The Brumbies Women head to Melbourne for their third match of the Buildcorp Super W competition looking for their first victory of the campaign having been defeated by Queensland and New South Wales.
Head Coach Tony Doherty is without senior players Charlene Gubb and Kate Brown for the match in Victoria, both out with injury, as are utility back Cecilia Smith and forward Courtney Frankl.
As such, Doherty makes five changes to the team that was beaten by NSW at Warringah Rugby Park with skipper Shellie Milward back into the starting XV, joined by prop Violeta Tupuola, lock Michaela Leonard, scrumhalf Remi Wilton and flyhalf Kiara Meredith-Brown.
The new-look half-back partnership of Wilton and Meredith-Brown will be aiming to get their team on the front foot and allow the talented back-line to flourish with the Brumbies having already seen off the Rebels rather convincingly during pre-season, winning that match in Albury 71-5.
The pack looks to be a solid and mobile unit with the front row boasting the experience of Wallaroos Violeta Tupuola and Louise Burrows alongside Peta Cox who grabbed the Brumbies maiden score of the season against the Reds at GIO Stadium.
In the absence of last week’s try-scorer Gubb and Wallaroo Brown, Milward and Leonard form the second-row pairing with Jess Howard, Georgia O’Neill and Tayla Stanford rounding out the pack.
Outside of the Wilton-Meredith-Brown axis Michelle Perry and Paremo Marsh continue at centres with Darcy Read and Talei Wilson out wide. Samantha Wood starts at fullback.
With only one match of the season left after this clash, the home encounter with Western Australia on Saturday 7 April at GIO Stadium, the Brumbies Women will be looking to end the season with a bang, starting here with what would be their first-ever Buildcorp Super W success.
MATCH DETAILS
Buildcorp Super W
Friday 30 March 2018
Rebels v Brumbies
(AAMI Park, Melbourne, 17:00)
TEAM
Violeta TUPUOLA
Louise BURROWS
Peta COX
Shellie MILWARD
Michaela LEONARD
Jess HOWARD
Georgia O’NEILL
Tayla STANFORD
Remi WILTON
Kiara MEREDITH-BROWN
Darcy READ
Michelle PERRY
Paremo MARSH
Talei WILSON
Samantha WOOD
REPLACEMENTS
Skeda MARSH
Brittney-Lee BEDFORD
Anna KOROVATA
Skye CHURCHILL
Harriet ELLEMAN
Jane GARRAWAY
Ash KARA
Isabella ATKINSON-SMITH
