Super Rugby Round 5 team sheets
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Crusaders Vs Western Force
The Crusaders line-up:
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has made seven changes and a positional change to their starting XV to face the Western Force on Friday.
Prop Wyatt Crockett and lock Luke Romano will make their first starts of the season, having made a huge impact off the bench in the previous games.
Scott Barrett shifts from lock to flank, filling the number 6 jersey. Matt Todd returns from his calf strain to play at 7, and Jordan Taufua shifts to number 8.
Mitchell Drummond gets the start this week and Bryn Hall takes a spot in the reserves.
Tim Bateman steps in at centre, while Digby Ioane returns from a finger injury to play on the wing.
The Western Force line-up:
The Western Force have made several changes to the side to take on the Crusaders.
Ben Daley moves into the starting line-up with Pek Cowan replacing him on the bench.
Tatafu Polota-Nau will start his first match for the Force since joining from the Waratahs.
Iseli Naisarani is set to make his run-on debut at blindside flanker. Jermaine Ainsley replaces Tetera Faulkner at tighthead prop.
Marcel Brache returns to the starting XV for the first time this season, Luke Morahan shifts from the left wing to full back and Alex Newsome is set to make his run-on debut for the Force at right wing.
Milestones
Flyhalf Jono Lance will captain the Western Force for the first time and becomes the 11th player to skipper the West Australian side.
Richie Arnold (twin brother of Wallabies lock Rory) is in line for his long-awaited debut, from the bench.
Melbourne Rebels Vs NSW Waratahs
Melbourne Rebels starting line-up:
Rebels Head Coach Tony McGahan has named an unchanged starting line-up for the first time in 27 games (Rd 10, 2015).
Four changes have been made to the nine-player bench with the inclusion of Wallaby Lopeti Timani and uncapped Welsh international Dominic Day, along with the return of centre Mitch Inman and prop Tom Moloney.
Waratahs starting line-up:
Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson has shuffled his backline to face the Rebels on Friday, with Reece Robinson the only back line player who has not been moved to the bench, shuffled into another position or sitting out completely.
Bernard Foley returns to team having missed the opening 4 fixtures due to concussion, he slots in at fly-half and will link up Jake Gordan who replaces Nick Phipps who has been poor so far this season.
Israel Folau is moved back to fullback, while fellow Wallaby Rob Horne takes his position at outside centre. Irae Simone falls out of the starting 22 and is replaced by David Horwitz. Andrew Kellaway shifts to the left wing.
Ned Hanigan comes in for Jack Dempsey as the only change to the pack that faced the Brumbies.
Milestones:
Rebels Hooker James Hanson will record his 100th Super Rugby appearance since his debut in 2010 against the Crusaders. The 28-year-old played 82 games for the Queensland Reds, before he joined the Rebels in 2016.
Friday’s game will be the Rebels 50th Super Rugby home game at AAMI Park, six years, one month and seven days since the club kicked off their inaugural season against the Waratahs on 18 February 2011.
Melbourne Rebels Vs NSW Waratahs
Blues Vs Bulls
Blues starting line-up:
The Blues have just one change to their starting line-up to take on the Bulls.
Charlie Faumuina is named in the front row in his expected return from injury, although it will be dependent on how he recovers from Thursday’s final training session. He has been bracketed with North Harbour’s Sione Mafileo.
Bulls starting line-up:
Jesse Kriel will partner Jan Serfontein in the midfield as Burger Odendaal replaces Kriel on the bench.
Kriel's inclusion is the only change to the starting backline that face the Sunwolves last weekend.
Adriaan Strauss returns to the starting XV and takes over the captaincy from Handre Pollard.
Lizo Gqoboko replaces Pierre Schoeman at loosehead prop, while Nick de Jager replaces the suspended Renaldo Bothma
Milestones:
Jan Serfontein, will make his 50th appearance for the Bulls on Saturday.
Adriaan Strauss will extend his South African record for appearances as a hooker in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition to 134.
John-Roy Jenkinson could make his Bulls and Super Rugby debut if he takes to the field.
Brumbies Vs Highlanders
Brumbies starting line-up
Brumbies Head Coach Stephen Larkham has made five changes to the starting team to play the Highlanders.
Prop Nic Mayhew, flanker Chris Alcock and winger James Dargaville were recalled to the starting XV, while Robbie Abel replaces the injured Josh Mann-Rea.
Blake Enever replaces Rory Arnold, who drops to the bench.
Highlanders starting line-up:
Highlanders Head Coach Tony Brown has made 3 changes to his starting line-up to face the Brumbies on Saturday.
Patrick Osborne returns to the starting line-up and Sio Tomkinson will get his first start in the Highlanders jersey.
The final change sees Alex Ainley comes into the starting line-up replacing Joe Wheeler who drops to the bench.
Milestones
Brumbies number eight Jordan Smiler is set to earn his 50th cap for the Brumbies.
Robbie Abel and Blake Enever are set to make their run-on debuts for the Brumbies.
Sio Tomkinson will be debuting for the Highlanders on the right wing, while Aaron Smith will make his 99th appearance against the Brumbies.
Sunwolves Vs Stormers
Sunwolves starting line-up:
The Sunwolves have made 5 changes in their starting line-up that sees a position shuffle in the backline.
Heiichiro Ito replaces Yasuo Yamaji at tighthead prop, while Liaki Moli replaces Uwe Helu at lock.
Jumpei Ogura replaces Hayden Cripps at fly-half.
Taakaki Nakazuru falls out of the starting line-up and is replaced by Derek Carpenter at centre, the changes sees Laafaele move to outside centre, Jamie-Jerry Taulagi move to full back and Shota Emi filling the vacant 14 jersey.
Stormers line-up
There are a number of changes from the starting line-up that did duty against the Southern Kings.
Dillyn Leyds will start at fullback in a new back three which will see World Sevens Player of the Year Seabelo Senatla make his first start of the season on the left wing.
Dan Kriel is back from injury to partner EW Viljoen in midfield, Siya Kolisi also returns having being rested against the Southern Kings.
There is an all-new lock pairing as JD Schickerling makes his first appearance of the season alongside Chris van Zyl, whilst in the front row props JC Janse van Rensburg and Wilco Louw return to the starting XV.
Milestones
If he is called upon from the bench Caylib Oosthuizen will make his Stormers debut.
Junior Springbok Cobus Wiese will make his Super Rugby debut if he comes off the replacements bench for the Stormers.
Southern Kings Vs Lions
Southern Kings line-up:
The Southern Kings have made 3 changes to their starting XV that faced the Sharks last weekend in Durban.
Schalk van der Merwe replaces the injured Schalf Ferreira.
Kurt Stanley Haupt drops to the bench, whil Mike Willemse takes his spot as the starting hoooker.
The final change sees Malcolm Jaer start at fullback in the place of Masixole Banda.
Lions line-up:
Johan Ackermann has made one change to his starting XV that beat the Reds 44-14 last weekend with Harlod Voster replacing the injured Lionel Mapoe.
Kwagga Smith, Lourens Eramus and Sylvian Mahuza are the only players to retain there spots on the bench as Coetzee, Fourie, Jonker, Cronje and van der Walt all drop out of the match day 23 and are replaced by Sitole, van Wyk, Smit and Nel.
Milestones
Lionel Cronje will lead the Southern Kings for the first time this weekend - following the injury of captain Schalk Ferreira
Warren Whiteley will captain the Emirates Lions for the 50th time in Super Rugby when he leads his side on the field against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
Cheetahs Vs Sharks
Cheetahs line-up
Cheetahs Coach Franco Smith has made a number of changes to his starting line-up that faced the Jaguares last weekend, with the likes of Ox Nche, Justin Basson, Raymond Rhule, Nico Lee, Sergeal Petersen and captain Francois Venter all returning from injury.
Johan Coetzee, Paul Schoeman, Shaun Venter and Fred Zeilinga all move from the bench to the starting line-up.
Torsten van Jaarsveld returns to the starting line-up with Elandré Huggett moving to the bench. Henco Venter moves from flank to no.8, while Niell Jordaan moves to the bench.
Tom Botha, Tian Meyer, Niel Marais and Ryno Benjamin/Clinton Swart all fall out of the starting line-up and complete the squad.
Sharks line-up
The Sharks have also made a number of changes to their starting line-up having rested a number of players against the Southern Kings.
Beast Mtawarira returns to our starting line-up along with fellow Springbok Coenie Oosthuizen in a rejigged front row.
Lwazi Mvovo replaces Odwa Ndungane on the left wing, while Curwin Bosch shifts from fullback to fly-half.
Clement Poitrenaud completes the team as he fills the vacant 15 jersey.
Head to Head
The Sharks have won eight of their last 11 games against the Cheetahs, including each of their last two in which they’ve conceded just 20 points combined.
Jaguares Vs Queensland Reds
Jaguares starting line-up:
Jaguares head coach Raul Pérez has made just two changes to his starting XV to take on the Reds this weekend.
Fresh from an impressive debut last weekend, Bautista Ezcurra starts on the wing for the Jaguares in place of Santiago Cordero.
The other change comes up front, where loosehead prop Lucas Noguera Paz gets the nod ahead of Santiago García Botta.
Reds starting line-up:
The Reds will face the Jaguares without suspended fly-half Quade Cooper and injured loosehead prop James Slipper.
Head Coach Nick Stiles has opted to rotate his side further by starting Adam Korczyk on the openside flank, Izack Rodda replace Rob Simmons at lock and Leroy Houston starts at blindside flank.
Jake McIntyre is at fly-half while hooker Stephen Moore returns to captain the side. Moore starts alongside Markus Vanzati and Sam Talakai.
