ACT Brumbies Head Coach Stephen Larkham has named his squad for the club’s first trial match of the 2026 season, with the Brumbies set to face the Western Force in Perth on Friday, January 30.
The match represents the first opportunity to see the 2026 edition of the Brumbies, with a number of younger players earning valuable minutes as they push for Round 1 selection ahead of the Swyftx Super Rugby Pacific season opener on February 14 — also against the Force in Perth.
Props Lington Leli and Rhys van Nek will bookend the scrum, both earning the chance to impress after spending time with Australia A in recent years. The pair step into the starting side with Brumbies mainstays James Slipper rested and Allan Alaalatoa managing an injury.
Chris Mickelson gets the nod at hooker after a standout year in the John I Dent Cup, where he claimed the Macdougall Medal as the competition’s best player.
The locking combination of Harvey Cordukes and Lachlan Shaw will pack down together, with the towering duo looking to build on promising 2025 seasons and continue their development at Super Rugby level.
Backrow bruisers Tuaina Taii Tualima, Rory Scott, and Charlie Cale combine physicality, work rate and attacking threat on both sides of the ball.
In the halves, Klayton Thorn will start at scrumhalf and partner new recruit Tane Edmed [pictured], who begins his life in the nation’s capital getting his first opportunity to don the Brumbies colours ahead of the 2026 campaign.
The outside backs see Kye Oates and Shane Wilcox named on the wings. Oates, a proud Nunukul, Ngughi and Goenpul man, was last year selected in the inaugural First Nations & Pasifika XV to take on the British & Irish Lions.
In the midfield, fellow First Nations & Pasifika XV rep, Jarrah Macleod continues his rapid rise through the rugby ranks and will look to impress Head Coach Stephen Larkham alongside the ever-reliable Hudson Creighton at outside centre.
At fullback, Declan Meredith showcases his versatility by shifting from his usual fly-half role to the backfield, providing the Brumbies with dual playmaking options. Meredith starts at 15 with star fullback Tom Wright continuing his recovery from injury.
The trial match will be live-streamed via the Western Force Facebook page, giving fans their first look at the Brumbies in action this season.
ACT Brumbies v Western Force – Trial Match
Date: Thursday, January 30
Time: 7.35PM AEDT
Location: Scotch College Playing Fields, Swanbourne
Live Stream: Western Force Facebook
ACT Brumbies team to play Western Force
LOOSEHEAD PROP – Lington Ieli
HOOKER – Chris Mickelson
TIGHTHEAD PROP – Rhys van Nek
LEFT LOCK – Lachlan Shaw
RIGHT LOCK – Harvey Cordukes
LEFT FLANKER – Tuaina Tualima
RIGHT FLANKER – Rory Scott
NUMBER EIGHT – Charlie Cale
SCRUMHALF – Klayton Thorn
FLYHALF – Tane Edmed
LEFT WING – Kye Oates
INSIDE CENTRE – Jarrah McLeod
OUTSIDE CENTRE – Hudson Creighton
RIGHT WING – Shane Wilcox
FULLBACK – Declan Meredith
Replacements
Liam Bowron, Blake Schoupp, Tevita Alatini, Cadeyrn Neville, Eli Langi, Dan Nelson, Andy Muirhead, Kadin Pritchard, Moses Sorovi, Austin Anderson, Toby Macpherson, Judah Saumaisue, Darcy Breen
Meanwhile, the Western Force will welcome back five Wallabies for Friday’s second pre-season trial game against the ACT Brumbies at Scotch College Playing Fields.
Wallabies Tom Robertson, Jeremy Williams, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Carlo Tizzano and Hamish Stewart are all added to the starting XV which beat the Queensland Reds 21-19 last Friday.
Friday’s game, which will be played as a regulation 2 x 40-minute contest, will be live streamed on the Club’s Facebook page and free entry for all patrons, kicking off from 4:35pm AWST.
Robertson is in the run-on side at loosehead prop, alongside Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Harry Johnson-Holmes, who’ll back up for the second straight after a long-term ACL injury.
Wallabies lock Williams, who is coming into his third season at captain, comes into the second row alongside Los Pumas star Franco Molina.
New vice-captain Champion de Crespigny and reigning Super Rugby leading try scorer Tizzano come into the back row, with Vaiolini Ekuasi starting at number 8.
The Force will start again with Perth-born-and-raised scrum-half Nathan Hastie and fly-half Ben Donaldson.
Wallabies midfielder Hamish Stewart is added at inside-centre alongside All Black George Bridge. Darby Lancaster and Divad Palu will start on the wings, with Mac Grealy rounding out the back three.
The Force have named a 28-player list, with 11 players among the reserves, including Argentinian hooker Leonel Oviedo who made a cameo last Friday and Bayley Kuenzle who is available following concussion.
Alex Harford (shoulder), Nic Dolly (knee), Doug Philipson (knee), Feao Fotuaika (foot), Darcy Swain (calf) and Dylan Pietsch (Wallabies return to play) are unavailable.
Western Force team list
1 Tom Robertson
2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa
3 Harry Johnson-Holmes
4 Franco Molina
5 Jeremy Williams
6 Nick Champion de Crespigny
7 Carlo Tizzano
8 Vaiolini Ekuasi
9 Nathan Hastie
10 Ben Donaldson
11 Darby Lancaster
12 Hamish Stewart
13 George Bridge
14 Divad Palu
15 Mac Grealy
Replacements
Leonel Oviedo, Sef Fa’agase, Misinale Epenisa, Lopeti Faifua, Gus Farnan, Kane Koteka, Jack Daly, Will Harris, Henry Robertson, Max Burey, Boston Fakafanua, Bayley Kuenzle, Kurtley BealeRepl;axcements: