Brumbies' Slipper to face former team in Brisbane
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: 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.
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 tryline 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.
The second change to the team sees Wallaby Pete Samu restored to the starting line-up, joining a back-row 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 back rower Jahrome Brown with the former Waikato flank 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.
Brumbies: 15 Tom Banks, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Irae Simone, 11 Lausii Taliauli, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Joe Powell, 8 Lachlan Mccaffrey, 7 Tom Cusack, 6 Pete Samu, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17 Scott Sio, 18 Tom Ross, 19 Blake Enever, 20 Murray Douglas, 21 Jahrome Brown, 22 Matt Lucas, 23 Jordan Jackson-Hope.
Date: Sunday, March 24
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 15.05 (16.05 Canberra time; 05.05 GMT)
Referee: Paul Williams (Australia)
Assistant referees: Egon Seconds (South Africa), Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
TMO: Ian Smith (Australia)
