Canes team for Landers derby

The Hurricanes will face their third New Zealand based team in round four of the Investec Super Rugby competition on Friday evening. The side will travel this week to Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin to meet the Highlanders.

This will be the 20^th time the teams have gone head to head. Since 2007, their last eight encounters, there has never been more than a converted try difference in the final score between the two.

Friday’s starting line-up sees Ben May come into tighthead and James Marshall will wear the number 15 jersey. Motu Matu’u has been bracketed, alongside Ash Dixon, to start at hooker, due to the shoulder injury Matu’u sustained against the Crusaders in the weekend.

The back-up hooker is yet to be confirmed for the bench, as the team will wait to see how Matu’u gets through a contact training session on Wednesday. Also to be confirmed is the number 17 jersey as Reggie Goodes and Jeffery Toomaga-Allen have been bracketed for the spot. Toomaga-Allen injured his sternum and will be re-assessed before the team heads south. The last change to the line-up is the inclusion of Tusi Pisi, who has joined the squad from Suntory in Japan and will be on the bench for this match.

Kick off for Friday 15^th March is at 7.35pm.

The Hurricanes team is as follows:

1. Ben Franks
2. Motu Matu’u / Ash Dixon
3. Ben May
4. Jeremy Thrush
5. Jason Eaton
6. Brad Shields
7. Karl Lowe
8. Victor Vito
9. TJ Perenara
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Julian Savea
12. Tim Bateman
13. Conrad Smith (c)
14. Alapati Leiua
15. James Marshall

RESERVES

1. TBC
2. Reggie Goodes / Jeffery Toomaga-Allen
3. James Broadhurst
4. Faifili Levave
5. Chris Smylie
6. Tusi Pisi
7. Andre Taylor

Tags: Highlanders, Hurricanes, Super Rugby