Hurricanes prop Tyrel Lomax set for Canberra Super Rugby homecoming to face ACT Brumbies

Which is why he hopes Canberra junior-turned-Hurricanes prop Tyrel Lomax can channel his father when he faces the team he once seemed destined to play for.

Lomax returns to Canberra this week for a Super Rugby Pacific blockbuster against the ACT Brumbies, a side Holland calls "a step up" from the Queensland Reds, at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

The hulking tighthead prop was a Brumbies and Wallabies junior who rose through the ranks of St Edmund's College. But he shifted to the Melbourne Rebels before heading across the Tasman to chase his dream of playing for the All Blacks.

A homecoming brings Lomax back to the city where his father John Lomax made a name for himself as one of the most destructive props to ever pull on a Raiders jersey.

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He played in a team filled with rugby league royalty - Mal Meninga, Ricky Stuart, Laurie Daley, Bradley Clyde, Steve Walters, David Furner, Jason Croker, Brett Mullins, Ruben Wiki and Ken Nagas among them. In 1994, Lomax topped them all to win the club's player of the year award in a successful premiership campaign.

Now his 26-year-old son returns to his hometown as a Test-capped All Black, one poised to play a "massive" role in shutting down the Brumbies' pride and joy at set piece.

"Looking forward to him having a couple of hit-ups like his old man on Sunday, that would be nice," Holland said.

"The set piece is a massive part of the game, defending mauls is big for us, the scrum is big for us, and also the thing I think [Lomax] does better than any other prop around the country is his ability to get around the field and carry in tackle.

"First and foremost, we need to have that scrum really solid so we can hold the ball and we can put them under pressure. We need to defend mauls, it's a massive part [Lomax] is going to have a big part in.

"He had a week off when he had a baby a couple of weeks ago, he's one week back in, it was his first game back in for a little while last week and we expect him to be firing for his second game back."

The Hurricanes arrive in Canberra following a comeback win over the Queensland Reds in which they scored 30 unanswered points to make up for a lacklustre opening 30 minutes.

But Holland pulls no punches when he says the Brumbies are "a step up from the Reds", with Dan McKellar's side sitting second on the competition table following a win over the Otago Highlanders.

Holland says the Hurricanes have to shut down abrasive ball-runner Rob Valetini, who has emerged as one of Australia's most important players, as well as centre pairing Irae Simone and Len Ikitau if they are to have a chance of toppling the hosts.

"From watching both teams pretty hard in the past few weeks, I've had in my head this team is a step up from the Reds in our eyes," Holland said.

"Their physicality, their set piece stuff, the maul, they've got some pretty dynamic carriers. Their No. 6 and the midfield are pretty dynamic and can get over the gain line.

"We're expecting a pretty physical battle, and like what happened last week, down in Canberra you know the first 20 minutes is going to be all go. They blew the 'Landers away by being really physical and dynamic in the first 20 minutes.

"Under no illusions around what's coming, but we don't want to go out in a holding pattern and stop them, we need to be the team that's dominating. It's a massive challenge for us."

SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC ROUND 11

Sunday: ACT Brumbies v Wellington Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium, 2pm. Tickets from Ticketek. Broadcast on Stan Sport.

Brumbies team: 1. Scott Sio, 2. Lachlan Lonergan, 3. Sefo Kautai, 4. Darcy Swain, 5. Cadeyrn Neville, 6. Rob Valetini, 7. Jahrome Brown, 8. Pete Samu, 9. Nic White (c), 10. Noah Lolesio, 11. Andy Muirhead, 12. Irae Simone, 13. Len Ikitau, 14. Tom Wright. 15. Tom Banks. Reserves: 16. Folau Fainga'a, 17. James Slipper, 18. Tom Ross, 19. Tom Hooper, 20. Luke Reimer, 21. Ryan Lonergan, 22. Hudson Creighton, 23. Ollie Sapsford.

Hurricanes team: 1. Pouri Rakete-Stones, 2. James O'Reilly, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. James Blackwell, 5. Justin Sangster, 6. Te Kamaka Howden, 7. Blake Gibson, 8. Ardie Savea (c), 9. TJ Perenara, 10. Jackson Garden-Bachop, 11. Salesi Rayasi, 12. Peter Umaga-Jensen, 13. Bailyn Sullivan, 14. Julian Savea, 15. Jordie Barrett. Reserves: 16. Kianu Kereru-Symes, 17. Xavier Numia, 18. Tevita Mafileo, 19. Isaia Walker-Leawere, 20. Caleb Delany, 21. Jamie Booth, 22. Aidan Morgan, 23. Billy Proctor.

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