Hurricanes opt to rotate front row and midfield vs Brumbies

The Hurricanes and Brumbies will contest a newly announced trophy in their inaugural ANZAC weekend clash of round 11.

The two capital cities of their respective nations have honoured Captain Alfred Shout with the new annual fixture’s cup, paying respect to a hero of Gallipoli who served in both the Australian and New Zealand military.

For the occasion, head coach Clark Laidlaw has rotated the front row to promote Tevita Mafileo, Raymond Tuputupu and Pasilio Tosi to the starting unit. Mafileo, in particular, impressed with his scrummaging late in the piece against the Western Force.

That super point draw will no doubt set the tone for the Wellingtonians in Canberra, with missed opportunities sure to be haunting the players as they remain on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in.

Round 10’s impact players of the backline has also been promoted, with Riley Higgins and Billy Proctor set for their first respective starts of the 2025 campaign.

Four players suffered short-term injuries in the Perth draw, but as it stands, the team are on track to have their full contingent, outside of playmaker Brett Cameron, healthy by the end of the regular season.

“We’re looking forward to a tough game against the Brumbies this weekend. We’re preparing well and are ready for the challenge. We’ve had a couple of changes this week as some of our players are returning home due to injury, but it has created opportunities for other players to come through and step up,” Head Coach Clark Laidlaw said

“It’s exciting being able to compete for a cup this weekend, as it’s not as common in Super rugby. We’ve put a bit of thought into who Alfred Shout was and what he did. Playing on ANZAC weekend is obviously a special weekend for the two countries and for our two teams to show the respect we have for each other.”

Hurricanes team to play the Brumbies 

1. Tevita Mafileo
2. Raymond Tuputupu
3. Pasilio Tosi
4. Caleb Delany
5. Zach Gallagher
6. Brad Shields (Co Captain)
7. Du’Plessis Kirifi (Co Captain)
8. Peter Lakai
9. Cam Roigard
10. Ruben Love
11. Kini Naholo
12. Riley Higgins
13. Billy Proctor (Co Captain)
14. Ngatungane Punivai
15. Callum Harkin

Reserves

16. Jacob Devery
17. Xavier Numia
18. Tyrel Lomax
19. Will Tucker
20. Brayden Iose
21. Ereatara Enari
22. Riley Hohepa
23. Bailyn Sullivan