Time for Wellington to get their season off the ground as they sit at the bottom end of the table looking up! Willie Ripia take the reigns at 10 in something of a gamble, but one that makes sense for Chris Boyd given the ship has been rather rudderless so far. Will it be enough? Wellington have named their fifth fly-half of the 2014 ITM Cup campaign for Sundays clash with Tasman, as Willie Ripia starts at 10 at Westpac Stadium. Coach Chris Boyd said while they were pleased with the way some of the younger guys had gone this season, Ripias wealth of experience would be valuable from a game management perspective. Some of our less experienced players have certainly stepped up this season, but the reality is, that 10 jersey has been an issue. We felt we needed to bring in an experienced 10, who could help direct and execute our game plan, he said. Ross Filipo comes into the starting line-up this week for an injured Christian Lloyd, while Andrew Wells replaces Jason Woodward following his one-week suspension. Meanwhile, Tasman coach Kieran Keane has moved Bryce Heem to wing while David Havili comes in at centre alongside Kieron Fonotia as they look to back up their Southland triumph. Jimmy Cowan drops down to the bench and is replaced by Billy Guyton at scrum-half. The pack remains unchanged but Joe Wheeler is bracketed with Tevita Cavubati at lock. The teams: Wellington: 15 Andrew Wells, 14 Ambrose Curtis, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Shaun Treeby, 11 Belgium Tuatagaloa, 10 Willie Ripia, 9 Sheridan Rangihuna, 8 Brad Shields (c), 7 Adam Hill, 6 Dean Brunsdon, 5 Ross Filipo, 4 Mark Reddish, 3 Taniela Koroi, 2 Motu Matuu, 1 Tolu Fahamokioa. Replacements: 16 James OReilly, 17 Eric Sione, 18 Vaea Fifita, 19 Pau Halafihi, 20 Frae Wilson, 21 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 22 Tu Umaga-Marshall. Tasman: 15 Robbie Malneek, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 David Havili, 11 James Lowe, 10 Marty Banks, 9 Billy Guyton, 8 Liam Squire, 7 Shane Christie (c), 6 Pete Samu, 5 Joe Wheeler/Tevita Cavubati, 4 Alex Ainley, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Quentin MacDonald, 1 Tim Perry. Replacements: 16 Jesse MacDonald, 17 Ciua Halanukonuka, 18 Tevita Cavubati/Jeff Lepa, 19 Tevita Koloamatangi, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Mike Wells, 22 Mitch Scott. Date: Sunday, September 21 Kick-off: 16:35 local (05:35 BST, 04:35 GMT) Venue: Westpac Stadium Referee: Brendon Pickerill
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 21:28:48 +0000
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