Wallaby Darcy Swain exits Brumbies for Super Rugby rivals

The Western Force today confirmed the signing of 17-cap Wallabies lock Darcy Swain will join the club from the ACT Brumbies upon the conclusion of his 2024 Super Rugby and international commitments.

The Force announced the deal alongside Rugby Australia, with the contract tying him to both organizations until 2026.

The towering 200cm 26-year-old will add quality and leadership plus reinforce depth to the Force’s lock stocks. Swain has earned 17 Wallabies caps, making his international debut in 2021 against France, playing in every match during the victorious three-Test series over Les Bleus.

Born in Babinda in Far North Queensland, Swain made the move to Canberra in 2016 to join the ACT Brumbies Academy. He has since gone on to play a total of 70 matches over six seasons and captained the Brumbies during the current campaign. Swain was part of the ACT squad that won the 2020 Super Rugby AU title.

Force general manager of rugby Chris Goodman said, “We are thrilled to have secured the signature of Darcy who is another quality addition to our squad for the next two seasons. Darcy is in the prime of his career at 26-years-old and brings vast Super Rugby experience plus good exposure at international level with the Wallabies which will be invaluable for our squad. He is hungry to take the next step in his career, so we look forward to Darcy linking up with our squad later in the year.”

Swain said he was excited about the opportunity to join the Force, pointing out head coach Simon Cron’s influence.

“Firstly I’d like to thank the Brumbies for giving me my first opportunity to be a fulfill my dream to become a professional rugby player and for their support since arriving in Canberra in 2016,” said Swain. “The opportunity to go to the Western Force from next year is something I’m really looking forward to and from early discussions with Simon will be a perfect environment to continue to grow as a player on the field and as a person off the field. There’s some really special events coming up in Australian Rugby and I’ll be doing everything I can to be part of them.”

Rugby Australia director of high-performance Peter Horne said, “It’s pleasing to be able to re-sign Darcy for two more years. He’s a player who is driven to improve and continue to contribute to Australian Rugby and has also shown his leadership qualities in recent times with the Brumbies.”

The Brumbies also released a short statement confirming the move.