Larkham goes with continuity for Chiefs clash
Scott Sio, Stephen Moore and Ben Alexander (who scored his 20th career try last week) will pack down in the front row while Rory Arnold and Sam Carter have been named as locks.
Scott Fardy, David Pocock and Ita Vaea will form an imposing back row while Tomás Cubelli and Christian Lealiifano continue to link up in the halves.
Matt Toomua and Tevita Kuridrani are the centres while Joe Tomane and Robbie Coleman remain on the wing. Coleman started his first match of 2016 in the win over the Cheetahs following injury to Henry Speight. Aidan Toua rounds out the starting side at fullback after scoring his first Brumbies try on Saturday.
The only changes from the squad that beat the Cheetahs 25-18 in Bloemfontein last weekend comes on the bench with Josh Mann-Rea returns to the squad as a reserve following a one-week suspension. Leslie Leulua'iali'i-Makin also returns after missing the match against the Cheetahs and scrumhalf Joe Powell comes into the squad as a reserve for the first time this season.
Mann-Rea is one of three players in the Brumbies squad to have scored two tries over the opening five rounds of competition and will be a valuable addition to the reserves list along with Leulua'iali'i-Makin and Powell.
For Powell, tonight will be his first appearance for the Brumbies in almost 12 months. In 2015 he was thrown into Super Rugby when Nic White was injured. Powell made three appearances from the bench in Stephen Larkham's side.
Now, he is regarded as one of the best up and coming young scrumhalves in Australian Rugby. The 21-year old's performances in the 2015 National Rugby Championship earned him the UC Vikings Best Back Award.
After starting this season on an Extended Playing Squad contract, Powell recently signed a new two-year deal to stay with the Brumbies.
The match is the Brumbies first at GIO Stadium since Round Two, when they defeated the Waratahs 32-15 in front of over 20 000 fans.
Saturday's match will see two of the competition's most evenly matched teams go head-to-head.
The Brumbies have won eight and drawn one of their last 10 home matches against the Chiefs.
The spoils are split at two wins apiece in the last four matches between these teams; of those four matches two have been post-season with each team notching one win.
Brumbies: 15 Aidan Toua, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Robbie Coleman, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Ita Vaea, 7 David Pocock, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore (captain), 1 Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17 Allan Alaalatoa, 18 Leslie Leulua'iali'i-Makin, 19 Tom Staniforth, 20 Jordan Smiler, 21 Joe Powell, 22 James Dargaville, 23 Nigel Ah Wong.
Date: Saturday, April 2
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Kick-off: 19.40 (21.40 NZ Time; 08.40 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: William Houston (Australia), James Leckie (Australia)
TMO: Ian Smith (Australia)
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