Former All Black signs with Western Force for 2025 Super Rugby season

The Western Force have added another player with international experience to their squad for next year’s Super Rugby Pacific season. One-Test All Black Matt Proctor will move to Perth after a stint with the Melbourne Rebels in 2024.

Proctor follows the Force’s recruitment of Wallabies Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Darcy Swain and Harry Johnson-Holmes for the upcoming campaign. Nic Dolly, Divad Palu, Josh Thompson, Vaiolini Ekuasi and Nick Champion de Crespigny have also signed on.

The 31-year-old made a try-scoring debut for New Zealand in a win over Japan in 2018. While Proctor didn’t make another appearance for the All Blacks, the midfielder did make 12 appearances for the Maori All Blacks between 2013 and 2018.

With 72 caps and 12 tries in Super Rugby, which included a title with the Hurricanes in 2016, and another 72 appearances for Northampton Saints, Proctor will add invaluable experience to the Western Force’s backline for the season ahead.

Following time with the Hurricanes (2013-2019), Northampton (2019-2023) and Melbourne (2024), Proctor decided to make the move out west after speaking with fellow Maori All Black Tom Franklin. Franklin spent some time with the Force during the 2024 season.

“I’m really excited about this move as I see a lot of potential in the Force,” Proctor said in a statement.

“The results weren’t quite there last year but looking deeper a lot of the losses were close games, so they weren’t far off, so I can see the potential there.

“The club has made a lot of positive signings over the last 12 months as well. I’m looking forward to a new chapter in my rugby career with my family moving over to Perth.

“When I was contemplating the move, I spoke to Tom (Franklin) who reiterated it’s a great place to live, they’ve got good people around the club and it’s a team that is moving in a positive direction,” he added.

“Speaking to Crono, I could see we share similar values and see the game the same way as well. All those things you take into consideration for a move like this.

“In terms of what I can bring, I’ve been around the game for over 10 years, so I can bring experience and the way I see the game can hopefully add to what we’re building at the Force.”

Proctor made five appearances for the Rebels during the club’s final season in Super Rugby Pacific, which included a couple of starts at outside centre. More recently, the backline utility has enjoyed a strong start to the NPC season with the Wellington Lions.

The Force’s decision to sign the former All Black will be met with overwhelming support from fans who have watched Proctor play over the year, with the Kiwi renowned for his strong running game and impressive work on the defensive side of the ball.

“He’s a very decorated player who’ll bring a lot on the field,” Force coach Simon Cron explained. “He’s also a very experienced midfielder who has a really professional attitude towards training and development of those around him.

“The feedback from teams he’s been with in the past has been so positive that we were excited to get him over to Perth.

“He’ll continue to help develop a lot of our back talent, additionally with the most recent injury to Bayley Kuenzle, he really helps us in the backline.”