Western Force lock Darcy Swain thankful for teammates and coaches in helping him earn Wallabies recall
When Western Force lock Darcy Swain says 'credit to the boys' he is not simply throwing out a cliche for the sake of it. He genuinely means it.
Two and a half years after his last Wallabies match, the second rower is on the precipice of a return from the Test wilderness after an excellent first season for the Force.
Swain will be one of five Force players who will potentially get more than one crack at the British and Irish Lions, starting this Saturday in the tourists opening match of their nine-game itinerary against the Force at Optus Stadium.
The second-rower formed one of Super Rugby's most formidable lock combinations with Force skipper Jeremy Williams, with Swain leading all comers with 86 line-out wins this season and the duo combining for 15 set-piece steals.
And Swain credited the environment fostered by the Force coaches and players which had helped him enjoy such a strong debut season out west.
'It' a young, really motivated group here. Guys like Carlo (Tizzano) and Jez (Williams), I see the work they put in and it motivates me a little bit more to be that little bit more professional and learn a few things off them,' he said.
'The minutes as well, playing a lot of minutes, and having to put more time into my body and more time in the computer, those little things really helped me.
'The work of 'SAS' (forwards coach Tom Donnelly) and the sort of collaboration he's done this year with the boys, Lopeti Faifua and Josh Thompson, these young fellas too.
'We all come into the meeting room at the start of the week, we sit down and we talk line-outs, attack, defence. We just nut it out, there's questions, we're sort of arguing with each other, it's really productive and I've loved being a part of that.'
Swain, along with fellow Wallabies call-ups Nic White, Dylan Pietsch, Nick Champion de Crespigny and Tom Robertson, will get a first look at the Lions on Saturday for the Force, and the 17-capped Wallaby was thrilled to stay in Perth a little bit longer.
'I would have been pretty disappointed if they took me away, because I really wanted to play for the Force against against the Lions,' he said.
'If I do get that opportunity, it's one that I'm not going to want to look back on and regret a few things.
'I just want to try and make sure really empty the pot this week, get my preparation right, and Saturday will look after itself, but I want to invest in the week.'
Swain sought feedback from Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and assistants Geoff Parling and Laurie Fisher as he plotted his Test comeback, having not pulled on the gold jersey since 2022.
'There was a lot of stuff around my physicality and the breakdown and my carry, a lot around my body height and leg drive and the fundamentals of a tight five player,' he said.
One of his last games for the Wallabies came at Optus Stadium against England, and ended in a red card for a headbutt on Jonny Hill — but Swain said he had grown a lot since that unhappy memory, and his support network had played their role in his return to the national team.
'I'm very grateful for my partner, my son, my family, close friends who have put a lot of faith in me and supported me through life,' he said.
'I've had a lot of people corner over the last two years and they've helped me stay motivated. I always believed in myself, that I could get back here, and now it's just trying to get back into the 23 and just keep working on myself.
'I've always felt like I like I was going to get back here, it was just a matter of time.'
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West Australian
42 minutes ago
- West Australian
Western Force star Dylan Pietsch hoping for British and Irish Lions rematch after superb showing in opener
Western Force star Dylan Pietsch is quick to acknowledge he loves the big games and accompanying huge arenas and massive moments under lights. After his impressive showing against the British and Irish Lions at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, it bodes well for the Wallabies. Wearing a jersey designed by Pietsch himself made specially for the one-off match, the Force were not done justice by the 54-7 scoreline but Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will have liked what he saw from the winger. The 27 year-old will head east to link up with the rest of the Wallabies squad ahead of their clash with Fiji in Newcastle next Sunday and while Australia have a crowded outside back contingent, Pietsch made a strong case. Whether he was elevating and hanging in the air to steal away kicks for the hosts, or dragging desperate defenders across the gain-line, Pietsch was a constant headache for the tourists. 'I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin and I know what I've got, so I don't try to have that chip on my shoulder,' Pietsch said post-game. 'It was awesome, it's hard not to get up for that game. I love playing big games, and playing against the Lions, you're not going to get much bigger. 'When you come into the occasion, you can either kind of fold or lean into it and I always try to lean into it.' When Pietsch departed the match just after the hour mark, he led all comers for carries (11) and running metres (74). Force captain Nic White, who teed Pietsch to snaffle their opening kick restart of the game, labelled his teammate's game as 'outstanding'. 'Really good in the air. He's fun to kick to and he just wants the ball. He's a big body out there and caused some serious headaches,' White said. 'He really rose to the occasion. He's one of the guys that when we talk about really enjoying it out there, the big occasion, big crowd, playing against the best in the north, he just wanted it and it was infectious.' For Pietsch, his Force performance satiated his thirst for game time after he missed seven weeks with a 25cm tear in his quad in the second half of the season, only returning for the final match of the season against the Waratahs. 'I was just excited to play again and get the ball in hands and see what happened. It's big part of my game, as I try to be very physical and if you see that week in and week out, I'm doing my job right,' Pietsch said. But Pietsch is not ready to put the cue in the rack just yet, as he eyes up facing them in a green and gold jersey nexts. 'I'm just really excited that I played for the Force against the Lions and in the jersey of design is the best thing and I'm going to camp next week to prep the boys for the Fiji game,' he said. 'Playing the Lions is one of the biggest things, that was so fun out there, and to be able to potentially do it again is definitely a big thing.'
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Lions hold off on SOS despite latest scrumhalf injury
British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has downplayed the need to send out a scrumhalf SOS despite Tomos Williams suffering a hamstring injury during Saturday's 54-7 win over the Western Force. Williams injured his left hamstring while acrobatically diving over for his second try of the night in the eight-tries-to-one romp over the Force. The 30-year-old was clearly in pain as he limped from the field in the 47th minute, putting the rest of his tour in doubt. Fellow scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park was unavailable for the match due to a recent glute injury, but it's hopeful he will be fit to tackle the Queensland Reds on Wednesday night. If there is any doubt on Gibson-Park, it would leave Alex Mitchell as the last No.9 standing at present. Scrumhalf Ben White is currently with the Scotland international side in New Zealand for a match against the Maori All Blacks, and could be called upon if needed. But Farrell played down the need to call in reinforcements just yet, expressing confidence in Gibson-Park's fitness, and saying he wants to wait longer to see the severity of Williams' injury. "Jamison's fit and ready to go, and has been training fully now for the best part of the week, so we're happy with that," Farrell said. "But you don't know until you know (about Williams' injury). "We have to let these things settle down and see what the outcome is, giving it a little bit of space. "We need to talk about that and assess that and make the right call for the group. We have our fingers crossed." One of the brightest points out of Saturday's game for the Lions was the performance of No.8 Henry Pollock, who looked every bit the future superstar he's being touted to become. Pollock's bullocking runs proved troublesome for the Force, and the 20-year-old showcased his creativity with a chip-and-chase that led to a second-half try to lock Joe McCarthy. "I thought he was brilliant," stand-in Lions captain Dan Sheehan said. "He does his own thing. He has his own way of playing. He's probably different to a lot of the forwards. "I enjoy that kind of rugby, off the cuff, see what's in front of you, and make it happen. "And with his sort of skill set and speed, he can, he can certainly make it happen." The Lions will head to Brisbane on Sunday ahead of Wednesday night's clash with the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium. Farrell was happy with his team's performance against the Force, with the five-try blitz in the second half particularly impressive. But he is also well aware there are plenty of areas to improve. The Lions were dominated in the possession and territory stakes in the first half, and their more fancied scrum could only break even against the Force. The tourists also struggled with their kick-off receives, and lost Pollock on the stroke of half-time to a yellow card due to an accumulation of team infringements. "Our discipline for one," Farrell said when asked about areas to improve on. "You mentioned kick-offs there, so it's a good warning for us, isn't it? "I thought we got a bit lateral at times, not engaging enough, and tried to be too tidy attack-wise at times." British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has downplayed the need to send out a scrumhalf SOS despite Tomos Williams suffering a hamstring injury during Saturday's 54-7 win over the Western Force. Williams injured his left hamstring while acrobatically diving over for his second try of the night in the eight-tries-to-one romp over the Force. The 30-year-old was clearly in pain as he limped from the field in the 47th minute, putting the rest of his tour in doubt. Fellow scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park was unavailable for the match due to a recent glute injury, but it's hopeful he will be fit to tackle the Queensland Reds on Wednesday night. If there is any doubt on Gibson-Park, it would leave Alex Mitchell as the last No.9 standing at present. Scrumhalf Ben White is currently with the Scotland international side in New Zealand for a match against the Maori All Blacks, and could be called upon if needed. But Farrell played down the need to call in reinforcements just yet, expressing confidence in Gibson-Park's fitness, and saying he wants to wait longer to see the severity of Williams' injury. "Jamison's fit and ready to go, and has been training fully now for the best part of the week, so we're happy with that," Farrell said. "But you don't know until you know (about Williams' injury). "We have to let these things settle down and see what the outcome is, giving it a little bit of space. "We need to talk about that and assess that and make the right call for the group. We have our fingers crossed." One of the brightest points out of Saturday's game for the Lions was the performance of No.8 Henry Pollock, who looked every bit the future superstar he's being touted to become. Pollock's bullocking runs proved troublesome for the Force, and the 20-year-old showcased his creativity with a chip-and-chase that led to a second-half try to lock Joe McCarthy. "I thought he was brilliant," stand-in Lions captain Dan Sheehan said. "He does his own thing. He has his own way of playing. He's probably different to a lot of the forwards. "I enjoy that kind of rugby, off the cuff, see what's in front of you, and make it happen. "And with his sort of skill set and speed, he can, he can certainly make it happen." The Lions will head to Brisbane on Sunday ahead of Wednesday night's clash with the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium. Farrell was happy with his team's performance against the Force, with the five-try blitz in the second half particularly impressive. But he is also well aware there are plenty of areas to improve. The Lions were dominated in the possession and territory stakes in the first half, and their more fancied scrum could only break even against the Force. The tourists also struggled with their kick-off receives, and lost Pollock on the stroke of half-time to a yellow card due to an accumulation of team infringements. "Our discipline for one," Farrell said when asked about areas to improve on. "You mentioned kick-offs there, so it's a good warning for us, isn't it? "I thought we got a bit lateral at times, not engaging enough, and tried to be too tidy attack-wise at times." British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has downplayed the need to send out a scrumhalf SOS despite Tomos Williams suffering a hamstring injury during Saturday's 54-7 win over the Western Force. Williams injured his left hamstring while acrobatically diving over for his second try of the night in the eight-tries-to-one romp over the Force. The 30-year-old was clearly in pain as he limped from the field in the 47th minute, putting the rest of his tour in doubt. Fellow scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park was unavailable for the match due to a recent glute injury, but it's hopeful he will be fit to tackle the Queensland Reds on Wednesday night. If there is any doubt on Gibson-Park, it would leave Alex Mitchell as the last No.9 standing at present. Scrumhalf Ben White is currently with the Scotland international side in New Zealand for a match against the Maori All Blacks, and could be called upon if needed. But Farrell played down the need to call in reinforcements just yet, expressing confidence in Gibson-Park's fitness, and saying he wants to wait longer to see the severity of Williams' injury. "Jamison's fit and ready to go, and has been training fully now for the best part of the week, so we're happy with that," Farrell said. "But you don't know until you know (about Williams' injury). "We have to let these things settle down and see what the outcome is, giving it a little bit of space. "We need to talk about that and assess that and make the right call for the group. We have our fingers crossed." One of the brightest points out of Saturday's game for the Lions was the performance of No.8 Henry Pollock, who looked every bit the future superstar he's being touted to become. Pollock's bullocking runs proved troublesome for the Force, and the 20-year-old showcased his creativity with a chip-and-chase that led to a second-half try to lock Joe McCarthy. "I thought he was brilliant," stand-in Lions captain Dan Sheehan said. "He does his own thing. He has his own way of playing. He's probably different to a lot of the forwards. "I enjoy that kind of rugby, off the cuff, see what's in front of you, and make it happen. "And with his sort of skill set and speed, he can, he can certainly make it happen." The Lions will head to Brisbane on Sunday ahead of Wednesday night's clash with the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium. Farrell was happy with his team's performance against the Force, with the five-try blitz in the second half particularly impressive. But he is also well aware there are plenty of areas to improve. The Lions were dominated in the possession and territory stakes in the first half, and their more fancied scrum could only break even against the Force. The tourists also struggled with their kick-off receives, and lost Pollock on the stroke of half-time to a yellow card due to an accumulation of team infringements. "Our discipline for one," Farrell said when asked about areas to improve on. "You mentioned kick-offs there, so it's a good warning for us, isn't it? "I thought we got a bit lateral at times, not engaging enough, and tried to be too tidy attack-wise at times."
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
McDonald backs Konstas as Australia brace for more tricky tracks
Bridgetown: Australian coach Andrew McDonald has called for patience with teenage opener Sam Konstas after a rocky return to the Test team on a pitch that caught the tourists by surprise in what could be a sign of things to come in Grenada. Members of the Australian team celebrated with piña coladas on a Barbados beach after their comprehensive 159-run win in the first Test against the West Indies. Alex Carey's tongue-in-cheek remark on Triple M that '60 on that deck is probably worth 200' underlined how difficult Australia's batsmen found conditions in Bridgetown, including Konstas, who made scores of three and five. The second Test begins Thursday at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada — a venue that's hosted just four Tests since 2002. The most recent, in 2022, didn't see a team make more than 300. 'We were definitely put under pressure throughout that whole game,' McDonald told reporters the morning after Australia's win. 'Incredible partnership from Travis [Head] and Beau [Webster] to navigate through and give us something to bowl at. 'The wicket surprised us. There was enough seam and variable bounce, which made it difficult for batting. 'It's a step into the unknown [in Grenada]. We'll make an educated guess as to what the surface may do. I think it could lend itself to being a pace bowling dominated series if they keep the surfaces similar to that.' McDonald all but confirmed Konstas would be retained for the second Test with Khawaja at the top of the order and gave his verdict on the youngster's scratchy five off 38 balls in the second innings after being dropped twice on zero.
