Former Western Force prop Kieran Longbottom will be part of the travelling party for the Force women’s three-game Japan tour which departs Perth on Wednesday.
Perth-born Longbottom will take up the role as the Force’s forwards coach for the tour, supporting head coach Dylan Parsons.
Dwayne Grace will resume his role as backs/defence coach, with Force club legend Matt Hodgson joining the tour as assistant manager to support female high performance pathways manager Claudia Bell.
Longbottom played 65 Super Rugby games for the Force across two stints from 2008 to 2014 and 2018 to 2021 and was named in the Club’s Team of the Decade in 2015.
Over the past month, Longbottom has worked with the women’s squad, stepping into the role of Chris Heiberg, who has been unavailable having toured with the men’s squad in South Africa ahead of new forwards coach Tom Donnelly’s arrival in that role to join the men’s pre-season starting in November.
The Force playing squad for the Japan tour will be announced on Monday, ahead of the team’s departure on Wednesday, before playing three games across two and a half weeks.
The tour comes out of the Force’s partnership with Japanese National Women’s Rugby Championship champions Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix who travelled to Perth earlier this year and had front-row pair Natsuki Kashiwagi and Hinata Komaki join the WA club on exchange.
The Force will face both of last season’s Japanese National Women’s Rugby Championship finalists during the three-game tour, Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix and the Mie Pearls. Phoenix were Japanese champions in 2022 and 2023 and the Pearls saluted in 2021.
Force female high performance pathway manager Claudia Bell said: “The overall purpose of this tour is to provide additional high-quality, competitive rugby games for the Western Force women’s Super W side and a meaningful opportunity to play in the Force jersey.
“This will commence their 2025 season preparation, giving the team and staff an opportunity to strengthen connections, whilst giving players an opportunity to tour overseas and experience playing against different styles of rugby.
“The touring squad will be a combination of current Super W Western Force players, Perth Gold women’s players, and identified national youth talent.”
Western Force women’s touring support staff
Head coach – Dylan Parsons
Forwards coach – Kieran Longbottom
Backs/defence coach – Dwayne Grace
HP manager – Claudia Bell
Assistant manager – Matt Hodgson
Lead physio – Christal Hewlett
Assistant physio – Megan McGloin
Lead analyst – Arabella Goring
Lead S&C – Cole Unasa
Western Force Japan tour fixtures
Game 1: Western Force v Pearls / Yokohama TKM, Saturday 19 October 11am WST, Nagano
Game 2: Western Force v Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix, Sunday 27 October 1pm WST, Fujiyoshida
Game 3: Western Force v Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix / Yokogawa Musashino Artemi Stars, Saturday 2 November 12pm WST, Tokyo
