"Ecstatic" - Western Force boss delighted ahead of Wallaby star’s first appearance

Two defeats from two have left the Force propping up the table, but head coach Simon Cron is refusing to let early setbacks define his side’s season.

Heavy home losses to the Brumbies (56–24) and the Blues (42–32) exposed defensive frailties, yet Cron has instead highlighted growth within the group as they head offshore for three consecutive fixtures. The mood in camp, he insists, remains strong.

"This is probably the tightest group we've had at the Force and what I mean by that is there are quite a lot of similar personality types, some differences but they've all pretty driven. Being on tours, we've only been here for a couple of days, but it is really good and this morning as coaches we were just watching them engage with the team within team stuff and the connection they need to have in certain areas of the game, and they've been really good around it. It's quite nice to be on the road with them."

If cohesion is key to turning performances into results, the inclusion of Darby Lancaster could prove transformative. The 22-year-old winger is set for his first start in Force colours following his off-season switch from the Waratahs. Lancaster arrives with serious pedigree, having broken into the Wallabies set-up in 2024 and later featuring for Australia A.

Cron could barely hide his excitement at unleashing the flyer on the edge.

"From the moment he came over to us and started training and working with the team, he's been so exciting and I'm so ecstatic to get him back. He's got x-factor, he's got speed, he's a student of the game, we've really enjoyed him in our team. And on our edges, it would be great to get someone with the experience that he has so it's awesome."

For a side that has shown attacking promise but struggled to defend on the edges consistently, Lancaster’s pace and instinct may offer the cutting edge they have lacked. His ability to beat defenders one-on-one and stretch defensive lines could be crucial against a physical Moana Pasifika outfit.

At scrum-half, new signing Nathan Hastie continues to steer the ship, starting for the third successive match. Cron emphasised the healthy competition in the No.9 jersey:

"We've got three great halfbacks this year, which is really nice for us, a lot of the time we battle with the depth but I think halfback is one where we've got three guys that we are more than comfortable playing in any of the games. If you look at Hastie, he is really good at testing 10 and 20 defenders, he has tendency to scroop very well, he's got a beautiful kicking game on front-foot ball… We're really talking two, three, four per cent differences between the halfbacks so it's a very tight position and we trust all three of them."

Selection continuity has also been deliberate as the squad navigates this travel block. This weekend will mark their first away game of three in a row on New Zealand soil, with Cron's side travelling to the Highlanders and Hurricanes in the next few weeks, before returning to Perth.

"There's a combination piece there. We had discussions this week about guys in certain positions and the big point for us was not to change too much in the first three games, give them a chance to help, because you can see that combinations are important.

"Cohesion at the Force has always been a big one because of the turnover of players so we're just trying to help give guys their best crack at it. Then we will start making a couple of changes as we progress just because we have guys in behind that we trust to do the job and they'll do a good job for the team. It's going to be week-by-week and combination based as best we can."