One forced change to QR Reds starting side against Cheetahs as Schatz comes in for injured Braid
Queensland Reds
QR Reds Head Coach Ewen McKenzie will give 19-year old backrower Jake Schatz his third starting opportunity this season after open side flanker Daniel Braid succumbed to a knee injury.
McKenzie has named an otherwise unchanged starting side for the match against South Africa’s Cheetahs in Bloemfontein (kickoff 3.10am Brisbane time Saturday morning), while adding Ezra Taylor and returning wing Rod Davies to the bench.
Schatz replaced Braid for the last 20 minutes of the Reds 50-10 victory over the Force after the QAS Reds Academy prospect started twice at blindside flanker in rounds 2 and 3 and McKenzie said he is up to the challenge of starting at openside flanker against the Cheetahs.
“Schatzy’s has been a meteoric rise this season and he’s answered the call on many occasions in different ways. He replaced Braidy in the last game and played the last 20 minutes at open side flanker against the Force so we’ve got some continuity there,” McKenzie said.
Braid had hoped to be fully recovered from a medial ligament strain suffered against the Force but withdrew overnight when he decided his knee would not be 100 per cent for the game.
“We’ve given him (Braid) every opportunity and he’d progressed very well,” McKenzie said.
“We were very confident when we came away that he’d be right for this game. But he just didn’t quite feel that it was 100 per cent good enough to play in such a big game so he’s withdrawn.”
McKenzie made no unforced changes to the starting side, opting to maintain continuity as much as possible following the disruption of the weekend off for the bye and the travel to South Africa.
“We’ve moved players around and tried things in previous games, but after having the break and obviously with the travel, we felt that playing around too much with the existing combinations this week was not worthwhile,” McKenzie said.
“We’re still trying bits and pieces in terms of how we want to play but coming off the bye week we thought that having the existing combinations would help us.”
With livewire winger Rod Davies back into calculations after recovering from a fractured cheek bone suffered against the Blues on February 27, McKenzie was asked if he had come into consideration for the run-on side.
“Everyone came into consideration, but he’s coming back from a reasonable time off and has only been back in full training this week,” McKenzie said.
Selectors also stuck with the same lock combination of Van Humphries and Rob Simmons, who made his run-on debut against the Force.
“I think Simmo did very well in the Force game. Our lineout also functioned very well in that game in attack and defence so in those circumstances we didn’t feel that needed to change,” McKenzie said.
QR Reds team (from fullback) to play the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday morning (3.10am Queensland time): Peter Hynes, Luke Morahan, Digby Ioane, Anthony Faingaa, Brando Va’aulu, Quade Cooper, Will Genia (c), Leroy Houston, Jake Schatz, Scott Higginbotham, Van Humphries, Rob Simmons, Laurie Weeks, Saia Faingaa, Ben Daley. Reserves: Sean Hardman, Greg Holmes, Adam Byrnes, Ezra Taylor, Ben Lucas, Will Chambers, Rod Davies.
ENDS
Related Posts
« Cory Jane included in Hurricanes Team Sharks announce side for clash with Hurricanes »
