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Brumbies unleash twin towers for final round clash

By Online Editors

Brumbies head coach Dan McKellar has made two changes to his starting side for their trip to Sydney to take on the Waratahs this weekend.

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McKellar has selected Scott Sio at Loosehead prop, and paired Richie Arnold with twin brother Rory for the first time in Super Rugby, as the Brumbies go looking for a bonus-point win that would give them a chance of playing finals rugby.

Sio will team up with fellow Wallabies international Allan Alaalatoa either side of the impressive hooker Folau Fainga’a in the heart of the engine room in what is sure to be a colossal front-row battle with the club’s perennial rivals from New South Wales.

Blake Enever shifts from lock to flanker to compensate for the inclusion of Richie Arnold, with Tom Cusack unavailable, after the flanker suffered a head-knock in Hamilton against the Chiefs in Round 18. David Pocock and Isi Naisarani join Enever in the backrow.

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The backline remains unchanged for the sixth straight game having crossed for a combined total of fifteen tries in that time-frame between them.

Joe Powell and Christian Lealiifano maintain their partnership, as do centre pairing Kyle Godwin and Tevita Kuridrani.

Leading scorers Tom Banks (eight tries) and Henry Speight (seven tries) are joined by Andrew Muirhead – who has crossed for three tries in his last four outings – in the back three.

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BRUMBIES

1. Scott Sio, 2. Folau Faunga’a, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 4. Rory Arnold, 5. Richie Arnold, 6. Blake Enever, 7. David Pocock, 8. Isi Naisarani, 9. Joe Powell, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Andrew Muirhead, 12. Kyle Godwin, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 14. Henry Speight, 15. Tom Banks.
Reserves: 16. Connal McInerney, 17. Nic Mayhew, 18. Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin, 19. Sam Carter, 20. Lachlan McCaffrey, 21. Matt Lucas, 22. Wharenui Hawera, 23. Lausii Taliauli.

In other news:

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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