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Nick Taylor | The West Australian
Monday, 5 March 2018 9:00PM
World Cup winning Springbok star centre Jaque Fourie has been lured out of retirement to join the reborn Western Force.
And the club has snared Olympic gold medallist Masivesi Dakuwaqa who was a member of Fiji's 2016 sevens world beating side.
He has returned to union after a spell in the rival code with Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League.
Fourie, the 2007 World Cup winner with 72 South African caps played with Japanese club Kobelco Steelers last year, and winger Dakuwaqa, are two of an initial 26-man squad signed for the 2018 season.
Ten former Force players are in the squad including another ex-Springbok Peter Grant, US international outside back Marcel Brache, flankers Chris Alcock and Brynard Stander, scrum-halves Ian Prior and Ryan Louwrens, props Kieran Longbottom and Chris Heiberg, hooker Harry Scoble and outside back Brad Lacey.
Future Force Foundation and Perth Spirit winger Clay Uyen, who trained with the Force last year, has also been signed.
Other signings include full-back Rod ‘Rocket’ Davies who began his career in league with the Brisbane Broncos before switching codes to play for the Queensland Reds and more recently Biarritz and Mitsubishi DynaBoars.
Australian junior world cup prop Cameron Orr Prop returns home from English heavyweight Gloucester with his second-rower brother Harrison who is with Newcastle.
Former Waratahs fly-half Andrew Deegan has been playing with one of Ireland's top clubs Connaught while Italian international second-rower Josh Furno has signed from French rugby after playing for Otago.
A number of Pacific Island players are on the radar as are more Australian players currently playing overseas for the final 35-man squad.
The Force went through a worldwide search for the squad that will initially play international sides like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga and Super clubs like the Crusaders and Brumbies.
They will then play in the National Rugby Championship that starts in September with a series of matches to announced tomorrow before switching to the Indo Pacific Rugby Championship that is planned to kick-off in March next year.
Squad and more details here
https://thewest.com.au/sport/western...-ng-b88764422z