Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force to host Blues at Arena Joondalup’s HIF Health Insurance Oval

Marley Pearce grew up in Joondalup, but never in his wildest dreams did he think he would get to represent Western Force in a Super Rugby game in his own backyard. The Joondalup Brothers product will get that chance when the Force welcome Kiwi powerhouses the Blues for a one-off and historic Super Rugby Pacific game at Arena Joondalup’s HIF Health Insurance Oval. The Force will begin their 2026 campaign against the Brumbies at HBF Park on Saturday February 14, before taking on the Blues in Joondalup on Saturday February 21 — marking the first time they have taken a league game to the suburbs. HBF Park is due to host 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup matches, which means the stadium will be unavailable for not just the entirety of the tournament (March 1–21), but also a a two-week period beforehand to allow the venue and pitch to be prepared. It means the Force will be without a stadium for a five-week stretch early in the season, which will see them take to the road after back-to-back games at home to kick off the campaign. Pearce, 22, who started eight games for the Force last season before going down with a shoulder injury, played his junior rugby at Brothers, whose club is located on the opposite side of the Arena Joondalup precinct. Needless to say, the loosehead prop was thrilled to be able to play in his home suburb. “It’s pretty cool and unique, it’s never happened before, even a game into the suburbs. Brothers share the same car park, the same facilities that are about 100m down the footpath,” he said. “It’s actually a five-minute drive from where I currently live. It’s really special to be the first to do it, bring a game out to Joondalup. “The support we get already from the Sea of Blue is really special so to take a game out there, it feels like we’re giving back to the community. “Already, the support we get from Joondalup is massive so it’s pretty good to give back in a way and definitely we’ll see a bit of blue and white in the stands.” HIF Health Insurance Oval, which has a capacity of 12,500 and features a main grandstand and large grass hill surrounding the playing arena, previously hosted the Perth Spirit in the 2014 National Rugby Championship season. Western Force CEO Niamh O’Connor said they were excited to connect with the community, having already committed to hosting their upcoming off-season games against their Australian Super Rugby rivals at Palmyra Rugby Club’s Tompkins Park. “Working with VenuesWest, with HBF Park unavailable for a five-week period, we determined that Arena Joondalup was the ground in Perth’s metropolitan area best suited to meet Super Rugby’s venue standards, whilst also offering us an opportunity to engage the community and create a grassroots atmosphere for the one-off game,” she said. The Joondalup game will be ticketed separately via Ticketmaster, and members will receive priority access when tickets go on sale in the new year. The Force’s full 2026 Super Rugby Pacific schedule will be confirmed on Thursday. Super Rugby Pacific rounds one and two Western Force vs ACT Brumbies Saturday 14 February, 4:35pm WST HBF Park, Perth Western Force vs Blues Saturday 21 February, 4:35pm WST HIF Health Insurance Oval, Arena Joondalup