150 games, 150 battles, 150 times Allan Alaalatoa has given his body, his mind and his spirit to the ACT Brumbies. This man is a barbarian in Brumby colours, he is a leader in the truest sense, and he has one goal on Friday – beat the Waratahs.
On a night carrying enormous weight for the 2026 Swyftx Super Rugby season, the Brumbies are looking to lock up a finals berth and keep the hopes of a home final alive. Head Coach Stephen Larkham has made select changes to his starting XV for Friday night’s Round 15 showdown.
The match also doubles as Kids Round, a celebration of the next generation of rugby players and the pathways that lead young boys and girls into the game. From grassroots to Super Rugby, Friday night is about inspiring future Brumbies to get into rugby.
Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season live and on demand via Stan Sport.
Bullocking hooker Billy Pollard, big bodied Cadeyrn Neville, the hard-hitting Kadin Pritchard, and the ultimate finisher Luke Reimer return to the side, adding kilograms, grunt, and grit to a team looking to bash down the doors of Allianz Stadium.
Pollard and Alaalatoa join fellow cap collector James Slipper in a front row carrying more milestones than the road to the Colosseum. Behind them Neville packs down with the ultimate workhorse, Lachlan Shaw, who hits more attacking rucks than any player in the competition.
Rob Valetini, Rory Scott and Toby Macpherson flank the pack, ready to ensure the boys in blue hear footsteps coming whenever they dare to carry the ball.
The backline remains relatively consistent and will be looking to slice up the Waratahs out wide.
Captain Ryan Lonergan, who Stan pundit Sean Maloney anointed as the best scrum-half by “a little ways at the moment”, steers the ship once more. He partners Declan Meredith at 10, fresh off a strong performance against the Force two weeks ago.
Pritchard links up with David Feliuai in the mid-field, re-igniting the exciting and brutal partnership that has set the platform for the ACT backline this year. The beneficiaries of their route one running are Corey Toole and Ollie Sapsford on the sting.
Tom Wright once more looms at the back, ready to strike and light up Allianz the way only he can.
There is another milestone waiting among the finishers, with Rhys van Nek set to earn his 50th Super Rugby cap from the bench. Meanwhile, Lachlan Lonergan and Nick Frost shift into finishing roles, giving the Brumbies added speed, athleticism and punch when the contest descends into chaos late.
Reimer joins Blake Schoupp, Klayton Thorn, Tane Edmed, and Andy Muirhead round out a bench built to close out the game and keep pressure on to the final whistle.
With milestones in the front row, venom in the backfield and finals football on the line, the stage is set for another chapter in the Brumbies-Waratahs rivalry and for the men from the ACT, it is a chance to march one step closer to a home final.
Sydney awaits. The Brumbies are coming.
Be there at Allianz Stadium on Friday night and stand with the boys as they battle the old enemy, and turn at GIO Stadium the week after for our final regular season game vs Moana Pasifika.
