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Waratahs use the Force to sign Wallabies back

18th December, 2017
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Westen Force player Curtis Rona (Supplied)
Expert
18th December, 2017
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The Waratahs have announced the signing of Wallabies utility back and former Western Force player Curtis Rona.

Rona has three Test caps for the Wallabies after defecting from the NRL at the end of the 2016 season to link up with the now-defunct Western Force.

He had an outstanding season in Western Australia before being picked in the Wallabies squad for both the Rugby Championship and Spring Tour.

His Tests came against New Zealand, South Africa and Japan, with the 25-year-old scoring in his debut against the All Blacks in what was an otherwise forgettable match.

Rona said he was looking to build on his Super Rugby and Wallabies performances in 2017 with an eye to becoming a regular in the national team.

“I am still coming to terms with how this year has turned out for me. It’s been an incredible and humbling experience, and exciting at the same time. I know I still have a long way to go if I want to play international rugby regularly and this is only the start of it,” Rona said.

“I grew up playing rugby union and knew I would always return to the game. And I cannot wait to join the team. This is a group that has won a Super Rugby championship before and I want to be part of a team that is driven to get back to winning ways again.”

The winger began his professional sporting career in 2014 with the NRL’s North Queensland Cowboys before linking with the Canterbury Bulldogs, with whom he scored 35 tries in two years, becoming one of the game’s premier wingers.

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The Force were booted from the Super Rugby competition after a long-running legal battle with Rugby Australia (then the ARU). With SANZAAR deciding to reduce the number of teams from 18 to 15, it meant Rugby Australia had to cut one and the Force ended up missing out on the 2018 competition.

All of the Australian Super Rugby teams struggled in 2017, the Brumbies being the only team to make the finals series by virtue of finishing at the top of the Australian conference.

It’s hoped the cutting of teams will improve the performance of all four remaining teams with the talent pool cut into one less team.

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