Force land ex-All Blacks star in recruitment coup

The Western Force have continued their 2025 recruitment drive with the signing of former All Blacks centre Matt Proctor.

The 31-year-old - who played one Test against Japan in 2018 - was in need of a new home after the Melbourne Rebels folded.

Proctor had previous stints with the Northampton Saints (2019-23) and the Hurricanes (2013-19), where he was a key cog of their maiden title triumph in 2016.

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"He's a very decorated player who'll bring a lot on field," Cron said.

"He's also a very experienced midfielder who has a really professional attitude towards training and development of those around him.

"The feedback from teams he's been with in the past has been so positive that we were excited to get him over to Perth.

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"He'll continue to help develop a lot of our backline talent, additionally with the most recent injury to Bayley Kuenzle, he really helps us in the backline."

The Force finished 10th this season with a 4-10 record.

Cron has also signed four forwards with Test experience - Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Darcy Swain, Nic Dolly and Harry Johnson-Holmes.

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"I'm really excited about this move as I see a lot of potential in the Force," said Proctor, whose younger brother Billy made his All Blacks debut against Fiji in July.

"The results weren't quite there last year but looking deeper a lot of the losses were close games, so they weren't far off, so I can see the potential there. The club has made a lot of positive signings over the last 12 months as well.

"In terms of what I can bring, I've been around the game for over 10 years, so I can bring experience and the way I see the game can hopefully add to what we're building at the Force."