hadley Week flyer Tonga ran in a consolation try in the final three minutes but the Force did more than enough to claim the trophy. More than 75 points were scored in an entertaining Super Rugby AUS Grand Final 2026 in the West.
