Western Force hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa may loom as the favourite for the Wallabies jersey, but the experienced front-rower says a happy life outside rugby has changed his perspective.
Paenga-Amosa has started 11 of 12 matches for the Force this season, holding off fellow Test hooker Nic Dolly with a string of impressive performances in general play and at set-piece time.
The 30 year-old already has 25 caps to his name and with Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt an interested onlooker during the Force’s 19-14 win over the Reds on Saturday, Paenga-Amosa outperformed fellow Test hookers Josh Nasser and Matt Faessler.
But while Paenga-Amosa is hoping to play some part in the Wallabies’ Nations Championship campaign in July, he said it was not the be-all and end-all for him on a personal level.
“Like any other player in Australia, the goal is to play for the Wallabies, and if you’ve played for the Wallabies, then hopefully you’re selected for the Wallabies.
“For me, I’m just really enjoying my time here at the Force. If I get that opportunity, so be it; cracker. If I don’t, so be it; cracker.
“Either way, there’s a lot of things going on in my life, and I’m happy either way.”
Paenga-Amosa has three kids with his partner and said being a dad had completely altered his perspective on rugby.
“I realise so many things that I thought were important before being a parent actually aren’t important and that’s how I’ve kind of changed my living, understanding that every day is a gift from god and kids are a gift,” he said.
“As long as their hearts are beating, as long as they’re smiling, as long as you have food on the table for them, what else could you want in this life?
“As long as my kids are happy, they’ve got a smile on their face, as long as the boss — my wife — is happy, bro, I can’t lose; I’m winning.
“It’s holistic, my whole lifestyle is making sure I’m a good father, a good husband, I’m good with off-field and on-field just travels in that direction.
“It’s really important to make sure everything outside of rugby is going well for on field to be good as well.”
Thankfully for the Force, they are reaping the rewards of Paenga-Amosa’s off-field happiness since returning to Australia from France in 2025.
For the second year in a row, the Force have won of the best line-outs in the league and Queensland were only able to win eight of their 14 throws against them on the weekend.
While Paenga-Amosa cheekily suggested Rugby Australia help the Force sign new locks to replace departing second-rowers Darcy Swain and Franco Molina, he said captain Jeremy Williams was continuing to grow as a player.
“We’ve got the best line-out leaders in the competition right now, and having them definitely makes our jobs as hookers so much easier,” he said.
“They add so much value, and they lead it in the best possible way. I’m glad that I’m playing with them rather than against them and we’ve progressed in a really nice way.
“Jez is a menace on the field and he’s a great captain as well, and he does a good job at leading us, but also leading parts of the line-up, especially in defense. Watching him progress over his career to where he is, he’s now a world-class player.”
