Why this week of Super Rugby Pacific is a Wallabies audition

The Western Force are only one of two teams that head into round-3 with a ledger of 2-0 and the Queensland Reds will be eager to stamp their authority on who is the best Aussie side, early in the competition. 

Although the ACT Brumbies and the Force already battled it out last weekend in the first Aussie derby, the hype of the contest was mainly centred around the apparent divide in class of the two teams rather than player matchups. 

This weekend there are Wallaby hopefuls competing in almost every jersey from no.1-23, and it’s worth taking a moment to size the two sides up and highlight where the biggest battles lie. 

The front row 

The game is won and lost upfront, and you can’t further forward than the frontrow. 

Wallaby hookers Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Matt Faessler will literally go head-to-head, hoping their throws are true, and scrums are tightly bound. 

Although these two are certain locks for the Wallabies, who starts and who plays second fiddle is still up for contention. 

BPA, although he is coming off the pine, must nail his detail at lineout time while Faessler must show he has the starch to keep the Force pack at bay, at both scrum time and in the loose. 

Likewise, Nic Dolly will be vying for the attention of Schmidt; to show he is ready for Test level, While Josh Nasser and Zane Nonggorr try to convince Schmidt they should be retained for the July Tests. 

An undercard in this frontrow contest is the battle of the next gen, Marley Pearce against Massimo De Lutiis, both have careers in gold awaiting them but who shines brightest in this clash will be intriguing to watch. 

Second row 

Perhaps the most important battle of them all, and it is nearly an all-Wallaby affair, with the storylines writing themselves. 

Darcy Swain went across the Nullarbor to find redemption and a way to reignite his Wallabies hopes, a massive shift against his old club in Canberra last weekend was a great first step. 

He just went about his business, laying blokes out, being a tactical menace and performing well at the lineout. He will want to make sure he nails his lineout calling this week. 

This week he’s without his captain, Jeremy Williams, and in his place steps a forgotten Wallaby in Sam Carter, who brings a hefty weight of experience and tall timber to the lineout equation. 

The Force’s duo will have their hands full containing the Reds’ Ryan Smith, who had the biggest engine of any lock in SRP 2024, and he looks to be in for a season of much of the same. 

Smith was one of the unluckiest players last year, after initially being selected by Schmidt only to be released a couple weeks later, he did however feature for Australia XV. 

Smith is Test match material; he just has to show it once again this season. 

His partner, Angus Blyth must show coach Les Kiss and Schmidt, that he can be the bully, the enforcer, that every side needs at tighthead lock. 

The backrow 

Fraser McReight versus Carlo Tizzano is worth the price of admission on its own, this clash is monumental. 

McReight is the favoured son and has the best link game of any openside in the world, but he will need to put his head into some dark places to keep the Force from notching three wins in a row. 

Off the field, Tizzano is winning hearts and minds through social media, but on the field, no one can fault his workload or effort. 

One clear difference which is already evident in his game this season is his ball carry, he showed against Moana Pasifika and the Brumbies that he is now a gainline ball runner, something which will boost coach Simon Cron’s gameplan immensely. 

While both will be judged on their tackle and pilfer counts, how they both round out their respective games, will be what stands out for those of us who delve into the detail. 

 A worthy side dish to this melee is the prospect of seeing Wallabies Seru Uru, and captain Harry Wilson, as well as Wallaby-hopeful Nick Champion de Crespigny battle it out. 

The return of former Wallaby captain Liam Wright should also not be missed. 

The halves 

Nic White against Tate McDermott is a match-up where the victor will be judged on their ability to control the game. 

While each player has their individual strengths, the Wallabies need a game manager, and these two must step up. 

Likewise, Ben Donaldson against Tom Lynagh is a battle between the two men who played second and third fiddle respectively in 2025, to Brumbies’ pivot Noah Lolesio. 

Early doors, it’s Donaldson who has the spotlight, however, it’s not the 83rd minute runaway try which has him at top spot, it’s his accurate goal kicking, and it’s something which must be accompanied by the astute steering of his team. 

For Lynagh, the systems at the Reds aid him immensely but how things will go now without the experienced Hunter Paisami, will be interesting. 

Centres 

Hamish Stewart at no.12 for the Force and Josh Flook at no.13 for the Reds will be the battle of the Wallaby outsiders, while both now are capped, neither had particularly convincing performances in gold. 

Both must show Schmidt they can punch over the gain line, something which was missing last year. 

A brief mention must go the Force’s Reesjan Pasitoa, who is coming off two years on the sidelines with injury. 

Before his horror run of injuries he was touted as the next big thing, and the copious time off the field has seen him put on some size, which has seen coach Cron select him at outside centre this weekend. 

Previously he was a flyhalf, an interesting choice, let’s see how it goes. 

Back three 

The Force’s wing duo of Dylan Peitsch and Harry Potter against the Reds’ Filipo Daugunu and Lachie Anderson will be a fierce contest. 

Pietsch, Daugunu, and Anderson are the heavy hitters, all are physical and abrasive, with both Force boys playing flanker at school. 

Potter on the other hand is deceptively quick and has a knack for finding himself at the right place at the right time. 

The benches 

While on paper it looks like the Reds may win the battle of the starting XV, the Force have the experience to lay claim to winning the war with a stronger looking bench. 

Both coaches will have to be very strategic with their replacements, and it will be intriguing to see who pulls the trigger first on their respective bomb squads. 

While both the Force and Reds have showed great attacking prowess, scoring 45 and 56-points respectively last round, the key to victory in Perth will be defence, for they both shipped more than 35-points each last weekend. 

If the Force can hold the Reds to a low score in the first 40-minutes, then they have a genuine chance of winning three on the bounce.