Gallagher Chiefs ready for Quarter Final showdown in Wellington
The Gallagher Chiefs are ready to fire again this Friday when they take the field against the Hurricanes in the capital for the Investec Super Rugby Quarter Final.
The two teams faced off against each other in a tense and thrilling New Zealand derby last weekend, where the Gallagher Chiefs proved too strong, winning 28-24, thanks to a dominant first half which saw them run rampant against the Hurricanes defence, leading 21-0 at the break.
Head Coach Colin Cooper emphasised the importance of this game now the team have entered the playoffs and how the team will be giving their all.
“It’s do or die at this point in the season, the winner takes all and we’ve talked about the importance of giving the best you can and your all for the jersey.”
The team is boosted with returns to key players. In the forwards, Karl Tu’inukuafe and Nathan Harris are back in the front row, and notably Sam Cane will start at openside flanker.
In the backs, Damian McKenzie comes back in to First Five-Eighth, with Charlie Ngatai starting at 12 and Sean Wainui slotting back in to right wing.
Cooper is pleased with the consistency throughout the team selected for Friday’s clash
“We’ve put out a consistent team. Damian coming back brings a lot of X Factor into our game. We’re excited to see the combinations Damian, Charlie and Anton will bring as well as the leadership Sam Cane displays every time he takes the field.”
Cooper is aware of the threat the Hurricanes will bring at home and knows the team will have to be aware of their threats all over the park.
“The Hurricanes are going to bring a lot of intelligent skills to the contest. I expect them to use a lot of variety and they have a very good backline so there’ll be lots of threats around the park.”
The Quarter Final kicks off this Friday 20 July at 7:35pm in Westpac Stadium, Wellington. The winner of this Quarter Final will play the winner of the Crusaders v Sharks Quarter Final which will be played the following day on Saturday. If the Crusaders win their Quarter Final, the winner of Friday’s clash will travel to Christchurch for the semi-final, however if the Sharks win, Friday’s winner will host the Durban based team next weekend at home.
The Gallagher Chiefs team to face the Hurricanes in the quarter final is:
1. Karl Tu’inukuafe (15)
2. Nathan Harris (43)
3. Angus Ta’avao (16)
4. Brodie Retallick (97)
5. Michael Allardice (33)
6. Lachlan Boshier (29)
7. Sam Cane (105)
8. Liam Messam (178)
9. Brad Weber (56)
10. Damian McKenzie (64)
11. Shaun Stevenson (32)
12. Charlie Ngatai (54)
13. Anton Lienert-Brown (54)
14. Sean Wainui (14)
15. Solomon Alaimalo (25)
16. Liam Polwart (19)
17. Sam Prattley (9)
18. Jeff Thwaites (11)
19. Jesse Parete (8)
20. Mitch Karpik (12)
21. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (16)
22. Marty McKenzie (18)
23. Alex Nankivell (9)
