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Charlie Cale returns for Brumbies' quarter-final against Highlanders
By Ned Lester
The Brumbies are primed for playoff action with a hungry squad ready to defend home soil against the Highlanders in Saturday's final quarter-final.
Coach Stephen Larkham has named a familiarly formidable matchday 23 for the occasion, backing his tried and tested talent with the added boosts of Charlie Cale and Jahrome Brown who return after respective sideline spells.
Harry Vella will make a start in the No. 1 jersey in the place of a run of injured Brumbies props, joining Billy Pollard and Allan Alaalatoa.
Darcy Swain and the versatile Tom Hooper make up the second row, while Cale and Brown combine with Rob Valetini in the back row.
Ryan Lonergan and Noah Lolesio resume their halves partnership and will feed the well-rounded and destructive midfield partnership of Tamati Tua and Len Ikitau.
The electric back three of Corey Toole, Andy Muirhead and Tom Wright round out the starting XV.
Brumbies team to face the Highlanders
- Harry Vella
- Billy Pollard
- Allan Alaalatoa (C)
- Darcy Swain
- Tom Hooper
- Rob Valetini
- Jahrome Brown
- Charlie Cale
- Ryan Lonergan
- Noah Lolesio
- Corey Toole
- Tamati Tua
- Len Ikitau
- Andy Muirhead
- Tom Wright
Finishers
16. Liam Bowron
17. Rhys van Nek
18. Sosefo Kautai
19. Nick Frost
20. Luke Reimer
21. Harrison Goddard
22. Jack Debreczeni
23. Ollie Sapsford
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Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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