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Brumbies ring the changes for quarter-final versus Sharks

Joe Powell. (Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

Brumbies are banking on home advantage in Canberra proving decisive when they take on the South African Sharks at GIO Stadium on Saturday in the Super Rugby quarter-finals. 

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The sole Australian knock-out stage qualifier have won six games in succession and not lost a home match since February. Head coach Dan McKellar has now made four changes to the team that defeated the Reds to retain the Rod Macqueen Cup. 

Henry Speight has been passed fit to reclaim the right wing spot, and Toni Pulu returns to the left wing forming a potent back three alongside Tom Banks.

The other two changes are in the back row where Tom Cusack and Pete Samu return to the starting XV alongside Rob Valetini. Loose forwards Lachlan McCaffrey and Jahrome Brown will provide power and impact from the replacements bench.

The nucleus of the pack that has been the benchmark for the Super Rugby competition in 2019 is retained with the all-international front row of Scott Sio and Allan Alaalatoa packing down with Brumbies leading try-scorer, Folau Fainga’a, the hooker having claimed 11 tries this season.

Christian Leali’ifano will win his 149th Super Rugby cap, leading the team for the 47th time as captain to equal the mark set by George Gregan. The gifted playmaker is also closing in on 950 Super Rugby points.

McKellar has opted for six forwards on the bench, adding Darcy Swain into the finishers with the front row substitutes being Connal McInerney, James Slipper and Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin, the latter running out for his 49th Super Rugby appearance.

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Matt Lucas makes a return to the matchday 23 as one of two back replacements, together with utility Tom Wright who crossed for his third try of the season in the win over the Reds.

Should the Brumbies be successful in their quarter-final there are two potential semi-final fixtures. If the Jaguares defeat the Chiefs in Buenos Aires, the Brumbies will travel to Argentina, but if the Chiefs are successful the New Zealanders will be the opposition at GIO Stadium.

BRUMBIES (v Sharks, Saturday): T Banks; H Speight, T Kuridrani, I Simone, T Pulu; C Leali’ifano (capt), J Powell; S Sio, F Fainga’a, A Alaalatoa, R Arnold, S Carter, R Valetini, T Cusack, P Samu. Reps: C McInerney, J Slipper, L Leuluaialii-Makin, D Swain, L McCaffrey, J Brown, M Lucas, T Wright. 

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WATCH: Brumbies boss Dan McKellar previews their quarter-final showdown with the Sharks

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Flankly 1 hour ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

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