Western Force confirms coaching revamp for Super Rugby AUS

The Western Force has announced a major change to its coaching structure ahead of the upcoming Super Rugby AUS competition, with former club scrumhalf James Stannard taking charge.

The 42-year-old, who has been serving as the Force’s skills coach, will lead the side while head coach Simon Cron steps back for the tournament, which kicks off next month.

Stannard, a two-time Force player with 29 Super Rugby appearances across 2008, 2011, and 2012, also represented the Brumbies in 2009 and 2010.

He enjoyed a decorated Rugby Sevens career, featuring in the 2016 Rio Olympics and earning the 2010 Australian Sevens Player of the Year award. Before joining the Force in late 2024, he worked extensively with the Australian sevens program, including at two Olympic Games.

He will be supported by a coaching panel made up entirely of former Force players. Fortescue Academy head coach Jeremy Thrush, a former All Black lock with 33 Force caps, and Academy assistant coach Jonathon Lance, who played 28 games for the club, will be key assistants.

The support team also includes Force Super W head coach Dylan Parsons and assistant coach Chris Heiberg.

Parsons led the women’s side to its first-ever Super W semifinals in 2024 and repeated the feat in 2025. Heiberg, a former prop with 31 Force caps, has been part of the coaching staff since 2023 and played a role during the team’s spring tour of South Africa last year.