Waratahs Super rugby head coach Daryl Gibson has named his team to play the Highlanders at Rugby Park, Invercargill on Friday.
It’s the NSW Waratahs final match of the regular season and there have been significant changes to the side that went down to the Brumbies in Round 17 due to both injury and mandatory rest periods.
Gibson has been forced to rest his Wallabies contingent – Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale, Sekope Kepu, Bernard Foley and Rob Simmons – for their mandatory second game of the Super Rugby season.
Departing Club Captain, Nick Phipps will captain the side in his final appearance for the NSW Waratahs in the absence of Hooper.
Ned Hanigan and Jack Dempsey will return from injury, while Lachlan Swinton misses after sustaining a head injury.
In other changes Mack Mason will line up at flyhalf, Cameron Clark comes in on the right wing, and Alex Newsome shifts to fullback.
Harry Johnson-Holmes, Will Miller and Hugh Sinclair also join the starting side.
Waratahs
15 Alex Newsome, 14 Cam Clark, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Curtis Rona, 10 Mack Mason, 9 Nick Phipps (c), 8 Michael Wells, 7 Will Miller, 6 Hugh Sinclair, 5 Tom Staniforth, 4 Ned Hanigan, 3 Tom Robertson, 2 Damien Fitzpatrick, 1 Harry Johnson-Holmes
Replacements: 16 Andrew Tuala, 17 Rory O’Connor, 18 Shambeckler Vui, 19 Ryan McCauley, 20 Jed Holloway, 21 Jack Dempsey, 22 Jake Gordon, 23 Tautalatasi Tasi