Playmaker Ben Lucas will captain a strong St.George Queensland Reds side wanting to maintain their midseason momentum in Friday night’s exhibition match against the Hurricanes at Stockland Stadium Sunshine Coast.
Lucas headlines a strong 23-man squad which includes 10 contracted Queensland Reds players, two Extended Playing Squad members, six National Academy representatives and an array of Queensland Premier Rugby’s best talent.
“It means a lot every time you wear the Reds jersey so it’s a huge honour to be chosen as captain for our clash on the Sunshine Coast,” Lucas said.
“We’re treating the fixture as an important part of our campaign and the Hurricanes, who are one of the inform teams in the competition right now, will offer the sort of challenge we are after before Super Rugby starts back up in a fortnight.
“It’s important we maintain the momentum we built prior to the midseason break by coming away from the Sunshine Coast with a win.”
Lucas, who re-signed with Queensland Rugby for a further two seasons earlier in the year, has been selected at scrumhalf as part of a backline which also includes fellow 2012 Wallabies train-on squad member Luke Morahan at fullback.
The pair will be joined later in the match when the electric Dom Shipperley is injected into the encounter from the bench.
21-year-old Jake Schatz has been announced as vice-captain and will feature at blindside flanker in an all-Reds backrow which also includes popular cult figure Radike Samo at No.8 and Eddie Quirk at openside.
Up front props Greg Holmes and Guy Shepherdson will pack down alongside hooker James Hanson to provide plenty of impact in a forward pack which features seven contracted Reds players with Adam Wallace-Harrison at lock.
EPS flyhalf Dallan Murphy earns selection in the number 10 jersey as part of a backline that includes older brother Damon Murphy on the wing.
The remainder of the backline is made up of Queensland Premier Rugby flyers with Nathaniel Gendle and Rex Tapuai, brother of Reds dynamo Ben, in the centres and Shane Seiulu on the wing.
Wallabies squad member Dom Shipperley headlines an eight-man bench made up of EPS prop Kevin Davies and Queensland Premier Rugby’s Mitchell Wade, Ruan Smith, Nigel Ah Wong, Matthew Blain, Joel Rapana and Scott Malolua.
Reds coach Ewen McKenzie said the match would be a perfect hit-out for his squad and an opportunity to unearth the next generation of Rugby talent.
“First and foremost, we are going to the Sunshine Coast with the mindset that the match is crucial to maintaining cohesion and fitness during the midseason break before we head into the business end of the Super Rugby season,” McKenzie said.
“But it’s also an opportunity for us to take a look at some of the best Queensland Premier Rugby talent on offer and to see how they handle the next level.
“We’re also excited about taking the game to the Sunshine Coast, where we have a growing supporter base and many loyal members and fans.”
Tickets remain on sale for the encounter through
www.ticketek.com.au and can be secured for as little as $25 for adults, $15 for children and a special family price of $70.
The match is part of Queensland Rugby’s strategy of continuing to take elite level Rugby to the community and follows a preseason trial victory where the Super Rugby champion Reds beat the Brumbies in Cairns earlier this year.
The trans-Tasman affair will serve as the perfect tune-up for the Reds who will be looking to maintain recent top form during the June Test window before embarking on their three remaining regular season Super Rugby games.
Following the Test window, the Reds will face three crucial matches against the Rebels, Highlanders and Waratahs as they continue their bid to overtake current Australian Conference leaders, the Brumbies, and qualify for the finals.
The match will also be a chance for the Reds to extract some revenge on their New Zealand rivals after the Hurricanes produced a stunning last minute penalty goal to sink the Reds 28-26 last year.
St.George Queensland Reds team to play Hurricanes
1. Greg Holmes (St.George Queensland Reds, Sunnybank)
2. James Hanson (St.George Queensland Reds, University)
3. Guy Shepherdson (St.George Queensland Reds, University)
4. Adam Wallace-Harrison (St.George Queensland Reds, Sunnybank)
5. Blake Enever (National Academy, Easts)
6. Jake Schatz (vc - St.George Queensland Reds, Sunnybank)
7. Eddie Quirk (St.George Queensland Reds, Easts)
8. Radike Samo (St.George Queensland Reds, GPS)
9. Ben Lucas (c - St.George Queensland Reds, Sunnybank)
10. Dallan Murphy (Extended Playing Squad, Brothers)
11. Lachlan Creighton (Brothers)
12. Nathaniel Gendle (Brothers)
13. Rex Tapuai (Sunnybank)
14. Damon Murphy (Brothers)
15. Luke Morahan (St.George Queensland Reds, University)
16. Mitchell Wade (National Academy, University)
17. Kevin Davis (Extended Playing Squad, University)
18. Ruan Smith (National Academy, GPS)
19. Nigel Ah Wong (National Academy, Sunnybank)
20. Matthew Blain (National Academy, GPS)
21. Scott Malolua (National Academy, GPS)
22. Joel Rapana (Brothers)
23. Dom Shipperley (St.George Queensland Reds, Brothers)
Hurricanes Team
1. Reg Goodes
2. Motu Matu’u
3. Michael Bent
4. Mark Reddish
5. James Broadhurst
6. Brad Shields
7. Jack Lam
8. Mike Coman (c)
9. Chris Eaton
10. Tusi Pisi
11. Andre Taylor
12. Jayden Hayward
13. Alapati Leiua
14. Richard Buckman / Waisake Naholo
15. James Marshall
16. Dane Coles / David Hall
17. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen / Tristan Moran
18. Faifili Levave / Jeremy Thrush
19. Ardie Savea
20. Frae Wilson
21. Daniel Kirkpatrick
22. TJ Perenara
