Wallaroos star named Force co-captain alongside long-term skipper

Wallaroos scrum-half Samantha Wood will share leadership duties with Trilleen Pomare at the Western Force this season, with the club confirming its 2026 co-captains before the Super Rugby Women’s campaign gets underway next month.

Pomare has led the Force over the last six seasons, having taken up the position in 2021. But after a player vote for captaincy and leadership roles last week, the club have announced that Wood will help lead the team into battle.

Wood missed the entire Super Rugby Women’s season because of injury, but still managed to earn a place in the Wallaroos squad for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. The scrum-half was a regular starter and a reliable option off the goal-kicking tee throughout the tournament.

Those two will be supported by Michaela Leonard, who has been named the sole vice-captain for the upcoming season. Leonard recently became the all-time appearance record-holder for the Wallaroos, reaching that feat against the Black Ferns in Queensland.

“Going through a voting system, it shows how much Trills is still valued and respected in the group. It’s a good sign of the influence she has,” coach Dylan Parsons said.

“She has experience in the role and the trust of the players. Her presence is so important to how we perform.

“The vote of Sammy as co-captain shows the progression of where we’re heading. The group has huge respect for Trills and they can see the freshness of Sammy and what she can bring. They’ll complement each other well.

“Sammy’s a mature soul. She’s a student of the game who loves it and that shows through her understanding to communicate and deliver the right messages at the right time.

“She’s grown from adversity and is full of gratitude to simply play the game she loves. She gained a lot from her World Cup experience, starting every game she played and became a leader in that group within a short amount of time, which shows the respect at national level and it was only a matter of time before that translated at club level.”

Prop Alapeta Ngauamo, hooker Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke and backrower Anneka Stephens were also voted into a six-player leadership group. The Force have also noted there are a few emerging leaders in the squad, including Wallaroos fly-half Nicole Ledington.

Ledington debuted for the national team against Fijiana in March, with interim coach Sam Needs naming the playmaker in the run-on side. Less than 20 minutes into her Test debut, Ledington broke the game open with a moment of individual brilliance to score.

“It’s a bigger group but there’s a mix of young, emerging and experienced, respected players within the squad,” Parsons added.

“We see this larger group as an opportunity to listen to the squad and who they wanted. It’s great to have diversity in our leadership group to complement the captains and vice-captains. We’ve got players who connect to all parts of the squad which is really important to bring out the best in everyone.”

The Force get their season underway on Saturday, June 13, away to the Fijian Drua.

Western Force leadership group

Co-captains: Trilleen Pomare and Samanatha Wood

Vice-captain: Michalela Leonard

Leadership group: Alapeta Ngauamo, Anneka Stephens, Nicole Ledington, Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke, Ngamihi Monk, Hannah Palelei