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Force players to add muscle to Australian Barbarians squad
Western Force prop Pek Cowan and fly-half Scott Daruda will take the field for the Australian Barbarians on Sunday afternoon in a festival match against a Queensland selection in Brisbane.
The match will be played at Ballymore, the home of rugby union in Queensland, and proceeds will help pay for the Queensland Reds pre-season development tour and a second playing field for Brisbane’s Souths club.
Cowan and Daruda will be joined in the Barbarians’ side by a smorgasbord of past and present rugby luminaries, including England’s Dan Luger, Argentina’s Gonzalo Quesada, former Wallaby Toutai Kefo and former All Black Scott Robertson. The Barbarians side is coached by former Wallabies mentor Alan Jones and although their build up time for the match has been relatively short, they should pose a challenge for the Queensland XV.
Barbarians’ manager Daniel Herbert said the loss of former All Black Justin Marshall, who has been forced to withdraw from the side through injury, would be well covered by Waratahs’ scrumhalf Sam Cordingley. Fiji captain Moses Rauluni and Tongan enforcer Epi Taione had also been brought into the Barbarians side, he said.
"Epi and Moses were two of the best five players at last year's Rugby World Cup and they'll both be playing this game hard and fast, as they usually do. Out wide, [Ratu] Nasiganiyavi should prove a big hit with the crowd. He's a cousin of Lote Tuqiri and the commentators at the recent Junior World Cup in Wales were comparing him to a young Jonah Lomu."
Queensland’s selection, captained by former Wallaby and Red’s flanker David Croft, includes 13 players with Super 14 experience. The squad includes Digby Ioane, who was omitted from the Wallabies Tri-Nations squad, as well as a number of Australia A players, like winger Blair Connor, who have been brought in as cover for Reds players in the Wallabies squad who have not been released for club duty by coach Robbie Deans.
The Barbarians squad:
Mitchell Chapman (lock/No 6) Brumbies, Sam Cordingley (scrumhalf) QR Reds, Pek Cowan (LH prop) Force, Scott Daruda (flyhalf/centre) Force, Mark Gerrard (fullback/wing), Brumbies, Ben Gollings (flyhalf) Sunnybank/England 7s, Jason Harrington (lock/No 6) Australian Services RU, Toutai Kefu (No 8), Kubota, Japan, Dan Luger (wing/centre) England, Salesi Maafu (TH prop) Brumbies, Zane Mitchell (outside back) ASRU, Ratu Nasiganiyavi (wing) Waratahs, Daniel Palmer (TH prop) Waratahs, Jeremy Paul (hooker) Gloucester, Gonzalo Quesada (flyhalf) Argentina, Moses Rauluni (scrumhalf) Fiji/Saracens (UK), Scott Robertson (No 8), NZ, Beau Robinson (No 7) Waratahs, Epi Taione (No 6) Tonga/Sharks, Sitaleki Timani (lock/No 6) Brumbies, John Ulugia (hooker) Brumbies, Nathan Williams (outside back) Stingrays.
Queensland XV:
Aidan Toua, Digby Ioane, Morgan Turinui, Charlie Fetoai, Blair Connor, Quade Cooper, Ben Lucas, Leroy Houston, David Croft (c), Poutasi Luafutu, Robert Simmons, Van Humphries, James Slipper, Sean Hardman, Greg Holmes. Reserves: Ben Daley, James Hansen, Liam Shaw, Dan Linde, Brendan McKibbin, Matt Brandon, Luke Morahan.
By James Heffield, Betfair journalist
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