'It's the right time in my career': Godwin quits Force for Top 14

Western Force vice-captain Kyle Godwin will depart the club at the end of the Super Rugby Pacific season to join Lyon, the French Top 14 side. Godwin rose through the ranks of the future Force foundation academy to make his Super debut as a 19-year-old in 2012.

He has since gone on to notch 100 Super appearances, 76 of which have been for the Force. Godwin moved to the Brumbies for a two-year stint at the end of 2016 and then spent time in Ireland before rejoining the Force in 2020.

The 29-year-old, who notched his one and only Test for the Wallabies in 2016, said it was a tough decision to leave his hometown club. “I left no stone unturned in my decision-making process and have ruminated over it for a considerable amount of time,” Godwin said.

What it was like as a Super Rugby Pacific player at the inaugural Super Round | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

What it was like as a Super Rugby Pacific player at the inaugural Super Round | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

“It is the right time in my career for a new experience and to take on a new challenge. I have loved every minute at the Force. They have given me the opportunity to live out my childhood dreams and nurtured me throughout my entire career, which I’m eternally grateful for.

“The club is moving in an exciting direction with an abundance of young homegrown talent rising through the ranks and I know the future is bright for the Force.” The Force are currently clinging to eighth spot with a 2-6 record, and they face the ladder-leading Blues (8-1) at HBF Park on Friday night.