Western Force sign ex-England hooker who will soon be Wallabies eligible
The Western Force’s signing spree has continued with the capture of one-cap England international Nic Dolly for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.
The announcement of Dolly’s deal comes with the Force looking to stabilise after a 1-6 start to the current campaign ahead of Saturday’s bottom-of-the-table clash against the equally struggling Crusaders at HBF Park in Perth.
Dolly, who was born and raised in Sydney, has spent the last seven years playing in England, most recently with Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers.
The 24-year-old hooker notched his sole Test for England in 2021 having represented the country at under-age level.
His international call-up under then-coach Eddie Jones came during an impressive 2021-22 season when he scored nine tries in 21 games in Premiership Rugby and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
Dolly will link up with the Force in July and will be eligible to represent the Wallabies by November.
His signing comes just a week after the Force snapped up former Wallabies hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, who will also link up with the Perth-based franchise in July after spending the past three years in France.
Earlier this month, the Force announced the signing of former Wallabies star Kurtley Beale for the rest of the season on an injury-replacement contract.
Beale will make his debut for the side in Saturday night’s clash with the Crusaders in Perth.
Another ex-Wallaby, lock Sam Carter, recently signed with the Force for the remainder of the season.
Dolly said the time was right for his return home to Australia, and he was looking forward to playing under Force coach Simon Cron.
“I’ve been over here for seven years, and I always had a plan to go back home to play rugby,” Dolly said in a statement.
“The long-term plan and direction the (Force) is going is exciting, with Crono locked in for the next few years.
“I spoke to Harry Potter, in particular, along with Carts (Sam Carter) and in terms of culture and what the club is trying to do, it’s all been positive and something I believe I can add to, both on and off field.”
The Force face a battle to avoid the wooden spoon after opening their season with just one win in seven.
Surprisingly, the Crusaders are also 1-6 in what marks a huge fall from grace for the powerful New Zealand outfit.
But with eight of the 12 teams in the competition qualifying for finals, the winner of Saturday’s clash will be back in the mix.
The Force are aiming to bounce back from their crushing 50-3 loss to the Blues in round seven
Beale will start at fullback, while Michael Wells (knee) and Izack Rodda (quad) will make their return via the bench.
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Comments on RugbyPass
All I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
170 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
170 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
170 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
170 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
170 Go to commentsWow, there is a lot of “could have” and “ should have” in this waist of time dribble. I love the deportation in this story to search for a glimpse at a silver lining. Here are the facts, NZ was a badly coached and undisciplined shadow of their former glory. They never took the lead in a game they were never going to win.
170 Go to commentsGOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
3 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
170 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
1 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
170 Go to commentsI’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
170 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
170 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
170 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
170 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
170 Go to comments