Vodacom Super Rugby
Lucas replaces Cooper
2012-07-20 07:20
Brisbane - Reds' selection of flyhalf
Ben Lucas to replace the suspended Quade Cooper was the only change
Friday to the Reds side for their Super Rugby first-round playoff match
against the Durban-based Sharks on Saturday.
Cooper received a
one-match suspension for his high tackle on Berrick Barnes in the
defending champion Reds' win over the Waratahs last
Saturday in the final round of the regular season.
Reds coach Ewen McKenzie said the team had full confidence in Lucas, who
filled in for Cooper earlier in the season while the Wallaby flyhalf was
recovering from knee surgery following last October's Rugby World Cup
in New Zealand.
"Ben has been training at (No) 10 all week and
the guys around him are very comfortable with the direction he gives the
team," McKenzie said.
"Before last week against the Waratahs, we
enjoyed arguably our best win of the season against the then
competition-leading Chiefs with Ben at flyhalf and we're confident he
will get the job done tomorrow night."
The promotion of Lucas saw
Nick Frisby regain his place on the bench. McKenzie also retained
Australia under-20s captain Liam Gill at openside flanker, keeping the
experienced Beau Robinson on the bench.
The Sharks named their
team on Wednesday, with lock Willem Alberts returning to the starting
lineup along with prop Tendai Mtawarira, who was a late withdrawal from
the Sharks' final-round win over the Cheetahs because of a
gastrointestinal complaint.
The other changes were in the
backline, where Frans Steyn was replaced by Paul Jordaan at outside
center and Tim Whitehead shifted to inside center.
Steyn was not eligible for the playoffs because he signed after the April 1 transfer deadline.
Louis Ludik replaced Pat Lambie after the Springbok had a recurrence of the ankle injury he sustained against England in June.
McKenzie said Alberts was "an interesting selection" in the second row.
"They
have got four genuine ball-carrying forwards out there that can make
things happen, so it's an interesting game from a strategy point of
view," McKenzie said.
"They can get serious momentum, a lot of ball continuity. They are good at getting results out of that risk-taking."
Without Lambie, the key for the Sharks will be their No 10 - France's Frederic Michalak.
"He's
got 50-plus Test caps for France - that kind of experience you can't
buy," Sharks captain Keegan Daniel said. "We will be looking at him to
steer the ship for us."
The Cape Town-based Stormers and the Chiefs await the winners of Saturday's matches in the semifinals next weekend.
If
the Reds win, they'd play the Chiefs on Friday, July 27 at Hamilton.
The Stormers would take on the winner of Saturday's other first-round
match at Christchurch, New Zealand between the seven-time champion
Canterbury Crusaders and the Pretoria-based Bulls on Saturday, July 28
in Cape Town.
The semi-final winners will play on Auguat 4 at the home stadium of the highest-ranked team in the championship match.
Teams:Reds:
15 Luke Morahan, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Mike Harris,
11 Digby Ioane, 10 Ben Lucas, 9 Will Genia (captain), 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7
Liam Gill, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 4 Rob Simmons, 3
James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes
Substitutes: 16 James Hanson, 17 Ben Daley, 18 Radike Samo, 19 Beau Robinson, 20 Jarrad Butler, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Ben Tapuai
Sharks:
15
Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11
Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7
Marcell Coetzee, 6 Keegan Daniel (captain), 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Willem
Alberts, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Substitutes:
16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Steven Sykes, 19 Jacques Botes,
20 Cobus Reinach, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane