Rugby World Cup ‘the goal’ as Wallaroo Cecilia Smith joins Western Force

With the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England less than a year away, Wallaroos centre Cecilia Smith has decided to head out west by joining the Force. This is a major coup for the Force, with Smith taking out the 2023 Super W Player of the Year award.

Smith has made 16 appearances for the Wallaroos and is currently away in South Africa on WXV 2 duty. Australia will win the World Rugby-run tournament if they manage to beat Scotland this weekend – a side who, like the Wallaroos, is unbeaten in two matches so far.

The 30-year-old came off the bench during Australia’s WXV 2 opener against Wales in Cape Town, before coach Jo Yapp promoted the centre into the starting side to play South Africa. Smith is an integral part of the Wallaroos, so this is a significant signing for the Force.

Samoa-born Smith took out the Super Rugby Women’s Player of the Year award in 2023 after crossing for three tries, kicking six penalties and 18 conversions in seven appearances. The Wallaroo also captained the Reds last season.

In total, Smith has crossed for 10 tries and scored a whopping 116 points in 28 Super Rugby Women’s appearances so far. The Force recruit is looking forward to moving out west, with the team already showing tremendous signs of improvement in 2024.

“I’m really excited to be signing with the Force. I’ve heard good things about how well this program has progressed and the quality of footy they’ve produced in the last couple of years so I’m keen to experience it myself,” Smith said in a statement.

“I’m near the backend of my career and I’ve always wanted to experience other clubs and the Force was always the club that interests me.”

During this year’s respective WXV competitions, the upcoming Rugby World Cup in England has been a big talking point. Hosts England appear to be the team to beat at this stage but others including Canada, France and New Zealand are capable of making history themselves.

The Wallaroos have also shown telling signs of growth, development and potential during WXV 2 so far. Australia were beaten by Wales in their final Test before the tournament, but they bounced back to beat the same foe in the opener at DHL Stadium.

In a bid to make next year’s squad for the Rugby World Cup, Smith has made the move to the Force, where she will likely run out alongside Wallaroos midfielder Trilleen Pomare. Pomare started for the Wallaroos in that WXV 2 clash against the Welsh.

“Obviously, with the World Cup next year, everyone will be pushing for a spot and it’s the goal but I just want to really enjoy my footy, everyone plays good footy when they’re in a happy place plus Trill was always in my ear to come down west,” Smith added.

“We’ve become good mates since we met in Wallaroos and we’ve been working on our combo for a while now, mostly in training but would love the chance to finally play alongside her in a full season of Super W and give our combo a crack which is also part of the reason so looking forward to it.”

The Western Force made the Super Rugby Women’s finals for the first time in 2024, and they’ll be eager to build on that moving forward. With coach Dylan Parsons leading the way, the Force claimed wins over the Rebels, Reds and Brumbies to make the semi-final.

With a stacked squad that includes Australia captain Michaela Leonard, the Force will continue to grow and develop as a unit as they chase another finals appearance in 2025.

“Cecilia brings a lot of experience but also a lot of respect from the competition,” head coach Dylan Parsons explained. “She’s been a high performer in Super W for a long time.

“She’s a key player for the Wallaroos and adds experience to our young aspiring backline, so bringing someone like that into our environment will help a lot and help support some of our experienced players like Trilleen.

“Cecilia and Trilleen have a really strong connection and relationship through their time in the Wallaroos. To have those two together is something we’re really excited about.

“For us to be the club that Cee wanted to come to, to get the best out of herself, to have a shot at next year’s World Cup, shows that the program is really well-respected and players want to come to the Western Force,” he added.

“For us to have a player like that sign with the club is a really big endorsement of the program. We want to produce more Wallaroos but also make the Wallaroos that come here even better, especially with the World Cup being next year.

“We want players to know when they come here, they’ll get better and become better Wallaroos as a result of it.”