Why dropped Wallaby Brandon Paenga-Amosa is surging back into Test frame

Western Force hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa could have kicked stones when he was dropped for the Wallabies’ Spring Tour of 2025, but instead, it’s been a blessing in disguise.

The 25-cap Wallaby has been quietly going about his work after a pre-season that he says gave him a genuine shot at being his best.

“I’m glad I got to put hard work in through a pre-season,” he told RugbyPass after the Force’s win over the Reds in round 14. “Not going on the spring tour allowed me to really focus on my body. I’d been carrying a couple of small injuries the last two years, just little minor things.”

It’s clear to anyone who has been watching BPA that he is enjoying playing, and his work rate is reflecting the regenerative work done through a pre-season that Test players rarely get. It’s meant that he’s truly been able to be a constant and consistent worker for the Force pack, whether it’s carrying up the guts or working hard in the defensive line, and this, he says, is all down to pre-season.

“My body wasn’t where I wanted it to be. To be able to put some Kms in the legs, put some money in the bank with my body has allowed me to enjoy and not have to worry so much, you know, is my Achilles gonna pull through, are my calves going to hold on? Doing that pre-season has allowed me to just play and show what I can do, and I’m having fun out there, you know?”

It’s been an interesting ride for BPA since his return to the Test scene. In 2024, after a stint with French Top 14 side Montpellier, he played two Tests then another four in 2025, only to miss out on the Spring Tour at the end of the year, where Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt preferred Billy Pollard, Matt Faessler, and Josh Nasser.

BPA could have spat the dummy at coming back from France only to play six Tests in two years and then miss out on selection altogether, but the Perth-based rake has taken it in his stride. Thanks to that preseason, he’s now playing consistent, big minutes for the Force, and he has developed a unique knack for pilfering balls at the breakdown. This newfound skill is something which he truly excels at among the four incumbent Wallaby hookers, and it will be a huge asset to Schmidt.

Team Form

Last 5 Games

19 - 15

19 - 14

32 - 15

17 - 20

31 - 26

14 - 21

35 - 50

31 - 26

17 - 20

35 - 20

4

Wins

1

2

Streak

1

15

Tries Scored

18

0

Points Difference

-15

2/5

First Try

2/5

3/5

First Points

2/5

2/5

Race To 10 Points

3/5

While BPA has built nicely into the season, it was Brumbies rake Pollard who was the clear leader early on, with his own form mirroring the galloping Brumbies, who were putting Kiwi teams to the sword regularly. In New South Wales, Ethan Dobbins was competing hard against Test hooker Folau Fainga’a and ace recruit Ione Moananu, and he looked set for higher honours before he suffered a serious ankle injury.

Up in Queensland, two of Schmidt’s more favoured hookers, Nasser and Faessler, have had relatively quiet seasons by their own standards, but they, too, have been doing great work in the shadows. However, neither one’s Test claims have been helped by the Reds’ struggling lineout in the absence of head lineout caller Josh Canham, but it is unlikely that Schmidt will pin that solely on the throwing.

Despite the Reds, Brumbies and Force all having relatively inconsistent seasons, the four incumbent Test hookers have been reliable around the park. All four have conceded two penalties or fewer, are carrying at an average of more than 4.2m per carry, and all, except Pollard, are tackling at 92 per cent completion or higher.

Faessler is the best carrier of the lot with a whopping 5.3m per carry on average, and Pollard is tackling the poorest at 83 per cent, but where BPA stands out is a giant tally of eight turnovers, compared to the next highest from Nasser, who has three. Each one of these hookers brings a unique skillset or calm consistency to their side, and although none of them is necessarily the world’s best hooker, they are certainly aiming up in their performances.

While Pollard is the most explosive in space, Nasser is the tallest at 190cm, Faessler takes the tag of best all-rounder, and BPA is clearly the heaviest and most robust at set-piece time at 117kgs.

That fact alone may very well tip the scales in the Force man’s favour, with France, Ireland, and Italy sure to bring some hulking packs down south in July. BPA only has one more game in Super Rugby Pacific to stake his claim, while the other three rakes will have at least two more opportunities, with both the Reds and Brumbies making it through to the finals.

Nevertheless, Schmidt won’t be able to ignore the stellar form BPA has been in throughout the season. It also can’t hurt that BPA is throwing into one of the best-performing lineouts in the competition, where his combination with Force captain and likely Wallaby lock Jeremy Williams appears to have flourished.

BPA’s reignited joy for rugby, his heft, and newfound proclivity for pinching balls at the breakdown, alongside his other skills, will likely see him selected for the Wallabies in July. Furthermore, his consistency and the manner in which he is going about his work could see him in the matchday squad for the Wallabies’ first game of the Nations Championship against Ireland on July 4.