Plus500 Brumbies prop James Slipper has been named in a strong starting XV as he makes the return to his former stomping ground when the Canberra side meets the Reds at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.
Slipper, the Super Rugby centurion, will line up alongside Folau Fainga’a and Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin, with Fainga’a on the verge of breaking a long-standing Brumbies try record.
Should the hooker find the try-line again this weekend, he will become the first Brumby in Super Rugby history to score in six successive matches, and only the second forward, following the Lions’ Springboks rake Malcolm Marx, to achieve the feat.
The inclusion of Slipper, who rotates roles with Wallabies international Scott Sio, is one of two changes made by Head Coach Dan McKellar from the team that retained the Vickerman Cup with a 19-13 success over the Waratahs at GIO Stadium on Friday night.
The second change to the team sees Wallaby Pete Samu restored to the starting line-up, joining a backrow trio of Tom Cusack and Lachlan McCaffrey, the latter of which was the ACT side’s top performer in the gutsy, and crucial, success over the Waratahs.
Other than that, it is as you were as the Brumbies look to gain a victory at a stadium which has traditionally proved to be a tough hunting ground for the team from the Capital City.
The reserves include a potential debut for backrower Jahrome Brown with the ex-Waikato flanker named amongst the substitutes with McKellar preferring to go with a six-two split amongst his finishers, Jordan Jackson-Hope and Matt Lucas, who was outstanding for the Runners against Waratahs ‘A’, covering the back positions.
Blake Enever returns to the squad and can cover the lock or backrow positions along with Murray Douglas whilst Sio, Tom Ross, in line for a second cap, and Josh Mann-Rea complete the forward replacements.
The Brumbies will travel to Brisbane on Saturday morning ahead of the clash on Sunday afternoon which you can watch LIVE on Fox Sports with kick-off at 4.05pm (AEDT).
TEAM
1. James SLIPPER2. Folau FAINGA’A
3. Leslie LEULUAIALII-MAKIN
4. Rory ARNOLD
5. Sam CARTER
6. Pete SAMU
7. Tom CUSACK
8. Lachlan MCCAFFREY
9. Joe POWELL
10. Christian LEALIIFANO
11. Lausii TALIAULI
12. Irae SIMONE
13. Tevita KURIDRANI
14. Henry SPEIGHT
15. Tom BANKS
REPLACEMENTS
16. Josh MANN-REA17. Scott SIO
18. Tom ROSS
19. Blake ENEVER
20. Murray DOUGLAS
21. Jahrome BROWN
22. Matt LUCAS
23. Jordan JACKSON-HOPE
UNAVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
Allan ALAALATOA, Ben HYNE, David POCOCK, Toni PULU, Rob VALETINI
MATCH DETAILS
Sunday 24 March 2019Reds v Plus500 Brumbies
(Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, 16:05, AEDT)
