Brumbies under-16s head coach Paul Mead has made three changes to the team that will fly out to Brisbane on Saturday to take on the Reds at Ballymore Stadium (10am AEST/11am AEDT).
Returning from injury are Daramalan schoolboy Harrison McIntyre at openside flanker, and St. Edmund’s College back Henry Farfan starting on the right wing. Marist College’s Sam Filipovic also returns at tight-head prop to round out the changes.
Mead is eager to finish the season on a strong note and is looking forward to the challenge facing the Reds up north.
“The Reds are a quality side. They’ve got a strong forward pack and executed well with their set piece, as we saw from the weekend,” Mead said.
“It’ll be a tough match for us, particularly at their home ground, but I think that’s a factor that will motivate us given this is our last match of the season.
“The team’s chemistry has come together well despite the results in the last two rounds and we’re looking to use that as part of our arsenal for this weekend.
“Sam, Henry, and Harrison coming back into the team speaks volumes about their work rate and determination. Sam made an impact coming off the bench in our last match, and both Henry and Harrison have worked hard to return to the team since they were injured in the first round.”
In the front row, Geoff Olivetti starts at loose-head between Levi Park (featured in the Round 4 Team of the Week) at hooker and Filipovic at tight-head.
Cooper Leslie retains the captain’s armband for this week’s encounter and links up with Zavier D’Arcy in the second-row. Marist teammates Paddy Hill and Will Bullock accompany McIntyre in the back-row.
Jono Harrington (scrum-half) and Oliver Henderson (fly-half), keep their starting positions in the halves. Supporting them in the midfield are Jesse Thorp and Laine Jud-Brettingham in the centres.
Cayden Cross, who featured in the competition’s Team of the Week for the second time on the spin, starts on the left wing, with Farfan on the right. Farfan’s inclusion in the team shifts William Hall, who usually starts on the wing, to full-back.
There is a healthy representation of St. Edmund’s schoolboys in the reserves with Kaleb Matthews, Siliva Mataupu, Elliott Brown, Harry Borton, and Ezra Taiatini all providing cover for the starting side.
Royals junior Maka Muchenagumbo, Canberra Grammar’s Huntah-Max Robinson and Daramalan’s Tommy Connolly round out the team flying up north.
Watch our boys this weekend on the Rugby.com.au YouTube channel or on Stan Sport.
2025 Super Rugby under-16s Round 5 – Saturday 25 October
(10am AEST | 11am AEDT kick-off)
Safeguard Global ACT Brumbies vs Queensland Reds
Ballymore Stadium, 91 Clyde Rd, Herston QLD 4006
Starting XV:
1. Geoff Olivetti
2. Levi Park
3. Sam Filipovic
4. Cooper Leslie (c)
5. Zavier D'Arcy
6. Paddy Hill
7. Harrison McIntyre
8. Will Bullock
9. Jono Harrington
10. Oliver Henderson
11. Cayden Cross
12. Jesse Thorp
13. Laine Jud-Brettingham
14. Henry Farfan
15. William Hall
Replacements:
16. Elliott Brown
17. Harry Borton
18. Maka Muchenagumbo
19. Huntah-Max Robinson
20. Ezra Taiatini
21. Tommy Connolly
22. Kaleb Matthews
23. Siliva Mataupu
