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Brumbies set to unleash rookie 2.05m ex-Crusaders prospect on Rebels

(Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

The Brumbies have made one injury-forced change in their team to face the Melbourne Rebels in round two of Super Rugby at Canberra Stadium on Friday.

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Second-rower Darcy Swain has been ruled out, allowing veteran Cadeyrn Neville to make his Brumbies starting debut against one of his former teams.

That opens up a vacancy in the reserves for former Australian schoolboys and Junior Wallabies lock Nick Frost, who has been named on the bench for a potential Super Rugby debut.

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The 20-year-old hit the headlines in October 2017 when he made the unorthodox decision to spurn offers from local Australian clubs to move to New Zealand and join the Crusaders on a development contract.

The move drew criticism on Rugby Australia for failing to lock down one of Australia’s brightest young talents, but the 2.05m lock – who represented provincial side Canterbury at an under-19 level in 2018 – has returned to his homeland after signing a two-year deal with the Brumbies last May.

Rookie No.10 Noah Lolesio holds onto the playmaking reins after leading the Brumbies to a season-opening win against Queensland Reds.

Reserve fly-half Bayley Kuenzle could make his Super Rugby debut after spending all 80 minutes on the bench last week.

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The Brumbies have won nine straight games at home and are gunning for the club record of 13 which they set 22 years ago.

The Rebels have won their past four games against the Brumbies and are looking to bounce back from a shock loss to the Sunwolves in Japan.

Brumbies team to play Rebels at Canberra on Friday: Scott Sio, Folau Fainga’a, Allan Alaalatoa, Murray Douglas, Cadeyrn Neville, Rob Valetini, Tom Cusack, Pete Samu, Joe Powell, Noah Lolesio, Tom Wright, Irae Simone, Tevita Kuridrani, Solomone Kata, Tom Banks.

Reserves: Connal McInerney, Harry Lloyd, James Slipper, Nick Frost, Will Miller, Ryan Lonergan, Bayley Kuenzle, Andy Muirhead.

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– With AAP

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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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LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
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