St.George Queensland Reds team to play Southern Kings
The St.George Queensland Reds have announced their side to take on the Southern Kings in their first-ever Super Rugby meeting at Suncorp Stadium on Easter Saturday.
Reds head coach Nick Stiles has made six changes to his starting side for the match, headlined by the return of key players Quade Cooper and Karmichael Hunt.
Cooper has returned from a three-week suspension due to a high tackle and resumes the role of starting flyhalf, while Hunt has recovered from a concussion suffered two weeks ago to start at fullback.
The only other change to the backline is the promotion of Izaia Perese to starting wing, with Chris Kuridrani, shifted to the bench.
In the forwards, hooker Alex Mafi has earned his first start in Super Rugby after making his debut for Queensland off the bench last weekend. Andrew Ready returns to the side in the reserves, with Stephen Moore left out of the match-day 23. Centre Samu Kerevi will captain the side in Moore’s absence.
Lock Lukhan Tui has earned his first start of the 2017 season, in place of Kane Douglas, who is on the bench.
The other change to the forward pack sees Japanese Test player Hendrik Tui return to starting blindside flanker, with Adam Korczyk moved to the reserves.
Nick Frisby has also returned to the match-day 23 as reserve scrumhalf.
This weekend’s match will also feature a significant milestone for veteran flanker George Smith, who becomes just the seventh player in the history of the competition and only the third Australian player to reach 150 Super Rugby caps.
Stiles said: “It’s great to welcome Quade and Karmichael back into the starting side. They’re both experienced leaders and are desperate to help guide the team to a win this weekend.
“It’s also a significant match for George. He’s been a great influence since joining the team, is one of the greatest players Australia has ever produced, and it would be nice to celebrate his milestone with a win.
“One of the strengths of this squad is its depth and we’re continuing to test that and develop experience within the younger players. As we’ve done with other players, we felt it was necessary to manage Stephen’s workload throughout the year, which is why he’s not taking part in this match.
“This is an important game for us. We’re back at our home ground and the team is keen to bounce back from a disappointing performance last weekend.”
The St.George Queensland Reds play the Southern Kings at Suncorp Stadium this Saturday 15 April at 3:05 pm. For ticketing and membership information go to www.redsrugby.com.au. The match will also be broadcast live on Fox Sports.
St.George Queensland Reds side to play Southern Kings
Saturday 15 April, 3:05pm, Suncorp Stadium
1. Sef Fa’agase – University of Queensland
2. Alex Mafi – Bond University (run-on debut)
3. Sam Talakai – Brothers
4. Rob Simmons – Sunnybank
5. Lukhan Tui – Souths
6. Hendrik Tui – Norths
7. George Smith – Brothers (150th Super Rugby cap)
8. Scott Higginbotham – Wests
9. James Tuttle – GPS
10. Quade Cooper – Souths
11. Eto Nabuli – GPS
12. Duncan Paia’aua – Norths
13. Samu Kerevi (C) – Souths
14. Izaia Perese – Easts
15. Karmichael Hunt – Norths
16. Andrew Ready – Easts
17. Kirwan Sanday – Easts
18. Taniela Tupou – Brothers
19. Kane Douglas – Norths
20. Adam Korczyk – University of Queensland
21. Nick Frisby – GPS
22. Hamish Stewart – Bond University
23. Chris Kuridrani – GPS
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