Poaching raid: Force snatch Brumbies star in major contract coup

Swain, who moved from Queensland to Canberra as a teenager, was unveiled as the Force's newest recruit on Sunday night, ending months of speculation about his future after finally coming to terms on a two-year deal.

Rugby Australia has been involved in the background as it looks to improve the strength of all franchises and the Brumbies' lock depth contributed to Swain's decision to move to Perth.

The 26-year-old has recaptured his best form this year and was elevated to Brumbies captain in a sign of his resurgence after missing out on the Wallabies' World Cup squad last year and battling injuries.

But ultimately he saw a chance to get more guaranteed game time in the west and will join a Force squad that also boasts former Brumbies skippers Nic White and Sam Carter.

The Brumbies have been aware of the Force's desire to poach Swain since the end of last year and while they wanted to keep him, they also boast Wallabies trio Nick Frost, Cadeyrn Neville and Tom Hooper as second-row options.

Another wildcard in the Brumbies' mix is rising star Toby Macpherson, who is captaining the Australian under-20s side at the junior Rugby Championships, while Lachlan Shaw has also impressed.

Swain was grateful to the Brumbies for giving him the chance to become a professional footballer.

But he felt working under Force coach Simon Cron gave him the best chance to continue his development and add to his 17 Wallabies caps.

"Firstly I'd like to thank the Brumbies for giving me my first opportunity to be a fulfill my dream to become a professional rugby player and for their support since arriving in Canberra in 2016," Swain said.

"The opportunity to go to the Western Force from next year is something I'm really looking forward to and from early discussions with Simon will be a perfect environment to continue to grow as a player on the field and as a person off the field.

"There's some really special events coming up in Australian Rugby and I'll be doing everything I can to be part of them."

Versatile Hooper made his return to the Brumbies' starting XV in the hard-fought 28-20 win over the Fijian Drua on Saturday night.

He's spent this season moving around the forward pack - playing at lock, blindside flanker, openside flanker and the bench.

But, unfazed by being the team's "Swiss Army Knife", Hooper said he had embraced his different challenges.

"[Coach Stephen Larkham] and I have had conversations about it and I'm happy to be that person," Hooper said.

"I really enjoy playing 80 minutes, getting my stats up because I think that helps the team if I can get over 10 carries and over 10 tackles.

"I think versatility is a really good string to my bow. I really want to perform and make sure I'm in that starting team whatever the position is.

"We've got some guys who have been playing out of their skin ... and I'm competing against some of my best mates so we're making sure we're getting the best out of each other.

"Competition breeds success and that's something that's pretty special about the Brumbies."

Swain's departure is set to open up an opportunity to ramp up negotiations with a host of off-contract stars.

The Brumbies are hopeful Hooper will be among a group of players, including Charlie Cale, Noah Lolesio and Corey Toole, to recommit.

The Brumbies have now won eight of 10 games this year and are positioning themselves to snatch a top-two spot in the coming weeks.

They face arch rivals the NSW Waratahs in Sydney on Saturday before returning to Canberra to host the Canterbury Crusaders in a heritage match to celebrate the club's 2004 title.

The Brumbies have beaten the Waratahs in the past 12 matches between the teams, taking some of the sting out of the hatred between the teams.

But the Waratahs will sense an opportunity to cause a major boilover after being thumped 40-16 in Canberra earlier this year.

Hooper, a NSW junior, moved to Canberra to pursue his Super Rugby ambitions with the Brumbies.

While Swain is a Queensland junior, Frost and Neville are also products of the NSW pathways.

"If you perform, it's up to the coach's choice about how he plays chess. At the moment he's got a couple of queens that can go in all sorts of directions," Hooper said.

"At the team socials it's all four of the locks hanging out. Me and [Neville] are the thicker sets, the Clydesdales, the slow movers but we push in the scrums.

"Darcy and Frosty are the lineout generals ... we've got a really good mix at the moment. That's the beauty of the squad ... we want the fans to be looking at finals time thinking, 'Gee, there's a couple of big names that are out' because of the strength of our depth."

Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Fijian Drua at the Sydney Football Stadium, 7.35pm.