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Canberra - A two-month stint on the sideline is over for Scott Sio as the Samoan giant returns to the Brumbies starting line-up to face the Bulls on Friday in Canberra.
Aside from a 60-minute run with club side Tuggeranong Vikings last weekend, Sio hasn't been seen since Round 9 in Auckland when he strained his medial ligament against the Blues.
But having come through the match with the Vikings unscathed, the loosehead prop has been handed the task of stabilising the Brumbies scrum against an experienced Bulls pack.
With Matt Toomua out for at least one more week with a syndesmosis strain, Robbie Coleman returns to the starting side to face the Bulls, bringing Nigel Ah Wong onto the bench in his place.
Prop JP Smith will drop from the match-day 23, providing an opportunity for up-and-comer Allan Alaalatoa to make an impact in the second half.
Kick-off for Friday’s clash is scheduled for 11:40 (SA time).
Teams:
Brumbies:
15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Robbie Coleman, 11 Joe Tomane, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Nic White, 8 Ita Vaea, 7 David Pocock, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore (captain), 1 Scott Sio
Substitutes: 16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17 Allan Alaalatoa, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Jordan Smiler, 20 Jarrad Butler, 21 Michael Dowsett, 22 Nigel Ah Wong, 23 James Dargaville
Bulls:
15 Jurgen Visser, 14 Francois Hougaard, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 Arno Botha, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Dean Greyling
Substitutes: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 Jacques du Plessis, 20 Lappies Labuschagne, 21 Jacques Louis Potgieter, 22 Travis Ismaiel, 23 Jesse Kriel
