'That was the thing that they were all talking about, they've got something to prove': Western Force star's history-making journey
Byron Ralston may have scored one of the most iconic debut tries in Australian rugby history last Saturday, crossing for the opening five-pointer against the Waratahs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
But it was the significance of the try that transcends mere competition. Western Force fans have waited nearly three years – or 1092 days to be exact – to see their team back in Super Rugby, and Ralston’s 28th minute effort brought an end to the bitterness of exile for now.
After an impressive first half, the Waratahs scored 23 unanswered points to rain on the parade of the Force’s return and the winger’s first Super Rugby cap.
But while they lost the match, the Force’s eagerly awaited return to the big stage won the day, with the 20-year-old’s try the standout moment.
The try has been immortalised through photos and replays, which have been viewed thousands of times online and will be for many years to come.
Ralston admitted that he was proud to have scored the Force’s first try since they were removed from Super Rugby in 2017, even though its significance didn’t hit him right away.
“You obviously don’t go out there thinking that you’re going to score the first try but for it to fall my way was certainly a special moment,” Ralston told RugbyPass.
“I didn’t really realise the extent of it until after I went back to my phone and saw the media build it up.”
Ralston will have the opportunity to add more tries to his tally this Friday, having been named to start the Force’s second Super Rugby AU match against the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium.
But it isn’t just another match for the up-and-comer, who’ll take on some familiar faces in front of friends and family after growing up in Brisbane.
“It’s my second Super Rugby cap so I’m pretty up for it and obviously very fresh and very green for it. Last week was a big game and this week it’s just a bigger game so I’m just heading into it by trying to block out that external stuff.
“It’s certainly going to be an enjoyable feeling running out there in front of family, friends and what not, and playing against guys that I’ve played with at club level and played with at school.
“But to do that in the next level up is going to be even more special, especially in front of hopefully what will be a big crowd at Suncorp. It’s a special moment and one that I’m looking forward to, it’s going to be an exciting challenge as well.”
After coming through the Reds Academy, Ralston acknowledged that he may have a point to prove against his hometown Super franchise, but showed humility in saying that he’s purely focused on the task at hand.
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“A little bit [to prove] but not too much. I suppose there’s a little bit there but for me it’s more of wanting to perform for my own teammates and wanting to earn respect from within the group.
“It’s my second Super Rugby cap, I’ve only played a handful of NRC games, so for me it’s more about playing for my peers first and earning their respect by playing for the Western Force. There’s a little bit of that but it’s certainly not what’s driving me this weekend.”
Ralston was born in Darwin, later moving to Brisbane where he played for junior clubs Kenmore Bears and Taylor Bridge Bullsharks. But it was at high school where he took his game to the next level.
He captained the prestigious Gregory Terrace First XV in his senior year, before playing for Brisbane City in the Under 19s Rugby Championship in 2018, and later Queensland Premier club rugby for Brothers.
After starring for the Premier Rugby Minor Premiers last year, he finished as the competition’s top try scorer and appeared more than ready for another challenge.
That challenge came as the then 19-year-old was preparing for a Grand Final.
Just before the big dance, the Force called.
“I was literally preparing for the Grand Final for Brothers, then on the Wednesday night I got a phone call saying, ‘We might have something for you over at the Western Force in Tonga.’ I thought ‘Well, I’m about to prepare for a Grand Final.’
“It was pretty much pack your bags the Saturday before the game.
“I had a couple of beers back at Brothers and was on a flight to the Sydney International Airport at 8am to go to Tonga with the Western Force at an invitational World Cup.”
After meeting his teammates at Sydney Airport, he impressed and eventually became a regular for the Force in their most successful National Rugby Championship campaign to date.
After replacing feeder club Perth Spirit in the NRC for the 2018 season, they went on to win their first national crown as the Force a year later in emphatic fashion. They won the final 41-3, where Ralston started on the wing.
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He finished the season with seven tries in his rookie campaign, including a hat-trick against Melbourne Rising in round three, before being named as the Rising Star nominee weeks later in round six.
The Queensland-product felt that the experience of senior players helped the younger prospects transition through the grades, which set the platform for a dominant NRC campaign and promising start to Super Rugby AU.
“That was certainly awesome to be a part of and was pretty green as well by not having played at a level like that but to go into a team that was successful in their own right in Rapid Rugby.
“But then you walk in there, that was the thing that they were all talking about, they’ve got something to prove and there is something that they wanted to be. There’s a lot of chat that we want to be the best team in Australia, and that stemmed a lot from NRC.”
It was a game of two halves last weekend against the Waratahs, and the Force will look to rectify that with an unchanged starting side named to face the Reds.
Ralston is expecting a tough challenge from the forward pack in particular, who can feed plenty of ball to the exciting outside backs.
But it’s his old high school and Brothers teammate who he thinks poses the biggest threat.
“Harry Wilson, my mate there, 19 ball carries I think he had last week so he’s definitely their go to, dominant ball runner. They’re playing two sevens in Fraser [McReight] and Liam Wright in the back row, so that’s certainly something to look for on the ball and something we’re looking to negate.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to comments