Tag: Rugby

Crusaders boss Scott Robertson has made six changes to his starting XV to face the Blues in their Super Rugby derby in Christchurch on Saturday.

Of the four changes in the forwards, the champions welcome the return of prop Tim Perry from the hamstring injury he sustained prior to the June international break.

At tighthead, Michael Alaalatoa moves from the bench to the starting side for this game.

Quinten Strange will partner captain Sam Whitelock at lock, with Scott Barrett rested this week. In the loose forwards, Jordan Taufua will start in the number six jersey, and Pete Samu comes in to the reserves.

The only changes in the backs will see Mitchell Drummond wear the number nine jersey this week and Bryn Hall take a spot on the replacements bench. David Havili will also sit out this game, and has been replaced at full-back by Israel Dagg.

On the reserves bench, Otago hooker Sam Anderson-Heather joins the squad and could earn his first Crusaders cap this week. Anderson-Heather will provide cover for Andrew Makalio in the absence of Codie Taylor, who is another All Black rested for this match.

Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Seta Tamanivalu, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Mitchell Drummond, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Sam Whitelock (c), 4 Quinten Strange, 3 Michael Alaalatoa, 2 Andrew Makalio, 1 Tim Perry
Replacements: 16 Sam Anderson-Heather, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Donald Brighouse, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Bryn Hall, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Manasa Mataele

Date: Saturday, July 14
Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 19:35 local (08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT)
Referee: Federico Anselmi
Assistant Referees: Jamie Nutbrown, Mike Fraser
TMO: Shane McDermott

---

Connacht have announced the signing of experienced loose forward Colby Fainga’a from Australian Super Rugby side the Melbourne Rebels.

The 27-year-old made his Super Rugby debut playing for the Brumbies when Andy Friend was their head coach in 2010 and went on to play every game for the club in the 2011 season.

In 2014 Fainga’a joined the Rebels and in his first season was awarded the highest honour in the club when he was named the Players’ Player of the year. This achievement was followed by his appointment as co-captain of the Melbourne Rising side in 2015.

The versatile back-row has gone on to make 100 Super Rugby appearances, the latest coming in the Rebels clash with the Reds last weekend.

At international level, Fainga’a captained the Australian U20s side in 2011 and made seven appearances that season.

Commenting on Connacht’s latest signing, Connacht head coach Friend said: “We are delighted to announce the signing of Colby Fainga’a ahead of the new season.

“When I was head coach at the Brumbies, Colby signed his first professional contract with the club, so I have an in-depth knowledge of the qualities he brings.

“With 100 Super Rugby appearances under his belt, Colby brings massive experience. In addition to his versatility on the field he has a fantastic attitude off it and will be a big addition to Connacht in the seasons ahead.”

Fainga’a will join up with the squad at the conclusion of the Rebels’ Super Rugby season.

---

Melbourne Rebels head coach Dave Wessels has made four changes to his starting line-up to take on the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday.

This is a crucial game for the Rebels as they aim to secure the club’s first-ever Super Rugby play-off berth.

Injuries to full-back Dane Haylett-Petty (knee) and lock Geoff Parling (shoulder) have forced positional and personnel changes from last week’s match against the Reds. Meanwhile props Fereti Sa’aga and Sam Talakai earn starting spots in the Rebels’ pack in place of Tetera Faulkner and Jermaine Ainsley, who have moved to the bench.

Ross Haylett-Petty earns his first start since the Rebels’ Round 10 match against the Bulls, while Jack Maddocks shifts to full-back and Sefa Naivalu moves off the bench and onto the right wing.

Sam Jeffries and Lopeti Timani also make their returns to the matchday 23, as the Rebels opt for a 6-2 bench split.

Captain Adam Coleman (adductor) and scrum-half Will Genia (arm) will spend one more week on the sidelines, however reserve hooker Nathan Charles has shaken off any concussion concerns and will line up on the reserves bench.

Wessels said: “We’ve had a good week and are looking forward to the challenge in Dunedin.

“Everyone has embraced the areas of our performance we weren’t happy with last week. It wasn’t at the standard that we set for ourselves.

“But we know that if we play with intensity we’re capable of beating any team in this comp.

“We won’t shy away from the fact this is a big game for our club and supporters in Melbourne, just like we won’t shy away from the excitement of the reward on offer.

“We set out at the start of the season to play in a way that would make the people of Melbourne proud and we really want to do that again on Saturday night.”

Rebels: 15 Jack Maddocks, 14 Sefa Naivalu, 13 Tom English (c), 12 Billy Meakes, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Reece Hodge, 9 Michael Ruru, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Colby Fainga’a, 6 Angus Cottrell, 5 Ross Haylett-Petty, 4 Matt Philip, 3 Sam Talakai, 2 Anaru Rangi, 1 Fereti Sa’aga
Replacements: 16 Nathan Charles, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Sam Jeffries, 20 Richard Hardwick, 21 Harrison Goddard, 22 Jack Debreczeni, 23 Lopeti Timani

Date: Saturday, July 14
Venue: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Kick-off: 17:15 local (07:15 BST, 06:15 GMT)
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams, Brendon Pickerill
TMO: Chris Hart

---

Highlanders head coach Aaron Mauger has made numerous changes to his starting line-up for their Super Rugby clash with the Rebels in Dunedin on Saturday.

Wellingtonian youngster Thomas Umaga-Jensen has been named to make his Super Rugby debut in the midfield alongside Josh Ioane, who will start for the first time at full-back.

Kayne Hammington comes into the starting number nine jersey and Tevita Li returns to the left wing.

In the forwards, veteran lock Alex Ainley returns to the starting team and joins with new All Blacks, Jackson Hemopo and Shannon Frizell, while James Lentjes captains the team from the openside flank.

Liam Squire moves to the back of the scrum to replace Luke Whitelock, who earns a well-deserved rest along with Ben Smith, Aaron Smith and Rob Thompson.

Highlanders: 15 Josh Ioane, 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Thomas Umaga-Jensen, 12 Teihorangi Walden, 11 Tevita Li, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Kayne Hammington, 8 Liam Squire, 7 James Lentjes (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Jackson Hemopo, 4 Alex Ainley, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Aki Seuili
Replacements: 16 Greg Pleasants-Tate, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Kalolo Tuiloma, 19 Tom Franklin, 20 Dillon Hunt, 21 Josh Renton, 22 Matt Faddes, 23 Josh McKay

Date: Saturday, July 14
Venue: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Kick-off: 17:15 local (07:15 BST, 06:15 GMT)
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams, Brendon Pickerill
TMO: Chris Hart

---

Waratahs head coach Daryl Gibson has named an unchanged line-up to face the Brumbies in the final regular season match at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

Gibson says he felt it would be unfair to drop anyone after an impressive performance last weekend against the Sunwolves.

“Part of our strategy is to try and keep combinations together, and it’s up to those players to really earn it through their performances. As a coaching team we feel that they are doing that and deserve their spots,” he said.

Gibson expects a typical Australian derby, adding: “For both sides there’s real incentive there on the outcome of the game. The Brumbies need a bonus point win to have a chance to quality and for us the real carrot of knowing if you progress in this tournament of giving yourself the opportunity through having a home semi-final potentially.”

When asked about a potential quarter-final opponent, Gibson said: “We haven’t looked beyond this game. We know there’s a lot riding on this fixture and we want to perform. The finals series will take care of itself and we will just wait and see who we get.”

Waratahs: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Cam Clark, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 Bernard Foley (c), 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Michael Wells, 7 Will Miller, 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Jed Holloway, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Damien Fitzpatrick, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Tom Staniforth, 20 Brad Wilkin, 21 Jake Gordon, 22 Alex Newsome, 23 Bryce Hegarty

Date: Saturday, July 14
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 19:45 local (10:45 BST, 09:45 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner
Assistant Referees: Will Houston, James Leckie
TMO: George Ayoub

---

Brumbies head coach Dan McKellar has made two changes to his starting XV for the trip to Sydney to tackle the Waratahs this weekend.

McKellar has selected Scott Sio at loosehead prop and paired Richie Arnold with twin brother Rory for the first time in Super Rugby, as the Brumbies go looking for the bonus-point win that would give them a chance of playing in the playoffs.

Sio will team up with fellow Wallabies international Allan Alaalatoa either side of the impressive hooker Folau Fainga’a in the heart of the engine room in what is sure to be a colossal front-row battle with the club’s perennial rivals from New South Wales.

Blake Enever shifts from lock to flanker to compensate for the inclusion of Richie Arnold, with Tom Cusack unavailable, after the flanker suffered a head-knock in Hamilton against the Chiefs in Round 18. David Pocock and Isi Naisarani join Enever in the back-row.

The backline remains unchanged for the sixth straight game having crossed for a combined total of 15 tries in that time-frame between them.

Joe Powell and Christian Lealiifano will continue to provide quick and decisive ball with the centre pairing of Kyle Godwin and Tevita Kuridrani creating ample space for the back three.

Leading scorers Tom Banks (eight tries) and Henry Speight (seven tries) are joined by Andrew Muirhead who has crossed for three tries in his last four outings, creating plenty of problems for opposition defences with his pace and electric footwork.

Co-captain Sam Carter meanwhile is recalled to the squad and is on the replacements bench where he is joined by prop Nic Mayhew who started the match in New Zealand, hooker Connal McInerney, prop Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin and flanker Lachlan McCaffrey in a 5/3 split.

Matt Lucas, Wharenui Hawera and Lausii Taliauli are named as the backline finishers as the Brumbies aim to get the win that would see them retain the Dan Vickerman Cup.

Brumbies: 15 Tom Banks, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Andrew Muirhead, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Joe Powell, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 David Pocock, 6 Blake Enever, 5 Richie Arnold, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Connal McInerney, 17 Nic Mayhew, 18 Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin, 19 Sam Carter, 20 Lachlan McCaffrey, 21 Matt Lucas, 22 Wharenui Hawera, 23 Lausii Taliauli

Date: Saturday, July 14
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 19:45 local (10:45 BST, 09:45 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner
Assistant Referees: Will Houston, James Leckie
TMO: George Ayoub

---

Blues head coach Tana Umaga has made just one alteration to his starting line-up to take on the Crusaders in their Super Rugby derby in Christchurch on Saturday.

The only change from the pack which lost to the Hurricanes in Wellington last week is a start for Ben Nee-Nee after an injury to Matiaha Martin ruled him out, while the backline remains the same.

The Blues will aim to give long-serving star Jerome Kaino a fitting send-off in his final game for the Auckland-based club.

Kaino, who heads to France after the season, will play his 139th game for the Blues, to sit second on the all-time Blues list behind Keven Mealamu.

Blues: 15 Matt Duffie, 14 Melani Nanai, 13 Michael Collins, 12 Rieko Ioane, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 9 Augustine Pulu (c), 8 Akira Ioane, 7 Blake Gibson, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ben Nee-Nee, 4 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 3 Ofa Tuungafasi, 2 Matt Moulds, 1 Alex Hodgman
Replacements: 16 Ross Wright, 17 Pauliasi Manu, 18 Sione Mafileo, 19 Jacob Pierce, 20 Murphy Taramai, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Bryn Gatland, 23 Tamati Tua

Date: Saturday, July 14
Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 19:35 local (08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT)
Referee: Federico Anselmi
Assistant Referees: Jamie Nutbrown, Mike Fraser
TMO: Shane McDermott

---

Hurricanes prop Jeff Toomaga-Allen will make his 100th Super Rugby appearance in Friday’s highly anticipated quarter-final against the Chiefs at Westpac Stadium.

Toomaga-Allen, who brought up his 100th match for the club last week in Hamilton, will become just the 15th Hurricanes player to reach the milestone.

The 27-year-old made his debut for the Hurricanes in 2012 against the Stormers alongside long-time team-mates Ben May, TJ Perenara and Brad Shields.

He will be the fourth player this season to reach the mark after Beauden Barrett, Perenara and Shields.

Hurricanes head coach Chris Boyd has named a largely settled squad for the quarter-final.

Captain Shields has been bracketed to allow him as much time as possible to get over a rib injury while Gareth Evans will start in the number seven jersey in place of Sam Henwood.

There are minimal changes in the backline, although Boyd has moved Jordie Barrett to centre to allow the return of crowd favourite and centurion Julian Savea to the starting XV.

Savea will be on the right wing with Ben Lam on the left as Nehe Milner-Skudder moves to full-back as the Hurricanes prepare to face the Chiefs for the second straight week after the two sides played out an exciting 80 minutes in Hamilton.

Wes Goosen, who has been recovering from the head knock he suffered last week, has been bracketed on the bench with Jonah Lowe while the squad has been further strengthened by the return from injury of All Black Vaea Fifita.

Boyd said the squad was delighted to have another opportunity to play in front of their home fans and believed the Hurricanes could deliver a performance good enough to keep their season and title hopes alive.

He has been impressed with the way the squad has prepared in the build-up to the match and could sense the excitement levels growing by the day.

Hurricanes: 15 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Jordie Barrett, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Blade Thomson, 7 Gareth Evans, 6 Brad Shields (c)/Reed Prinsep, 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Michael Fatialofa, 3 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Toby Smith
Replacements: 16 James O’Reilly, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Ben May, 19 Vaea Fifita, 20 Reed Prinsep/Sam Henwood, 21 Jamie Booth, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Wes Goosen/Jonah Lowe

Date: Friday, July 20
Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 19:35 local (08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT)
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant Referees: Nick Briant, Paul Williams
TMO: Glenn Newman

---

Jack Nowell is determined to go one better this season as Exeter Chiefs look to bounce back from their Premiership final loss to Saracens.

The Chiefs suffered a 27-10 negative to their rivals at Twickenham and since then Nowell has undergone surgery on damaged ankle ligaments, this after his partner Zoe gave birth to their daughter, Nori.

Now new father Nowell is looking to get back to full fitness during the off-season.

“It’s going very well,” he told Exeter’s website. “My operation actually got put back a week because my daughter was born the day I was due to have surgery, so I had it the week after instead.

“Now, we’re ticking along nicely and I’ve got the physios looking after me. For the first couple of weeks it was a bit tough, I was in a cast and I wasn’t actually allowed to do anything, but it kind of really gave me the chance to sit down, relax and take my mind off everything.

“I’ve now had a few weeks of training and I’m back into it. I’m really looking forward to getting the protective boot off and then getting back fit again and giving it a good go. I am doing everything I can to try and be available for that first game, but we’ll just have to wait and see how things progress.”

Exeter kick off their Premiership campaign at home to Leicester and when looking back to their final defeat, Nowell maintains the club are in an excellent position to move forward this season.

“If we compare ourselves to two years ago, when we lost to Sarries in the first final, the look of the boys in the changing rooms after the game in May was much different. We were all absolutely gutted and I’ve never looked at our squad and seen us in that position before. It hurt us a lot,” he said.

“Already this year you can really feel a sense of urgency from the boys. We are ready to go again. Even though we’ve just started pre-season, the boys are training hard and they’re really flying into it. We’re excited for the games to come.”

---

The Lions have suffered a setback ahead of this week’s game against the Jaguares after Nic Groom was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Groom, 28, requires surgery on an injured hand he sustained against the Bulls over last weekend, with Ross Cronje likely to come into the XV.

The inexperienced Marco Jansen van Vuren is set to be named on the replacements bench for Saturday’s match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

---