ACT Brumbies wrecking ball Solomone Kata got a taste of life at outside centre on the training paddock as the club prepares to make changes for a "Tah week" showdown.
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Nic White is set to play his first game for the Brumbies since 2015 when he comes off the bench behind youngster Ryan Lonergan in a Super Rugby AU clash with the NSW Waratahs at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.
Lonergan is starting at scrumhalf for the second time in his career, which sees Joe Powell rotated out of the match day squad.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar could reshuffle his back line having tinkered with a handful of combinations this season, with Kata spending time at outside centre - Wallaby Tevita Kuridrani's usual place - at training on Wednesday.
Cadeyrn Neville is set to bolster the Brumbies' second-row stocks while Murray Douglas is poised to make his return having missed the past two outings.
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"You want to try to use as much of the squad as you can. Particularly at the back end of this tournament, there will be a lot of sore bodies and guys that might have a few niggles and whatnot," Douglas said.
"I was carrying a few niggles and those couple of weeks let those settle. This makes it three weeks without games I've had, my body is feeling really good. Hopefully I can put in a big performance on Saturday.
"Dan has obviously trusted Darcy [Swain], [Nick] Frost and [Ben] Hyne to do a job over the past few weeks and they've been going pretty well.
"It's really promising isn't it? They're both young guys, Darcy is 23 and Frosty is 20. Both those guys have done a great job, Darcy has got quite a bit of experience now and Frosty is coming into his first year of Super Rugby.
"I've been really impressed with those guys and it's really promising for the club that we've got two Australian locks that can play at this level."
The Brumbies pack is bracing for a major test at the set piece with the Waratahs setting the standard at the lineout throughout the Australian competition.
NSW rattled the Brumbies at lineout time during their most recent clash - a last gasp win for the visitors in Sydney.
"It's obviously a really important part of the game, they've put a lot of pressure on lineouts throughout all of Super Rugby AU," Douglas said.
"It's going to be a challenge there but it's something we have been working on and something that excites us as a pack. We'll be looking to put in a strong lineout and scrum performance for sure.
"Getting to play against the Tahs as a Brumbies player is one of the biggest games you get to play in. It's always a pretty physical battle against those guys.
"Everyone is competing for finals spots and there are still a lot of places up for grabs. I can imagine every team will be doing their best to go out there and grab points, because I think it's going to come down to the wire."
SUPER RUGBY AU ROUND EIGHT
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v NSW Waratahs at Canberra Stadium, 7.15pm.
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
