The ACT Brumbies are reloaded and ready, with Tevita Alatini and Lachlan Lonerganreturning and Dan Nelson earning his first start ahead of Sunday’s Swyftx Super Rugby AUS clash with the Queensland Reds at Viking Park, kick-off at 2.05PM.
Alatini returns to the starting XV after sitting out the opening rounds, adding fresh firepower to a Brumbies pack looking to lay down a marker on home soil. Lonergan is also back in the matchday squad after completing his return following minor off-season surgery. The experienced hooker will add another explosive option from the bench.
Nelson gets his chance from the outset after injecting plenty of energy from the bench in the opening rounds. The scrum-half now steps into the starting role alongside teammate and roommate, Tane Edmed, with the pair tasked with getting the Brumbies firing from the opening whistle.
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Toby Macpherson will again captain the side, with the skipper and Nick Frost continuing their partnership in the second row.
The back-row is unchanged from last week, with Eli Langi, Tavita Loughland and Oscar Cleary forming a young and hungry loose forward trio.
The backline has been reshuffled, with Corey Toole and Triston Reilly swapping positions, while Kadin Pritchard steps into the starting XV as he continues his comeback.
Pritchard made his return from the bench last week and now gets his opportunity from the outset, joining Jarrah McLeod in a power packed midfield. Ollie Sapsford completes an all Super Rugby backline for the home side.
And there’s plenty more waiting to be lit from the bench.
Lonergan joins Ewald Kruger, Rhys van Nek and Darcy Breen providing front-row firepower, while Tu'ukalikali Vaipulu, TJ Talaileva and Darcy Fogarty add further punch up front.
Klayton Thorn, Chace Oates, Dylan Bretton and Oscar Shaw complete an extended bench packed with options as the Brumbies look to finish the job when the pressure rises.
With their first Viking Park fixture of the Super Rugby AUS campaign in front of them, the Brumbies will be looking to turn pressure into points, bring greater physicality and accuracy, and unleash a performance that sets the standard from the opening whistle.
Sunday’s clash will headline a full weekend of rugby at Viking Park, with the southern rugby heartland set to come alive across two days of action.
The weekend gets underway on Saturday with a double-header of Super Rugby U16 action, with the Brumbies U16s taking on the NSW Waratahs at 1:00pm, before the Western Force U16s face the Queensland Reds at 2:45pm.
Sunday brings another packed schedule, beginning with the ACT & SNSW Griffins taking on Pig Athletic Club Academy at 12:30pm, before the Brumbies face the Reds in Super Rugby AUS at 2:05pm.
The action continues after the main game, with the ACT & SNSW Kestrels taking on the Sydney Rosellas at 4:30pm.
With pathways, representative rugby and Super Rugby AUS all on show, it will be a full weekend of rugby at Viking Park — and a chance for Brumbies fans to see the next generation of talent alongside the club’s Super Rugby AUS side.
