The St.George Queensland Reds have announced a 29-man squad for their one-week tour to Apia, Samoa to take on the Blues from Auckland.
The squad departs from Brisbane this evening, arriving early Sunday morning to prepare for the Friday night fixture.
It is the first Super Rugby match to be played in Samoa and the first major Rugby match to be played under lights at Apia Park National Stadium, and coincides with Samoa’s 55th Anniversary of Independence celebrations.
“The players and staff are all excited to take part in this historic occasion,” Reds head coach Nick Stiles said.
“I’ve had the privilege of touring Samoa with teams before. It’s a wonderful country and I know we’ll receive a warm welcome from the locals, who are incredibly passionate about Rugby.
“We’ve got a lot of players with Samoan heritage in our squad and being in Apia for the week to prepare for the game will allow us to spend plenty of time in the community, which the guys are really looking forward to.
“The team is bitterly disappointed with last night’s performance, so it’s good to be able to spend a week abroad together to continue to build on our season and work hard together to get a win against a tough New Zealand opponent.”
The tour squad features eight players with Samoan heritage, including Sef Fa’agase, Chris Feauai-Sautia, Karmichael Hunt, Duncan Paia’aua, Caleb Timu, Hendrik Tui, Lukhan Tui and Henry Taefu, who was born in Apia.
The only major omission from the squad is hooker Stephen Moore, who will remain in Brisbane for the week, as Stiles continues to manage his workload.
“When we signed Stephen for three years, we knew we’d have to manage his workload to ensure his longevity. He’s an experienced player in an attritional position and we always planned for moments like this in the season where we’d provide him the opportunity to freshen up,” Stiles said.
“Thankfully we’ve got some genuine depth and competition for the Number 2 jersey and while we’re leaving Stephen at home, it provides further opportunity for Alex Mafi and Andrew Ready. We’ve been really pleased with the way Alex has stepped up into a more senior role this season and Andrew’s been working hard in the background for a number of weeks. We’re looking forward to seeing him return to the strong form he demonstrated last season.”
St.George Queensland Reds squad for tour to Samoa
Props
Sef Fa’agase – University of Queensland
Kirwan Sanday – Easts
Sam Talakai – Brothers
Taniela Tupou - Brothers
Hookers
Alex Mafi – Bond University
Andrew Ready - Easts
Locks
Kane Douglas – Norths
Izack Rodda – Easts
Rob Simmons – Sunnybank
Lukhan Tui - Souths Loose forwards
Michael Gunn – Easts
Scott Higginbotham – Wests
Adam Korczyk – University of Queensland
George Smith – Brothers
Caleb Timu – Souths
Hendrik Tui - Norths
Scrumhalves
Nick Frisby – GPS
Moses Sorovi – University of Queensland
James Tuttle - GPS
Flyhalves
Quade Cooper – Souths
Jake McIntyre - Sunnybank
Centres
Samu Kerevi – Souths
Duncan Paia’aua – Norths
Henry Taefu - Sunnybank
Outside backs
Chris Feauai-Sautia – Souths
Karmichael Hunt – Norths
Chris Kuridrani – GPS
Lachlan Maranta – Wests
Eto Nabuli - GPS
