Promising prop Massimo De Lutiis will make his comeback to the Queensland Reds line-up when the new Super Rugby AUS competition launches at Ballymore Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
His diligent rehabilitation from a dislocated wrist over the past four months has been rewarded with a starting spot at tighthead against the ACT Brumbies.
The back to Ballymore vibe is strong with a family-friendly 3pm kick-off for this positive new development tier for Australian rugby.
“The body feels great. The more rugby the better as far as I’m concerned,” De Lutiis said.
“For this Super Rugby AUS, we’ve made a rule as a squad that we are just going to compete with each other for spots. We are not going to go easy on each other.
“The boys are keen for this weekend. Sunday arvo. Ballymore. How good.”
The Reds team named today includes Wallabies Jock Campbell, Seru Uru and Aidan Ross and a host of Super Rugby Pacific regulars including winger Tim Ryan, halfback Kalani Thomas and flyhalf Harry McLaughlin-Phillips.
Last year’s Australia Under-18s captain Tom Robinson, 19, has been selected to start at openside flanker to build on his encouraging Reds debut against Tonga in August.
Brothers hooker Theo Fourie, 24, will start. His chance to impress follows a determined journey from Rockhampton Grammar to the training squads of the Melbourne Rebels and NSW Waratahs.
Hamish Muller, a high-performer for Brothers, will start in the backrow after adding 8kg to his frame since his Reds debut in Japan last year lit the flame to keep polishing his game.
Reds Head Coach Les Kiss is a strong supporter of Super Rugby AUS and the opportunity it offers to mesh seasoned players with emerging stars from the Buildcorp Reds Academy and club standouts.
“We really welcome this new competition in the form of Super Rugby AUS,” Kiss said.
“It’ll be a competitive league, exactly what Australian rugby needs to keep building its strength and depth.
“It has many layers. There are players stretching for higher honours. In this first team of 23, we have the opportunity to introduce some emerging players with eyes full of hope as they play beside experienced players. We are also rewarding some outstanding performers from club rugby.
“(Winger) Will Cartwright is in the reserves off the back of an outstanding Hospital Cup grand final when he scored three tries and showed his skill on the ground and in the air.
“Massimo really dedicated himself to his rehab which mirrors the way he goes about improvements in his game. The opportunity to get back out on the field is perfectly timed for him.
“It’s great to have the Academy and club boys involved and see their hard work in our training weeks rewarded.
“We welcome the Brumbies to Ballymore. It's our home and we want to protect it.
"For our professional rugby department of coaches and staff, this competition is valuable to keep their swords as sharp as possible."
Winger Heremaia Murray returns from a knee injury while premiership-winning Bond University hooker George Blake will advance his skills at loosehead prop from the bench.
The Queensland Reds Under-19s will play the Brumbies Under-19s in the Super Rugby Under-19s competition from 1pm.
QUEENSLAND REDS vs ACT BRUMBIES
Ballymore Stadium
3pm Sunday, September 14
(1pm Reds v Brumbies - Super Rugby U19s)
Live on Stan Sport and rugby.com.au YouTube
Queensland Reds
1 Aidan Ross (vc) – Bond University
2 Theo Fourie - Brothers
3 Massimo De Lutiis - Wests
4 Connor Vest - Souths
5 Seru Uru - Souths
6 Hamish Muller - Brothers
7 Tom Robinson – University of Queensland
8 Joe Brial – University of Queensland
9 Kalani Thomas – University of Queensland
10 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips - Wests
11 Heremaia Murray – Bond University
12 Dre Pakeho - Brothers
13 Isaac Henry - Wests
14 Tim Ryan - Brothers
15 Jock Campbell (c) – University of Queensland
Reserves
16 Zac Hough – University of Queensland
17 George Blake – Bond University
18 Sef Fa'agase - Sunnybank
19 Charlie Brosnan - Brothers
20 Kohan Herbert - Souths
21 James Martens - GPS
22 Will Cartwright - Brothers
23 Xavier Rubens - Souths
