Calf rules Cordingley out
Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:01
Reds captain Sam Cordingley has been ruled out of Saturday's Super 14 match against the Sharks in Durban and will be replaced at scrumhalf by Academy rookie Ben Lucas.
Head Coach Phil Mooney said fullback Chris Latham will lead the side in the absence of Cordingley, who failed to recover sufficiently from a calf injury suffered in last weekend's 24-all draw with the Lions.
Lucas will run on in the No.9 jersey for the first time, with Will Genia taking Lucas’s spot on the bench after being flown over this week as a precaution.
Mooney said he hoped Cordingley would be fit in time for the following week's match against the Cheetahs, but had full confidence in the ability of Lucas to step up to the challenge.
"Benny [Lucas] has handled every challenge we've given him, including broadening his skills to cover scrumhalf in addition to flyhalf," said Mooney.
"We have every confidence he'll do a great job for us against the Sharks.
"This is a fitting reward for the hard work and perseverance he’s shown since being drafted into the Reds' training program during the pre-season," added Mooney.
Reds (revised): 15 Chris Latham (captain), 14 Clinton Schifcofske, 13 Morgan Turinui, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Peter Hynes, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Ben Lucas, 8 Leroy Houston, 7 David Croft, 6 John Roe, 5 James Horwill, 4 Van Humphries, 3 Dayna Edwards, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 Sean Hardman, 17 Rodney Blake, 18 Ed O'Donoghue, 19 Poutasi Luafutu, 20 Will Genia, 21 Charlie Fetoai, 22 Digby Ioane.
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Absa Stadium, Durban
Kick-off: 17.00 (15.00 GMT)
Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand), Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Television match official:
Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
Assessor: Dennis Immelman (South Africa)
