Brumbies team announced to battle Blues

The Brumbies have made one change to their starting side which will face the Blues at Canberra Stadium this Saturday afternoon.

Returning from injury this week is Wallaby winger Joe Tomane, who slots back into the No 11 jersey moving Jesse Mogg to fullback and Robbie Coleman to the bench. With Coleman moving back to the bench, Cam Crawford slips out of the 22-man squad.

On the bench, wrecking ball Fotu Auelua has been given the all clear after recovering from a hamstring strain he sustained during the three-week break. With Auelua back in the 22-man squad, Ita Vaea drops off the bench for the clash with the Blues.

Head Coach Jake White was pleased to welcome Joe back to the starting side. He said the Brumbies faced a tough battle in overcoming the Blues this weekend.

“It’s great to welcome Joe back, he’s become a Wallaby since the last time the Brumbies played and he adds a lot to this backline,” White said.

“The energy and excitement I know he took from the Wallabies set up will be great for our team. I’m sure he’s looking forward to getting back into the Brumbies strip.

“Both Joe and Fotu are big, strong ball runners. They offer us a bit of physicality, we’ve got to try and prepare ourselves for the next couple of weeks so we need to get them on the field.

“The Blues strength is their unpredictability. They have a lot of Samoan boys in their team, if you look at guys like (Charlie) Faumuina and (Ma’a) Nonu they’re unpredictable, they’re game breakers.

“We need to control the match and play the game that we want to play. If it turns into a game of sevens then that’s going to play into their hands.

Auelua, Tomane and Mogg have all been in outstanding Super Rugby form to this point of the season and will be looking to finish off their first professional years in style against the Blues.

The match is one of the most anticipated in Canberra for the last eight years, with a win guaranteeing the Brumbies top spot in the Australian Conference and a home quarter final next weekend.

It’s also a special occasion for one of the Brumbies most respected old heads, Stephen Moore, who claims his 100th cap after 10 years of Super Rugby.

The game is being played at the family and winter friendly time of 3:30pm and with local rugby taking a break this Saturday, the stage has been set for one of the biggest home crowds of 2012.

Brumbies: 1 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 3 Dan Palmer, 4 Scott Fardy, 5 Sam Carter, 6 Peter Kimlin, 7 Michael Hooper, 8 Ben Mowen (c), 9 Nic White, 10 Zack Holmes, 11 Joe Tomane, 12 Pat McCabe, 13 Andrew Smith, 14 Henry Speight, 15 Jesse Mogg. Replacements: 16 Anthony Hegarty, 17 Ruaidhri Murphy, 18 Leon Power, 19 Fotu Auelua, 20 Ian Prior, 21 Tevita Kuridrani, 22 Robbie Coleman.

Brumbies vs Blues
Canberra Stadium, Bruce
Saturday afternoon, July 14
Kick-off: 3:30pm (AEST).

Live coverage is available on Fox Sports Three. Check local guides for more information.

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