Cane on Chiefs bench for Blues clash

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Head coach Colin Cooper and his Chiefs team will welcome the return of co-captain Sam Cane.

Named on the bench in the No.20, Cane will take the field for the first time this Super Rugby season. Brad Weber will continue to captain the side from scrumhalf.

Angus Ta’avao will start at tighthead in his 100th Super Rugby match, shifting Nepo Laulala to the bench.

A new locking combination of Jesse Parete and Mitchell Brown will take the field, with Tyler Ardron back to No.8. Pita Gus Sowakula will start at No.6 in place of Luke Jacobson who sustained a head knock at training.

Again Cooper has named an unchanged backline from the side that took the field against the Sharks in Hamilton.

Joining Cane on the reserves bench, loosehead prop Aidan Ross returns from his neck injury and Waikato loose forward Mitchell Jacobson will be hoping to make his Super Rugby debut for the Chiefs in jersey No.19.

Chiefs: 15 Solomon Alaimalo, 14 Sean Wainui, 13 Tumua Manu, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Marty McKenzie, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Tyler Ardron, 7 Mitchell Karpik, 6 Pita Gus Sowakula, 5 Mitchell Brown, 4 Jesse Parete, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Atu Moli.
Replacements: 16 Liam Polwart, 17 Aidan Ross, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Mitchell Jacobson, 20 Sam Cane, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Shaun Stevenson, 23 Alex Nankivell.

Date: Saturday, May 18
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 19.35 (07.35 GMT)
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Nick Briant (New Zealand), Dan Waenga (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

PLAYER OF THE WEEK | Super Rugby 2019 Rd 13#SuperRugby #PlayerOfTheWeek #SR2019 pic.twitter.com/i72Ro3zSPM

— Super Rugby (@SuperRugby) May 15, 2019