Ben Donaldson Returns as Force Vs Waratahs Ends Finals Race
Ben Donaldson returned from a quad injury for force vs waratahs at HBF Park in Perth, giving the Western Force a boost for the final round of the Super Rugby Pacific regular season. Neither side could reach the finals, but the match still carried weight because Wallabies positions were up for grabs.
Donaldson Back For Force
Donaldson started at flyhalf in the Force XV after missing time with the quad issue. The home side also had Harry Johnson-Holmes, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Misinale Epenisa, Jeremy Williams, Darcy Swain, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Carlo Tizzano, Vailoni Ekuasi, Nathan Hastie, Dylan Pietsch, Hamish Stewart, George Bridge, Zac Lomax and Mac Grealy alongside him.
The Force had already beaten the Waratahs earlier in the year in Sydney, so this meeting came with a recent head-to-head edge. This one followed a different path into Perth, with the Force trying to finish the regular season on a high rather than chase a playoff place.
Waratahs Bring Back Wallabies
The Waratahs arrived after a home defeat to the ACT Brumbies, then restored Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Pete Samu and Jake Gordon to the starting side. Jack Barrett, Ioane Moananu, Dan Botha, Matt Philip, Miles Amatosero, Angus Scott-Young, Jamie Adamson, Jack Bowen, Andrew Kellaway, Joey Walton, Harry Potter and Max Jorgensen filled out the line-up.
Those returns mattered because the Waratahs still had selection spots to sort through even with the finals out of reach. The Force had the same incentive, with the match doubling as a late-season audition for players trying to strengthen their case before the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.
HBF Park Selection Fight
This was not about playoff position. It was about who looked ready when the season closes and the selection picture tightens.
Donaldson’s return, along with the Waratahs’ trio of Wallabies back in the fold, gave the final round a sharper edge than the ladder said it should have. For both clubs, the performance at HBF Park could shape what comes next in Perth and Sydney, even with the standings already settled.
