Cordingley given more time

[no.8]

QR Reds scrumhalf Sam Cordingley will be given until Thursday to prove his fitness for Saturday's round three Investec Super 14 match against the Brumbies in Canberra.

Cordingley has been bracketed with reserve scrumhalf Will Genia, with Academy youngster Ben Lucas on standby to come onto the bench if Cordingley does not recover sufficiently from the groin strain he suffered against the Hurricanes in round 2.

"We'll give Sam every chance, as he is such an experienced and valuable member of the side. But if he's not right we're more than happy to hand the number 9 jersey to Will and bring Benny Lucas onto the bench," QR Reds coach Phil Mooney said.

Powerful backrower Leroy Houston will make his first starting appearance at number 8, with QR Reds skipper John Roe moving to blindside flanker to replace the injured Hugh McMeniman (broken ankle). Roe will celebrate his 100th appearance for Queensland in Saturday's match.

Houston's place on the bench will be taken by AJ Gilbert, who is at the opposite end of the experience scale to Roe, having just one Super 14 cap to his name. The dreadlocked Gilbert, who hails from Dorrigo in northern NSW, may get the chance to go head to head with one of his boyhood rugby heroes, Wallaby and Brumbies flanker George Smith.

"AJ has been in terrific form with the QAS Reds 2nd XV in their two unbeaten matches this season and deserves a shot at the Brumbies," Mooney said.

Flyhalf Berrick Barnes has fully recovered from the cold that forced him from the field early in the second half against the Hurricanes.

The QR Reds side is:

1. Greg Holmes
2. Stephen Moore
3. Rodney Blake
4. Van Humphries
5. James Horwill
6. John Roe (c)
7. David Croft
8. Leroy Houston
9. Sam Cordingley/Will Genia
10. Berrick Barnes
11. Clinton Schifcofske
12. Chris Siale
13. Morgan Turinui
14. Digby Ioane
15. Chris Latham

Reserves:

16. Sean Hardman
17. Dayna Edwards
18. Ed O’Donoghue
19. AJ Gilbert
20. Will Genia/Ben Lucas (one to be omitted)
21. Peter Hynes
22. Quade Cooper

[Thequeerone]

Brumbies rookie the answer to backline crisis

John-Paul Moloney | February 27, 2008 - 9:46AM

ACT Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher will thrust 21-year-old Leo Afeaki into the centres to make a run-on debut against the Queensland Reds on Saturday.

Fisher confirmed Afeaki's almost certain promotion from the Brumbies Academy to Super 14 yesterday, declaring him ready to start at outside-centre opposing Test player Morgan Turinui.

Tyrone Smith will shift to inside centre to accommodate Sydney University outside centre Afeaki, who played on the wing in the Brumbies trial against NSW in Gosford early this month.

Fisher hoped Afeaki's experience in Sydney club rugby would have prepared him for the Canberra Stadium meeting with the Reds' former NSW centres Chris Siale and Turinui.

"I think it's probably fortuitous to be a local derby," Fisher said. "He's playing against guys he's played against in club football. He certainly won't be overawed, he just needs to make sure he understands what's required of him."

Afeaki played in the same successfulSt Joseph's College teams as NSW Waratahs playmaker Kurtley Beale and made the GPS representative team before joining Sydney University.

Despite being forced to promote another rookie ahead of his time, Fisher was optimistic the powerfully built Afeaki would perform well.

"He's spent four months with us now and he is a good footballer. He was very good in the first half of the trial ... so he's been exposed at this level and he's comfortable in the place."

For the first time since their earliest years, the Brumbies will go into the derby match against the Reds with the least experienced line-up. Of the Brumbies backline, only Mark Gerrard and Julian Huxley have played for the ACT against the Reds, stripping the build-up to the match of some of its customary spice.

Even Huxley, the player with the biggest potential axe to grind against the Reds, having been cut from the squad at the end of 2006, said the match was "just another game".

"No one there at the moment had anything to do with me leaving there. I had a great time up there ... it was hard to leave," Huxley said.

Whereas Reds coach Eddie Jones was prepared to cut Huxley after four years in Brisbane, the club was desperate to hold on to athletic flanker Mitchell Chapman.

But at the end of another appalling Queensland season last year where they won just two games, Chapman chose to head south in search of greater success.

"I'd been there for quite a while and I felt I needed change," Chapman said.

"When I got the opportunityto come to the Brumbies I jumped at the chance, with their record of players improving down here and also their Super 14 winning record was something I was really eager to be a part of."

Ironically for Chapman, having only ever beaten the Brumbies once in 13 Super rugby encounters since 1996, the Reds will consider themselves their best chance ever of a win in Canberra.

Reds scrumhalf Will Genia, who will start the game if Sam Cordingley doesn't recover from a groin strain, said the ACT was vulnerable.

"They are a different team; they're a lot younger and don't have the Gregans and the Larkhams and the Mortlocks, so hopefully we can take advantage of that and definitely get up them," Genia said.

Cordingley was expected to miss at least two matches because of his injury, but has responded well to treatment this week.

Canberra Times

[Thequeerone]

Brumbies Team

Saturday’s match will kick off at 7.40pm EST
Position S14 Caps S14 Pts
Name
1 Nic Henderson Loosehead prop 52 0
2 Saia Faingaa Hooker 17 0
3 Guy Shepherdson Tighthead prop 48 0
4 Adam Wallace-Harrison Lock 32 15
5 Mark Chisholm Lock 57 60
6 Mitchell Chapman Blside Flanker 29 10
7 George Smith Oside Flanker 96 75
8 Stephen Hoiles No.8 44 15

9 Patrick Phibbs Scrumhalf 21 10
10 Christian Lealiifano Flyhalf 2 0
11 Francis Fainifo Wing 10 0
12 Tyrone Smith Inside Centre 2 0
13 Sanualio Afeaki Outside Centre 0 0
14 Mark Gerrard Wing 52 165
15 Julian Huxley Fullback 61 270

16 Huia Edmonds Reserve 12 0
17 Salesi Ma’afu Reserve 11 0
18 Peter Kimlin Reserve 5 0
19 Julian Salvi Reserve 26 0
20 Joshua Holmes Reserve 6 5
21 Peter Playford Reserve 10 0
22 Afusipa TaumoepeauReserve 0 0