McDermott returns, Brumbies switch up for big clashes
Sebastian Tan |
Wallaby Tate McDermott will get his first taste of top-flight rugby since September, as he re-ignites his hopes of reclaiming the Australian halfback jersey.
The Queensland Reds announced the 50-cap Wallaby would return to the Super Rugby Pacific side for Saturday’s crunch clash against Moana Pasifika after sustaining a hamstring injury against New Zealand last year.
With the sixth-placed Reds at risk of tumbling out of finals contention, sitting just two points clear of the NSW Waratahs, the addition of McDermott will come as a welcome boost.
But the livewire playmaker will also be looking to prove why he deserves to be in the Wallabies’ No.9 jersey, with the Brumbies’ Ryan Lonergan, the Waratahs’ Jake Gordon and teammate Kalani Thomas looming as options ahead of next year’s World Cup.
He will also get to pair with Wallabies teammate and No.10 Carter Gordon.
“I’d probably say the World Cup really was the last one (game combining with Gordon), which we don’t really talk about,” McDermott said.
“But I grew up at the same school as (Gordon) on the Sunshine Coast, so I know him really well.
“It’s a combination I’m really excited to get back in the hot seat again, and I think we have similar strengths, we see the game in a similar way.”
The ACT Brumbies are also readying for a crunch clash against bitter rivals the Waratahs on Friday, but coach Stephen Larkham has taken stars Nick Frost, Lachlan Lonergan and Hudson Creighton out of the starting line-up.
With two rounds remaining, the fifth-placed Brumbies sit three points ahead of the Waratahs, but Larkham insists the changes that will see Cadeyrn Neville, Billy Pollard and rookie Kadin Pritchard return to the starting 15 are part of his master plan.
“We know (Lachlan) Lonergan and Nick Frost will add a lot of impact and energy off the bench, and that’s sort of what we’re looking for,” Larkham said on Wednesday.
“We know that with the Waratahs, like every team in the competition, the games come down to the wire, so we need to make sure that we’re balanced out of the 80 minutes.
“It’s do-or-die for both teams this weekend … all the boys are aware of the importance of this game for both teams at this stage of the season.”
For the Tahs, centre Joey Walton is the sole change as he returns from a neck injury.
The Western Force take on Fijian Drua on Saturday, and coach Simon Cron has put Bayley Kuenzle into the No.13 jersey, while 20-year-old Boston Fakafanua is in line for his debut from the bench.
AAP