The showdown between high-profile stars Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Zac Lomax will be the headline-grabbing act when the Waratahs meet the Force on Friday night at Allianz Stadium.
But the feel-good story of the night will be, by some distance, the Super Rugby debut of a 32-year-old disability worker who commutes daily from Wollongong and was straining the scales at 150kg last year.
Tight-head prop Apolosi Ranawai was named on the bench for the Waratahs for the first time as coach Dan McKellar also welcomed back Suaalii at No.13, following a seven-week absence due to a hamstring injury.
Suaalii’s return means Joey Walton will be shifted to inside centre and Lawson Creighton will replace veteran Jack Debreczeni as the starting No.10.
The loss of tight-head prop Dan Botha, who was suspended for two games on Tuesday night after being cited for an illegal clean-out against the Crusaders, also forced changes in the front row. Siosifa Amone was named to start in the No.3 and Ranawai was included on the bench.
The former Fiji under-20 prop joined the Tahs last year on a training deal after several strong seasons for Norths in the Shute Shield. He also played for NSW in the Super Rugby AUS competition last year.
“He’s certainly ready. He’s been in our program and environment now for well over six to nine months, so it’s a dream come true, and it just shows, it’s a great example for any young boy or man – don’t give up on your dream, that at 32 years of age … anything’s possible,” McKellar said.
Few Super Rugby debuts will be as widely celebrated as that of Ranawai.
After growing up in Nadi, he moved to Australia to play club rugby for the Wollongong Tech Waratahs, before trying his luck in Sydney. Ranawai was playing lower grades at Warringah before joining Norths in 2021, where he began to make his name as a powerhouse No.3 in the scrum and carrying the ball.
While working in the disability sector and commuting from Wollongong, Ranawai produced strong seasons in 2022 and 2023, and almost helped Norths claim the Shute Shield in 2023 by winning a scrum penalty in the 79th minute of the grand final. Ranawai returned to Fiji in 2024 for family reasons and after coming back to Sydney and returning to Norths in 2025, he had ballooned out to 150kg.
But after training hard and bringing his playing weight back down to 135kg, he attracted interest from the Fjiian Drua and the Tahs following another strong season.
“He’s had his moments – he’ll share stories with you himself – I think he’s pretty proud of where he’s come from,” McKellar said. “It’s a great story. He’s incredibly committed to the group, he drives up from the Wollongong area daily, and is really committed to the Waratahs and trying to achieve a dream, so I’m really happy for him.
“They’re the great stories … that’s what gets you out of bed, I think, is seeing guys achieve what he’ll achieve on Friday night. Everyone has a different story and a different path, but they’re all really important and special, and I don’t think there’s any more special than Apo’s.”
Having been close to getting a green light for several weeks, Suaalii is in “superb condition”, according to McKellar.
“He’s tough, he’s got good footwork, he’s got power, he can beat you before contact and post-contact,” the NSW coach said. “I think his presence has lifted the whole group, to be honest – real energy about how we’ve trained over the last couple of days, and I’m always excited to get back out there with him on Friday.”
While a hyped “showdown” with Lomax is based almost entirely on their shared NRL history, McKellar said he was happy to lean into the build-up and praised the Western Force winger, who only made his starting debut one game ago.
“Zac’s an exceptional footballer, had a very good career in the NRL, and it’s great that he’s now playing in the rugby union,” McKellar said.
“His skill set suits the game, to be honest, and to get a match-up between him and Su [Suaalii] – how often they actually come face-to-face is probably rare – but it’s good for the fans and certainly the media to get excited by, and it just builds that little bit more interest, and that’s what we want.
“I think we saw the interest in Super Round last week, in Christchurch, and it just gave the competition a whole lot of momentum, and we want that to continue.”
Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.