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Sydney - Reds coach Ewen McKenzie has denied he’s picked a massive pack to monster the Force but the Reds forwards will certainly dwarf their rivals at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
By naming Wallabies lock James Horwill in the backrow, McKenzie has selected close to the tallest Reds pack he can muster for the Super Rugby opener where they’ll enjoy a decisive lineout advantage.
Horwill, Rob Simmons and Van Humphries all stand over 2m tall while No.7 bolter Ed Quirk (191cm) and burly No.8 Leroy Houston (189cm) can also be used as jumping options in what could be a pivotal set-piece battle.
Conversely, the Force field a much shorter lineout with two less options and doubt hovering over the effectiveness of skipper and prime aerial target Nathan Sharpe who is making his comeback from hernia surgery four weeks ago.
The 200cm-tall Sharpe is set to be on Friday named in the second-row along with either Ben McCalman (192cm) or Sam Wykes (193cm), with No.8 Richard Brown (189cm) the change-up target.
Most of the Reds’ 2010 success was earned through the brilliance of their backline but their 901kg pack has the clout to outmuscle the Force.
‘‘We’ve got a tall pack but I don’t know it’s massive,’’ said McKenzie, who named 10 current Wallabies in the starting 15.
‘‘It’s athletic and we’ll get around the park.
‘‘We’ve got lineout jumpers so there’s no problem there.
‘‘We need that because across the competition there’s some pretty good set pieces.’’
While they will be outgunned in the lineout, the Force may believe they could exploit the Reds sizy pack through their extremely mobile back-row of Brown, Matt Hodgson and Wallabies ball-scavenger Dave Pocock.
But McKenzie has no concerns about choosing the 117kg Horwill at blind-side flanker where he has starred in the pre-season, and also expects 19-year-old Quirk to fire in his individual battle against Pocock.
‘‘We’re determined to go out there and play our game and Ed Quirk gives us a number of things in both attack and defence,’’ he said.
Although Quirk made his starting debut in last season’s final round win over the Highlanders and starred in sevens rugby in 2010, he was a unexpected choice to fill Daniel Braid’s boots ahead of Beau Robinson and Liam Gill.
‘‘He’s got a bit of mongrel about him which is what you want from an open-side but also he’s got his versatility,’’ Horwill said.
‘‘Playing a lot of sevens football last year he can run with the backs and run with the ball in hand and he gives us that other lineout option that we need.’’
Showing the Reds increased depth this year, Quirk and Will Chambers are the only two starters without Wallabies experience while Scott Higginbotham has been named on the bench to make a second-half impact with ex-Waratah Robinson.
North Harbour playmaking recruit Mike Harris and Australian Under 20 winger Aidan Toua, who pushed out Luke Morahan, are also set to make their Reds Super debuts as replacements.
Teams:
Reds:
15 Peter Hynes, 14 Rod Davies, 13 Will Chambers, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Leroy Houston, 7 Ed Quirk, 6 James Horwill, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Van Humphries, 3 James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley
Substitutes: 16 James Hanson, 17 Greg Holmes, 18 Scott Higginbotham, 19 Beau Robinson, 20 Ben Lucas, 21 Mike Harris, 22 Aidan Toua
Western Force:
TBA
By naming Wallabies lock James Horwill in the backrow, McKenzie has selected close to the tallest Reds pack he can muster for the Super Rugby opener where they’ll enjoy a decisive lineout advantage.
Horwill, Rob Simmons and Van Humphries all stand over 2m tall while No.7 bolter Ed Quirk (191cm) and burly No.8 Leroy Houston (189cm) can also be used as jumping options in what could be a pivotal set-piece battle.
Conversely, the Force field a much shorter lineout with two less options and doubt hovering over the effectiveness of skipper and prime aerial target Nathan Sharpe who is making his comeback from hernia surgery four weeks ago.
The 200cm-tall Sharpe is set to be on Friday named in the second-row along with either Ben McCalman (192cm) or Sam Wykes (193cm), with No.8 Richard Brown (189cm) the change-up target.
Most of the Reds’ 2010 success was earned through the brilliance of their backline but their 901kg pack has the clout to outmuscle the Force.
‘‘We’ve got a tall pack but I don’t know it’s massive,’’ said McKenzie, who named 10 current Wallabies in the starting 15.
‘‘It’s athletic and we’ll get around the park.
‘‘We’ve got lineout jumpers so there’s no problem there.
‘‘We need that because across the competition there’s some pretty good set pieces.’’
While they will be outgunned in the lineout, the Force may believe they could exploit the Reds sizy pack through their extremely mobile back-row of Brown, Matt Hodgson and Wallabies ball-scavenger Dave Pocock.
But McKenzie has no concerns about choosing the 117kg Horwill at blind-side flanker where he has starred in the pre-season, and also expects 19-year-old Quirk to fire in his individual battle against Pocock.
‘‘We’re determined to go out there and play our game and Ed Quirk gives us a number of things in both attack and defence,’’ he said.
Although Quirk made his starting debut in last season’s final round win over the Highlanders and starred in sevens rugby in 2010, he was a unexpected choice to fill Daniel Braid’s boots ahead of Beau Robinson and Liam Gill.
‘‘He’s got a bit of mongrel about him which is what you want from an open-side but also he’s got his versatility,’’ Horwill said.
‘‘Playing a lot of sevens football last year he can run with the backs and run with the ball in hand and he gives us that other lineout option that we need.’’
Showing the Reds increased depth this year, Quirk and Will Chambers are the only two starters without Wallabies experience while Scott Higginbotham has been named on the bench to make a second-half impact with ex-Waratah Robinson.
North Harbour playmaking recruit Mike Harris and Australian Under 20 winger Aidan Toua, who pushed out Luke Morahan, are also set to make their Reds Super debuts as replacements.
Teams:
Reds:
15 Peter Hynes, 14 Rod Davies, 13 Will Chambers, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Leroy Houston, 7 Ed Quirk, 6 James Horwill, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Van Humphries, 3 James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley
Substitutes: 16 James Hanson, 17 Greg Holmes, 18 Scott Higginbotham, 19 Beau Robinson, 20 Ben Lucas, 21 Mike Harris, 22 Aidan Toua
Western Force:
TBA
