Wallaby Darby Lancaster out to win over Force fans following move west

Western Force fans couldn’t help but dislike Darby Lancaster last year, but the one-capped Wallabies flyer hopes it won’t take long to win over the ‘Sea of Blue’.

Lancaster was recruited to the Force for the upcoming Super Rugby Pacific season after the club lost star Wallabies winger Harry Potter to the NSW Waratahs.

Potter ranked second for clean breaks (20) in the competition last season and fourth for metres gained (780m), meaning Lancaster has some huge shoes to fill in 2026.

Force fans are already well-versed on Lancaster’s match-winning abilities after watching him score a spectacular Super Point try against them in Perth last year.

With the Super Point period winding down, Lancaster made a sprint to the corner and somehow touched the ball down after being pushed while doing a diving somersault in the air.

Force fans were adamant Lancaster didn’t ground the ball properly, but the 90th-minute try was awarded on review and NSW walked away with a famous 22-17 win.

“The boys have made fun of it a couple of times,” Lancaster said with a laugh when asked about how his new Force teammates still feel about that try.

“I don’t think too many people here think I scored the try. It doesn’t matter. I’m here now, so I’m doing everything I can to make sure the Force are going to go well this season.”

Winning over his new teammates has been easy, but Lancaster now faces the challenge of winning over the fans just eight months after breaking their hearts.

“I think I’ve got a bit of work to do to win it back,” Lancaster said.

“I think I can hopefully do that through putting in effort week in, week out and doing everything I can to win.”

Lancaster is at his third Super Rugby club, having spent 2024 with the Melbourne Rebels and 2025 at the Tahs.

The 22-year-old only has a one-year deal at the Force, but he is loving his time in Perth and would love to stay at the club on a longer-term deal.

Lancaster has moved in with his high school friend Toby Alker, who is an Australian Rules player currently plying his trade with WAFL side East Fremantle.

“It’s good. It gives me a bit of a change to rugby,” Lancaster said of living with Alker.

“He can talk about his training. He’ll come over and say he’s done an 11km field session, and I’ll go, ‘Maybe I can stop complaining’.”

Lancaster ran an 11-second flat 100m during his school days, and he played in the 2021-22 World Rugby Sevens Series after coming through the Australian Sevens pathway.

His extreme pace has served him well in the 15-a-side game, with his hot form for the Rebels leading to a one-off Wallabies call-up later that year.

Lancaster would love to add to that one cap, but for now he is focused on helping the Force become a powerhouse, starting with the season opener at home to the Brumbies on February 14.