St.George Queensland Reds side to play Sharks
The St.George Queensland Reds have named their side for their opening match in the 2017 Vodafone Super Rugby season against the Sharks from Durban at Suncorp Stadium this Friday.
Veteran Test flanker George Smith is in line to become Queensland Representative Number 1307 after being named to make his Reds debut in the Number 7 jersey.
While the match will be Smith’s first for Queensland, he is no stranger to Super Rugby, having already tallied an impressive 142 caps in the competition.
Friday’s match will also signal a return to Suncorp Stadium in Reds colours for Stephen Moore, Scott Higginbotham and Quade Cooper, who have all been named in the starting side.
While Smith is the only ‘debutant’ in the Reds’ starting side, Markus Vanzati, Izack Rodda and Izaia Perese are in line to make their Reds and Super Rugby debuts after being named as reserves.
Reds head coach Nick Stiles said his first side for the 2017 season reflected not only the depth of the squad but the fierce competition for spots.
“It’s pretty exciting to think in two days we’ll be back playing at Suncorp Stadium in front of our home fans,” Stiles said.
“We’ve all had this date circled on our calendars for a long time and the players and staff have worked incredibly hard to get to this point in the best possible position.
“Anyone who watched how we performed in the tens and our trial against the Rebels would know there is a lot of competition for spots in this squad.
“We’ve got a lot of seasoned campaigners, but there are also some young up-and-coming players who have earned an opportunity through their hard work and their form in pre-season.
“Now the challenge is there for us to put everything we’ve worked on into practice against the Sharks on Friday night.”
The St.George Queensland Reds host the Sharks at Suncorp Stadium this Friday, 24 February, at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available at www.redsrugby.com.au. The match will also be broadcast live on Fox Sports.
St.George Queensland Reds side to play Sharks
Friday 24 February, Suncorp Stadium
1. James Slipper (C)
2. Stephen Moore
3. Sam Talakai
4. Rob Simmons
5. Kane Douglas
6. Adam Korczyk
7. George Smith (Queensland debut)
8. Scott Higginbotham
9. Nick Frisby
10. Quade Cooper
11. Eto Nabuli
12. Duncan Paia’aua
13. Samu Kerevi
14. Chris Kuridrani
15. Karmichael Hunt
16. Andrew Ready
17. Markus Vanzati (Potential Queensland/Super Rugby debut)
18. Sef Fa’agase
19. Izack Rodda (Potential Queensland/Super Rugby debut)
20. Hendrik Tui
21. James Tuttle
22. Jake McIntyre
23. Izaia Perese (Potential Queensland/Super Rugby debut)
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