St.George Queensland Reds side to play Western Force in Perth
St.George Queensland Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper will make his return from a two-month injury layoff this Saturday after being named in the starting side to take on the Western Force in Perth this Saturday.
Cooper’s inclusion is one of two changes to the starting side for this week’s match. Lachie Turner also returns from injury to take his place on the wing, with Chris Kuridrani ruled out with a calf strain.
Flanker Beau Robinson will feature in his first match-day squad of the 2015 season, after tearing his calf in the pre-season.
Graham has named an extended nine-man bench for the trip to Perth, with one player to be omitted prior to the match.
Reds head coach Richard Graham said: “Quade (Cooper) was given the all clear 10 days ago but we wanted to keep working on his strength and bulk just to ensure we didn’t compromise his return. He has been training with the squad now for about three weeks and will have no problems returning to play at this level.
“Jake (McIntyre) will drop to the bench. He has done a good job over the past two weeks. He will take a lot of learnings from two very different games and he should take some confidence from how he has managed the team around the field.
“It has been an extremely challenging year with injuries and Beau (Robinson) knows that better than most. After an excellent pre-season he suffered a calf strain in our final trial against the Crusaders and since has endured a number of foot injuries. He has now played a few Premier Rugby games for Souths and is full of enthusiasm to be back in a Reds jersey. He is a fantastic communicator and will provide a lot of energy around the group.
“It is unfortunate to lose Chris (Kuridrani) as he made some strong runs last weekend, however we are fortunate to bring Lachie (Turner) back into the team.”
The Reds and Force have met 13 times in the history of Super Rugby, with six wins each and one draw.
The Reds play the Force in Perth this Saturday at 5:40pm (local). The match will be broadcast live on Fox Sports.
While Reds prop Ben Daley will miss the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury, he continues to support various charities through his ‘Be Great, Do Good’ campaign. This week he is supporting the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation. ‘Be Great, Do Good’ is an initiative by Daley, in which he will support a different charity every week through a unique headgear to raise awareness and funds for their cause. Click here for more information: http://bit.ly/1Enz3Ja.
St.George Queensland Reds side to play Western Force in Perth
1. James Slipper (C)
2. James Hanson
3. Greg Holmes
4. Rob Simmons (VC)
5. James Horwill
6. Adam Thomson
7. Liam Gill
8. Jake Schatz
9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Lachie Turner
12. Samu Kerevi
13. Karmichael Hunt
14. Chris Feauai-Sautia
15. James O’Connor
Extended bench (one to be omitted)
Andrew Ready
Pettowa Paraka
Sam Talakai
Ed O’Donoghue
Beau Robinson
Nick Frisby
Jake McIntyre
Ben Tapuai
Jamie-Jerry Taulagi
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