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Charlie Cale makes timely return for Brumbies ahead of playoffs


DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 10: Charlie Cale of Brumbies charges forward during the round nine Super Rugby match between Highlanders and ACT Brumbies at Forsyth Barr Stadium, on April 10, 2026, in Dunedin, New Zealand. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
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The Brumbies are returning to full strength at the pointy end of the Super Rugby Pacific season, welcoming rising star flanker Charlie Cale back into the starting team for their round 16 clash with Moana Pasifika.

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Cale was last seen 26 minutes into the Brumbies’ round 9 contest against the Highlanders in Dunedin, when he left the field with a shoulder injury. At that point in the season, the 25-year-old had scored nine tries in seven games.

This week’s regular season finale will be the first time the Brumbies have fielded all of their Wallabies in the same XV, with Cale, Allan Alaalatoa and Tom Wright all missing extended time during the round-robin to date.

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Against Moana, Alaalatoa will be joined up front by James Slipper and Billy Pollard in the front row, with Lachlan Shaw and Cadeyrn Neville packing down in the second row. Rob Valetini and Rory Scott retain their places in the loose trio as Cale returns at No.8.

In the backline, Ryan Lonergan and Declan Meredith continue to direct the team, with David Feliuai and Kadin Pritchard again named in the midfield. Corey Toole and Andy Muirhead join Tom Wright in the back three.

The Brumbies can finish as high as third with a bonus-point win this week, earning them a home qualifying final, or as low as sixth with a loss, which would see them travel to Wellington to face the Hurricanes.

Head-to-Head

Last 4 Meetings

Wins
3
Draws
0
Wins
1
Average Points scored
42
22
First try wins
50%
Home team wins
75%

Brumbies team to play Moana Pasifika

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  1. James Slipper
  2. Billy Pollard
  3. Allan Alaalatoa C
  4. Lachlan Shaw
  5. Cadeyrn Neville
  6. Rob Valetini
  7. Rory Scott
  8. Charlie Cale
  9. Ryan Lonergan
  10. Declan Meredith
  11. Corey Toole
  12. David Feliuai
  13. Kadin Pritchard
  14. Andy Muirhead
  15. Tom Wright

Reserves

16. Lachlan Lonergan
17. Blake Schoupp
18. Rhys van Nek
19. Nick Frost
20. Luke Reimer
21. Klayton Thorn
22. Tane Edmed
23. Hudson Creighton

Injury list

Kye Oates – Leg
Dan Nelson – Leg
Tuaina Taii Tualima – Shoulder
Ollie Sapsford – Knee

 

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AllyOz 1 hour ago
Can Australia look to the greats of yesteryear to kickstart the next generation of innovation?

I work in an agricultural field and I afraid to admit that this is not just a rugby problem. It is an issue that I also see in our industry. I recently went to a major research institute in our agricultural industry, one where we used to export experts across several fields to the rest of the world. Australian farming practices in this area were world leading and Australians played a major role in global research across several diverse fields. But at that research centre, the head of every major team was foreign born and educated. The only exceptions were a couple of blokes who were due to retire in the next couple of years. I am not arguing against diverse backgrounds, but we used to produce our own people coming up through the system but now we don’t. For whatever reason, it is easier to bring people from outside. I imagine we still have a lot of people in many fields still doing world leading research or working as leaders in financial or other fields overseas, but our education system or our lifestyle in general doesn’t seem to support innovation or leadership in the way it used to. There was always a bit of a risk taking attitude, a have a go attitude, tied to a bit of larrikinism and irreverence perhaps, in the Australian spirit. It is not necessarily part of my own character but I have seen (and admired) it in others. It was there with the diggers in WW1 and I have also seen it in board rooms and finance and parts of agricultural research at times. But I think we are losing it. And rugby is not the first or the only casualty.

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