The St.George Queensland Reds match-day 23 has been named for their final regular season Super W clash against the Brumbies in Canberra this Sunday, 15 March.
Head coach Moana Virtue has made four changes to the starting XV from the side that ran out against the Waratahs last weekend at Ballymore.
In the forward pack, Ivy Kaleta will earn her first start at hooker for 2020, having come off the bench for the last three matches, seeing Averyl Mitchell rotate to the reserves.
Lock Lesa Kaleti Mataafa has also been promoted to the starting line-up, with Shannon Mato returning to the backrow this week at blindside flanker.
In the backs, halfback Cobie-Jane Morgan returns to starting line-up, while Sarah Riordan is set to earn her first start in the centres since the 2018 season.
Having missed 2019 through injury, Riordan made her return to the Super W fold last weekend from the bench and will this week provide a different attacking platform for her team.
In the reserves, 16-year-old halfback Destiny Brill, Melanie Wilks and Maraea Tupai all return to the match-day 23.
Head coach Moana Virtue said: “This week we’ve made a few adjustments to the squad as we manage players at the back end of the season.
“Ivy (Kaleta) and Lesa (Kaleti Mataafa) have provided plenty of impact for us off the bench so far and deserve the chance to start this week, while Cobie-Jane Morgan starts at half back and Sarah Riordan will her first starting appearance.
“We’ve also welcomed a further three players onto the bench who missed out last week, so it’s great that we have the squad depth to be able to rotate some players and manage their minutes.
“We took a lot out of last week’s narrow loss to NSW, this week is about looking at ourselves and addressing the areas of our game that let us down, but also continuing to build on the quality work that we’ve put in.
‘We’re pumped to play and we’re expecting a tough game against the Brumbies, they are handy at set-piece time.
“They’re a side that stays in the fight right until the final whistle, so we can’t clock off. We need to put in a full 80-minute performance, so that’s where our bench will be handy.”
The clash between the Reds and Brumbies will form part of a double-header match in ACT, with the Brumbies men playing the Waratahs. The Super W Round 5 fixture will kick-off at 12:15pm AEST and will be broadcast live on Kayo and Rugby.com.au.
