Wallabies halfback Tate McDermott has been selected to make his return for the Queensland Reds Super Rugby Pacific match against Moana Pasifika on Saturday.
McDermott’s first game of the season for the Reds in Auckland follows a lengthy repair of his hamstring after surgery late last year.
He made a positive 40-minute comeback for the University of Queensland club in the Hospital Cup last Saturday.
“It was just awesome to get out there for UQ, get the legs ticking over again, feel the lungs burning a bit and shed a few cobwebs,” McDermott said.
“I was on modified training for a while so it’s good to know the chain is off now. Over the past few training weeks, I’ve started to feel how I used to which is really positive.
“I’ve watched a lot of games from the sidelines this year so it’s exciting to get back in there. We’ve got an important couple of weeks coming up leading into finals and I want to play my role.”
McDermott will pair with flyhalf Carter Gordon. In the centres, the versatile Filipo Daugunu will partner Josh Flook with Hunter Paisami and Isaac Henry both nursing niggles.
“Obviously, it’s brilliant to have Tate back. His leadership from the sidelines has been fantastic for us and he now gets out there to help Fraser on the park,” Reds Head Coach Les Kiss said.
“Sharp, keen, energetic, busy…Tate has been all of those things at training and he comes in to start. Kalani (Thomas) and Louis (Werchon) have really stepped up at halfback for us this season. We’ve grown in that position and they will continue to make valuable impact.
“Josh Canham is back at lock with Seru (Uru) now on the bench. Hamish Muller was our Players’ Player last weekend so his teammates recognised his quality.
“We have strength in our back three. It’s Treyvon and Tim who will start on the wing against Moana with Lachie Anderson on the bench.”
Kiss said the Reds respected the dynamic style that Moana Pasifika brought to every game.
“They are a dangerous side. We have a lot of respect for Tana Umaga and his team and know they will be fired up for their last home game,” Kiss said.
“We know we need to respect them by producing our best performance.”
About The Author
Leave a Reply