Former Australia U20s star set for Super Rugby debut against Chiefs

Former Australia U20s scrum-half Doug Philipson is set to debut in Super Rugby Pacific after being named on the bench for the Western Force. Philipson will look to add impact off the pine during the Force’s intriguing match away to the Chiefs on Friday evening.

After a nail-biting 17-all draw with the Hurricanes last weekend, the Force have turned their attention to another decisive clash with a New Zealand side. Coach Simon Cron has made three changes to the starting side that went to Super Point with the Canes in Perth.

Halfback Henry Robertson has been named in the starting side for the first time, with Nic White unavailable for the round 11 match. Front-rower Ryan Coxon is also back in the mix after recovering from a rib injury, and Will Harris has been named in the backrow.

On the bench, Philipson is one name to look out for, with the former Junior Wallabies halfback receiving a chance to step up against one of the competition heavyweights. Philipson played three matches for Australia at the U20 Rugby Championship in 2024, including two starts.

In the forwards, Ryan Coxon joins one-Test England hooker Nic Dolly and TOm Robertson in the front row. Captain Jeremy Williams will link up with Darcy Swains as the locking duo once again, while Harris joins the in-form duo of Carlo Tizzano and Nick Champion de Crespigny in the loose.

Robertson joins Wallaby Ben Donaldson in the halves, while Hamish Stewart and Sio Tomkinson are the centre pairing. Bayley Kuenzle will start on the left wing, with Harry Potter on the right, and Mac Grealy rounds out the starting side at fullback.

This match will kick off at 3:05 pm WST on Friday afternoon. It’ll be held at Mount Maunganui’s Bay Oval, with a sold out crowd expected for the match.

The Force are fifth on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder and could leapfrog the Queensland Reds into fourth depending on the result in their match against the Blues at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Friday.