Zac Lomax is chasing a spot in the Wallabies World Cup lineup that will contest the home tournament in 2027, this week signing a two-year deal with Rugby Australia and the Western Force after being denied a chance to play in the NRL.
The ex-Parramatta Eels winger will officially be swapping to the 15-man code, the SMH reported today, after legal proceedings stopped him from taking up a multi-year contract offer from the Melbourne Storm for the 2026 season. He had earlier tried to play rugby with R360, starting the whole saga, before that start-up competition fell apart immediately.
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Lomax is now signed with Rugby Australia (and Western-based club the Force) through to 2027, meaning he’ll be playing the code at just the right time to potentially turn out as a Wallaby when the World Cup is played in Australia.
He joins several other rugby league defectors, including Sydney Roosters trio Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Mark Nawaqanitawase, and Angus Crichton, who have walked away from the NRL to try and find a spot at the World Cup.
Lomax met with Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh within hours of a settlement between the Eels and Storm that meant he wouldn’t play for Melbourne in the 2026 season. While no deal was signed that day — and the discussions lasted just thirty minutes — Lomax’s team were then busy on the phones all through the week and tied up a deal by Sunday evening.
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Suaalii, who was in the New South Wales squad with Lomax during State of Origin in recent years, had previously said he thinks the 26-year-old will do very well in rugby, likely as a centre or winger. “He can definitely play the game, I believe,” Suaalii said last week. “I’ve only played one game with him, and I’ve played against him as well. He has the ability to do it.”
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The contract rebel isn’t expected to turn out for the Force this week, when they play the Hurricanes at Mclean Park in Napier, but if he’s deemed ready, he could make his Super Rugby debut against the Chiefs at HBF Park on March 28.
Lomax will be able to sign with a new NRL club (without the Eels’ permission) in 2028.
