Western Force sign Sevens star Aden Ekanayake ahead of 2027 Super Rugby season

Western Force have signed Australia Sevens standout Aden Ekanayake, with the 21-year-old departing the national sevens program to join the Super Rugby Pacific outfit ahead of the 2027 season. Rugby Australia confirmed the move, noting that Ekanayake had agreed terms with the Force before the 2026 HSBC SVNS Series got underway.

Ekanayake burst onto the international sevens scene during the early rounds of the 2025 SVNS Series in Dubai and Cape Town, quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting young players in the circuit. He scored a match-winning try for Australia against eventual SVNS World Championship winners South Africa in Perth, and was later named Junior Player of the Year at the Rugby Australia Awards — an honour he shared with NSW Waratahs rookie Sid Harvey.

Both Ekanayake and Harvey also represented Australia at the World Rugby Junior World Championship in Italy, underlining the depth of talent emerging from the country’s age-grade pathways.

Rugby Australia Director of High Performance Peter Horne welcomed the move, drawing a direct comparison to Harvey’s own transition into Super Rugby Pacific this season. “It’s a terrific opportunity for Aden at the Western Force and similar to Sid Harvey this season we have seen players from the Australia Sevens program transition well in Super Rugby Pacific,” Horne said.

“Our Australia Sevens sides had fantastic seasons and it is pleasing to see many taking up opportunities overseas and gaining vital experience before returning for an Olympic-qualifying campaign in 2026-2027.”

Ekanayake is one of several players leaving the sevens setup. Michael Icely, Gage Phillips and Oliver Harvey have also departed the men’s program, while Charlie and Cooper Watters have been selected in the Australia U20 squad for the Junior World Championship in Georgia.

Elsewhere, a number of prominent sevens names are set to feature in the inaugural Ultimate Sevens competition in Europe from August, including Maddison Levi, Henry Hutchison and Maurice Longbottom. Several other men’s players — Ben Dowling, James Turner, Jayden Blake and Harry Wilson — will be available in the draft for that tournament, while Hutchison, Longbottom and Michael Icely have also committed to the Rugby Premier League in India.

On the women’s side, Tia Hinds and Piper Simons will transition to 15s later this year. Simons, who debuted for the Wallaroos against Fijiana in March, recently featured for the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby Aupiki.