Chiefs get another All Black back
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Colin Cooper has named an unchanged starting side from the one which beat the Waratahs last Saturday, with key figure Sam Cane returning from injury to the No.20 jersey for their clash against the Crusaders
“We’ve picked a very similar team to the one that performed well against the Waratahs,” said Cooper. “The bench will bring a lot of excitement and spark – we’re really pleased with the quality we have available – it’s a big boost having Sam back.”
Angus Ta’avao and Karl Tu’inukuafe continue in the front row with Nathan Harris. Brodie Retallick and Michael Allardice start in the No.4 and No.5 jerseys, and Luke Jacobson, Mitchell Karpik and Liam Messam make up the loose forward trio.
Notably, in the backs, Charlie Ngatai will start in the midfield again with Anton Lienert-Brown, after a fantastic performance last weekend.
Chiefs: 15 Solomon Alaimalo, 14 Toni Pulu, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Charlie Ngatai (captain), 11 Sean Wainui, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Liam Messam, 7 Mitchell Karpik, 6 Luke Jacobson, 5 Michael Allardice, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Liam Polwart, 17 Sam Prattley, 18 Jeff Thwaites, 19 Jesse Parete, 20 Sam Cane, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Marty McKenzie, 23 Shaun Stevenson.
Date: Saturday, June 2
Venue: Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Kick-off: 19:35 local (07:35 GMT)
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees: Richard Kelly (New Zealand), Cam Stone (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
