Boston Fakafanua crowned Super Rugby AUS Player of the Tournament after Force's Grand Final triumph

Boston Fakafanua has been named the 2026 Super Rugby AUS Player of the Tournament, capping a breakthrough season for the 21-year-old outside centre after the Western Force dismantled the NSW Waratahs 53-26 in the Grand Final at Perth’s Scotch College.

Fakafanua started all four matches of the Force’s campaign and scored the match-winning try against the Waratahs in round three — a result that secured the Force a home Grand Final for the second consecutive season. The Force had fallen to the Waratahs in the 2025 decider but emphatically reversed that outcome this time around.

Scrum-half Nathan Hastie finished as runner-up in the Player of the Tournament standings, with 95-Test Wallaby Kurtley Beale rounding out the top three. All three finalists were Force players, with selections made by Rugby Australia High Performance staff.

Fakafanua’s recognition arrives alongside news that he re-signed with the Force on 15 June 2026 for a further two years. The former Australia U20 international made his Super Rugby Pacific debut in May and has also represented Sydney University in New South Wales’ Shute Shield this season.

Force head coach Simon Cron paid tribute to the young back: “He’s an exciting, driven player. He is powerful and fast. He’s a pleasure to coach. We see him as a long-term player in our environment, so we’re thrilled he has re-committed with us.”

Fakafanua was equally enthusiastic about his future at the club. “I’m stoked to re-sign. I can see the club is going in an awesome direction and really want to be here for that,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my first Super Rugby season and was able to really develop my game playing alongside guys like Kurtley Beale and Hamish Stewart. Now I’ve had a taste of Super Rugby, I’m hoping to kick on and become a mainstay in the side next season and beyond.”