The Brumbies have made four changes for their round three clash with tournament heavyweights the Waratahs in a bid to keep their Super W final dream alive.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Teliya Hetaraka, Tess Staines, Claudia Obst and Emily Sogal all come into the starting lineup, which features Bomaderry's Harriet Elleman at hooker, for Wednesday's game at Coffs Harbour.
Siokapesi Palu moves to outside centre to cover the injured Lillyann Mason-Spice, while Hataraka will play at inside centre and Sogal at lock.
"It's great to be able to call on a couple of experienced players to come into the team for what's going to be a massive challenge against the Waratahs," Brumbies coach Dan Hawke said, whose side defeated the Rebels in their season opener.
"Emily Sogal has been here before and knows what it takes to compete at this level, Claudia [Obst] coming back into fullback will give us a different look in attack.
"We know they're the standard, we know we'll have to defend well but we also have to back ourselves to make it difficult for them, to put them under pressure and give ourselves a chance of pulling off a famous win."
To make Saturday's final they need to finish at the top of their pool.
The Waratahs had their round two clash cancelled after the Western Force withdrew from the tournament due the COVID crisis.
A former NSW under 18s representative in rugby league, winger Tess Staines was excited to take on the Waratahs on Wednesday.
"Pretty keen to be honest," Staines said.
"I feel really privileged to get the opportunity to be able to do it, a fair bit of trust has been put into me to hold that edge, so yeah I'm really excited about it.
And despite representing NSW in the past, Staines was quick to point out where her allegiance lay.
"If there is a Brumby on my chest I'm a Brumby, nobody else really matters."
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
