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Do-or-die fixture with the Rebels see Brodie Retallick make his long-awaited return for the Chiefs

Brodie Retallick of the Chiefs wins lineout ball. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Chief coach Colin Cooper has kept the changes to  a minimum for a side that bested the Crusaders in Suva two weeks ago.

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Most encouragingly for Chiefs and All Blacks fans alike is the return of Brodie Retallick, who last featured in round 8 of Super Rugby.

Retallick, who has just signed a new contract with New Zealand, will slot straight back into the second row to partner Canadian international Tyler Ardron.

In the front row, Angus Ta’avao swaps into the starting fifteen in exchange for Nepo Laulala and Nathan Harris takes over at hooker from Samisoni Taukei’aho.

Luke Jacobson is once again absent and is going through concussion protocols.

Cooper is understandably ecstatic to have Retallick back in the side.

“It is great to have key men like Brodie and Nathan return for this game. We are really looking forward to taking on the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday night. There’s plenty to play for, for both teams. It will be a fantastic contest for spectators to enjoy,” Cooper said.

“The team is excited to don the Gallagher Chiefs jersey and put on performance our fans will be proud of back at home.”

The Chiefs would likely earn themselves a spot in the quarter-finals if they can knock over the Rebels in Melbourne. Last weekend the Rebels were crushed 66-nil in Christchurch by the Crusaders – the team the Chiefs so efficiently dealt to in Fiji – but the Melbournites rested key Wallabies from that match, ostensibly to target this Friday night’s fixture with the Chiefs.

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The recent returns of Retallick and Chiefs co-captain Sam Cane would make the Waikato-based side a significantly more threatening opponent in the knockout rounds than they have been in much of the season to date.

Chief: Solomo Alaimalo, Shaun Stevenson, Anton Lienert-Brown, Alex Nankivell, Sean Wainui, Jack Debreczeni, Brad Weber, Pita Gus-Sowakula, Sam Cane (c), Lachlan Boshier, Tyler Ardron, Brodie Retallick, Angus Ta’avao, Nathan Harris, Atu Molu. Reserves: Samisoni Taukei’aho, Aidan Ross, Nepo Laulala, Jesse Parete, Mitchell Jacobson, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Marty McKenzie, Tumua Manu.

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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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