The Plus500 Brumbies are aiming for a fifth home win in succession when the Sunwolves arrive at GIO Stadium for their Round 13 Super Rugby clash on Mother’s Day this Sunday afternoon.
Having defeated the Chiefs, Waratahs, Lions and Blues in their last four outings in Canberra, the Brumbies are right back in the Australian Conference reckoning as the season heads into the last six rounds.
For the visit of the Japanese side, Head Coach Dan McKellar has made three changes to the team that beat the Blues with Scott Sio, Darcy Swain and Tevita Kuridrani brought into the starting XV.
Sio continues his rotation with fellow Wallaby James Slipper at prop, Slipper being amongst the finishers, whilst Swain is promoted to take the place of Rory Arnold, the Australian international unavailable due to injury.
Kuridrani meanwhile comes back at outside centre to reform the midfield partnership with Irae Simone that started in the wins against the Chiefs and Waratahs. The blockbusting duo tasked to create opportunities for the pacemen out wide, Toni Pulu, Henry Speight and Tom Banks, to take advantage of.
Christian Lealiifano will captain the side again, the 42nd time he has led the team onto the field, having passed the 900-point mark in Super Rugby during the Blues contest last Saturday.
Up front, the pack has a similar feel with Sio joining Allan Alaalatoa and Folau Fainga’a in a Wallabies front row in which hooker Fainga’a has been in inspirational try-scoring form, topping the Super Rugby five-pointer lists with ten tries in ten games.
Brumbies Academy product Swain will form the lock partnership with Sam Carter whilst the backrow remains the same, with flankers Tom Cusack and Jahrome Brown, and Pete Samu who is selected at number eight.
The replacements feature Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin and Connal McInerney as the front row finishers, alongside Slipper, with Murray Douglas and Blake Enever the other forward options.
Local young scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan, winger Andy Muirhead and centre Tom Wright complete the matchday squad providing the cover for the backs.
The match will kick-off at 4.05pm, with the highly-anticipated curtain-raiser international match between the Brumby Runners and the Japan A Wolf Pack team commencing at 1.05pm. Match tickets for entry to both games, are available from www.ticketek.com.au.
TEAM
1. Scott SIO
2. Folau FAINGA’A
3. Allan ALAALATOA
4. Darcy SWAIN
5. Sam CARTER
6. Tom CUSACK
7. Jahrome BROWN
8. Pete SAMU
9. Joe POWELL
10. Christian LEALIIFANO
11. Toni PULU
12. Irae SIMONE
13. Tevita KURIDRANI
14. Henry SPEIGHT
15. Tom BANKS
REPLACEMENTS
16. Connal MCINERNEY
17. James SLIPPER
18. Leslie LEULUAIALII-MAKIN
19. Blake ENEVER
20. Murray DOUGLAS
21. Ryan LONERGAN
22. Tom WRIGHT
23. Andy MUIRHEAD
UNAVAILABLE: Rory ARNOLD, Ben HYNE, David POCOCK, Rob VALETINI
MATCH DETAILS
Super Rugby Round 13
Sunday 12 May 2019
Plus500 Brumbies v Sunwolves
(GIO Stadium, Canberra, 16:05)
CURTAIN-RAISER
Challenge Match
Brumby Runners v Japan A Wolf Pack
(GIO Stadium, Canberra, 13:05)
