Alex Newsome is set to make his starting debut for the Waratahs after being named on the wing for the NSW Waratahs Super Rugby clash with the Jaguares in Buenos Aires.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After impressing off the bench in the opening two games, the Glen Innes product is the only change to the starting line-up, replacing Andrew Kellaway on the right wing.
“We have selected a team that is competitive in all areas, particularly in the forwards where we are continuing to improve. This weekend’s game is about continuing the momentum that we have built up over the last two games and finishing a challenging couple of weeks on a positive note,” NSW Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson said.
Gibson told Fairfax Media it is a good opportunity for the likes of Newsome and Taqele Naiyaravoro, who is on the bench, to have a go and stake a claim and really try and nail down a wing spot.
In 52 minutes on the field so far, Newsome has made 67m from seven runs.
Kurtley Beale and Jake Gordon have both been cleared to play as the Waratahs look to continue their unbeaten start to the season.
Tamworth’s Paddy Ryan will also start at tighthead for his 94th cap.
John Porch is meanwhile set to add to his 13 caps for the Australian men’s sevens side after being named in the 12-man squad for this weekend’s Vancouver Sevens,
Australian coach Andy Friend has retained the same squad that finished sixth in Las Vegas last weekend after a nailbiting extra-time defeat to New Zealand in the fifth-place playoff.
“It’s the first time I’ve kept the same side since I’ve been in charge of the program, so that’s pretty exciting,” Friend said.
“Sevens is about combinations, it’s about the same people understanding each other’s play. We had three new guys come into the team post Hamilton so for those guys to have played Vegas and now double up into Vancouver is going to be a good thing.”
The Aussies currently sit fourth on the HSBC Sevens World Series ladder, and have been drawn in Pool A alongside hosts Canada, Uruguay and the USA, who took out their home tournament in Las Vegas.
WARATAHS SIDE: 1. Tom Robertson (29), 2. Damien Fitzpatrick (33), 3. Paddy Ryan (93), 4. Ned Hanigan (17), 5. Tom Staniforth (2), 6. Michael Wells (17), 7. Michael Hooper (82, captain), 8. Jed Holloway (25), 9. Jake Gordon (14), 10. Bernard Foley (89, vice-captain), 11. Curtis Rona (2), 12. Kurtley Beale (112), 13. Lalakai Foketi (2), 14. Alex Newsome (2), 15. Israel Folau (77). Reserves – 16. Tolu Latu (44), 17. Harry Johnson-Holmes (2), 18. Kalivati Tawake (1), 19. Nick Palmer (2), 20. Will Miller (1), 21. Nick Duffy (*), 22. Bryce Hegarty (14), 23. Taqele Naiyaravoro (34).