You might think that after a huge turnover of players between the 2023-2024 seasons that Simon Cron and his Western Force would be entering 2025 with a fairly stable squad. If you did think that, well… you’re wrong.
There’s plenty of new cattle, young and old, with an unsurprisingly decent touch of non-eligible Australian players that comes with the territory for teams outside traditional rugby heartlands.
Departures like Izaak Rodda were no doubt unintended but irrespective of that, it sounds like Cron is finally close to the squad he envisioned when he took the job on three or so years ago.
The squad is starting to build depth at the highest level with a sight more players involved in Wallaby programs in 2024 than in years gone by. This comes at a good time for Cron who no doubt wants to push his credentials to coach at that level and the Force will need to show a progression this year (and more importantly next year) for him to do so.
As with any squad that’s gone through significant changes, there’s a number of players who need to demonstrate their worth this year or face the unenviable fall down the pecking order. Let’s look at who they are.
The props
With the exception of Marley Pearce and Tiaan Tauakipulu, all the props in the Western Force stable have to prove their worth.
Harry Johnson Holmes comes west needing to prove he can sufficiently anchor a scrum at tighthead in a way that eluded him at the Tahs. Atu Moli needs to prove he’s worth the chance the Force took on him while Tom Robertson needs to show that his studies haven’t set him back.
Harry Hoopert needs to kick on in a way that he has always promised and Ryan Coxon needs to show he is more than an injury fill-in at this level.
The Force’s fortunes hinge on the front row getting the job done this year.
Tom Horton
Very rarely can Australian Super Rugby squads afford to keep three quality options in positions like hooker, halfback and flyhalf for extended periods of time. With Brendan Paenga-Amosa and Nic Dolly on board, the pressure is on Horton to demonstrate that his greater wage is better than upgrading a development prospect’s contract.
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Lopeti Faifua
Faifua has had an ideal introduction to Super Rugby. Firstly there was a nice slow burn with the Reds and now a gentle introduction while at the Force. He’s got everything you need to succeed as a second rower in Super Rugby. Height, weight, athleticism and we started to see a bit of mongrel from him in 2024.
Getting closer to his mid-20s puts him into that category of player that needs to put the development player tag behind them and start demanding selection week in week out. The pressure is on for the young man but I think he’ll have a cracker of a year in 2025 and establish himself as a fixture in the Force 23.
Will Harris
Part of the standout Australian U20s team that were runners up in 2019, Harris hasn’t kicked on in a way that a lot of his cohort from that team have.
That’s not a knock though when a lot of those players came into the Wallabies program pretty young due to a missing generation of players in their mid to late 20s that should’ve been mainstays in the national team. Harris is now at an age where muscle or bulk stays on easier which sees a lot of blindside and eighth man options start to make their mark.
The Force have picked up two abrasive alternatives in Nick Champion De Crespigny and Vaoilini Ekuasi who both play right across the backrow, while Reed Prinsep has been retained. This puts the pressure on Harris to show he’s ready to be the long term No.8 for the club and if he can do so, with the impending overseas departures of Langi Gleeson and Tom Hooper, he could find himself in green and gold.
Reesjan Pasitoa
You’ve gotta feel for Pasitoa. He was close to the form young Australian 10 in 2022 before injury struck and he’s barely been sighted since.
In his absence, Ben Donaldson has migrated to the Force and become a regular Wallaby squad member, Max Burey has announced himself as a tempo pushing option at flyhalf or fullback and now Coby Miln is looking to make the jump from quality Shute Shield player to quality Super Rugby player.
(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Pasitoa does have a point of difference as five eighth though, as at his best, he’s a much more powerful running option than the alternatives and at 23 he still has all his best rugby ahead of him.
With flyhalf still an issue in Australian rugby, we should all be praying to the rugby gods that this is the year he puts the injury curse behind him.
Bayley Kuenzle
Another player where injury struck at the worst possible time, Kuenzle had played himself into Wallaby squad contention by showing he can capably play every position in the backline bar halfback.
Likely sidelined for all of Super Rugby this year, Kuenzle will need to prove himself again in 2026 and also keep two of the best young centres in the country at bay in Ronan Leahy and Boston Fakafanua.
Ideally for Kuenzle there might be a Super AU in the second half of this year so he can get back onto the field before the younger competition get the jump on him.
