Pietsch, Charlie star as Western Force power to Super Rugby AUS title

363 days on from the heartbreak of a narrow defeat in the inaugural Super Rugby AUS Grand Final, the Western Force have gone one better by overcoming defending champions the NSW Waratahs 53-26 at Perth’s Scotch College.

Winger Dylan Pietsch, 95-Test Wallaby Kurtley Beale and Australia Sevens representative Wallace Charlie all impressed as the Force ran away with an emphatic result.

It’s a drought-breaking title for the Force, with the men’s team last claiming silverware in the 2019 Global Rapid Rugby and National Rugby Championship. The Force made the playoffs two years later in Super Rugby AU but the wait for another title went on.

The Force secured a home decider in the first-ever Super Rugby AUS campaign, but were beaten by the Waratahs 33-26 on October 5, 2025. But the Perth-based side made history on October 3, 2026, by ending a seven-year wait for the taste of title-winning victory.

One-time England hooker Nic Dolly lifted the Super Rugby AUS trophy on a blue-skied afternoon in Western Australia, with the Force running in a barrage of tries to take out the 2026 Grand Final with a dominant display.

It’s the second meeting between the sides within a week, with the Force securing another decider at home with a round three victory over the Tahs. The Force couldn’t have started much better, with Beale setting up Jackson Iose inside five minutes.

Beale was a standout during the opening quarter especially, with the utility back setting up Pietsch in the 10^th minute with a sublime cut-out pass. The ball hit Pietsch on the chest, with the winger pinning the ears back and diving for the corner.

The Force raced out to a 12-nil lead in the blink of an eye, and the home side continued to keep the pressure on. Iose charged down a Latrell Smiler Ah-Kiong clearance, with the ball bundling into touch.

It was Force ball, and captain Dolly benefited with a well-worked set-piece move down the right sideline. Dolly ran about 20 metres down the edge, before stepping inside and crashing over for the Force’s third try of the afternoon.

The Force had already made their mark on the scoreboard when openside flanker Jack Daly got over the ball to win a pilfer penalty. New South Wales had made their way into a point-scoring position, but Daly stepped up defensively with the Force practically on their own line.

Then, in the 22^nd minute, Beale sent a monstrous 50/22 downfield – with boot finding the ball about one metre outside the Force’s 22. But no points were scored in the next 15 minutes or so, before Australia Sevens representative Charlie produced some individual magic.

Charlie was put through a gap with a superb short ball, before the winger raced downfield and beat covering defender Otto Serfontein with a quick change of pace. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips added the extras, with the Force up 26-0.

The Tahs did have the final say of the half though, with Charlie Bird crashing over for an important score just before the break. But with the conversion missing the mark, the Force finished the first 40 up by a comprehensive margin.

Daly and Albert Alcock added another five points each to the home side’s lead, trading two tries with the Tahs during the third quarter. But the remainder of the final was practically one-way traffic, with Pietsch and Charlie standing out.

Pietsch crossed for two tries in six minutes, completing a memorable hat-trick in just his second match back from injury. Charlie completed a double with a 72^nd-minute effort as the Force passed the 50-point barrier.

Australia Sevens flyer Hadley Tonga ran in a consolation try inside the final three minutes, but the Force had more than done enough to claim the trophy. More than 75 points were scored in an entertaining 2026 Super Rugby AUS Grand Final out west.