Chiefs Super rugby head coach Warren Gatland has named his last team for their last Super Rugby Aotearoa match this weekend which is against the Hurricanes.
Chiefs Head Coach Warren Gatland has made several changes to his twenty-three to take on the Hurricanes at Sky Stadium this Saturday in Wellington.
The Chiefs front row has a reshuffle with Ollie Norris set to start for the first time at loosehead. Samisoni Taukei’aho earns the starting role shifting Bradley Slater to the reserves bench.
All Black prop Nepo Laulala will again start at tighthead. Locking duo of Naitoa Ah Kuoi and Mitchell Brown will complete the tight five.
All Black Luke Jacobson returns after breaking his hand to start at six joining captain Sam Cane at seven and the powerful Pita Gus Sowakula at eight. First five-eighth Kaleb Trask will steer the ship at ten in the only change to the starting backline.
The re-enforcements off the bench include Waikato prop Rob Cobb, who will be hoping to make his Super Rugby debut, alongside Taranaki back Kini Naholo who has been named in jersey number twenty-three.
Other changes to the bench include lock Tupou Vaa’i and loose forward Mitchell Karpik joining the twenty-three.
Gatland said this weekend was a chance to develop a young group of men and finish on a high.
“This weekend is an opportunity to grow and develop some of our young players. We have two young debutants sitting on the bench who have been training hard and it is a good chance for them to get a taste of Super Rugby.”
Chiefs
15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Shaun Stevenson, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Sean Wainui, 10 Kaleb Trask, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, 7 Sam Cane(c), 6 Luke Jacobson, 5 Mitchell Brown, 4 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Ollie Norris
Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Rob Cobb, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Mitchell Karpik, 21 Lisati Milo-Harris, 22 Quinn Tupaea, 23 Kini Naholo
