Blues v Force
Eden Park, 5.30pm tomorrow
Few saw it coming. Firebrand centre Rene Ranger has felt the selection blade in a Blues backline stacked with talent.
Ranger has been chopped to the reserves in a side which has five changes from the group which sagged to a sloppy defeat last round against the Stormers. Coach Pat Lam forecast alterations but there was no noise about a change at centre.
Injured lock Anthony Boric has been replaced by Filo Paulo, opensider Serge Lilo stands aside for Tom Chamberlain while test props Tony Woodcock and John Afoa both passed fitness tests to run out tomorrow against the Force at Eden Park.
Those alterations had been mentioned but there had not been any sound about Ranger. It was felt Luke McAlister or Benson Stanley would be squeezed out of midfield but both have been picked with the latter pushed out a place to send Ranger to the bench.
Lam was vague about Ranger's demotion but it seems his rising mistake rate outweighed his attacking thrust in the loss to the Stormers.
"Every week there has been a challenge with that whole backline and with Benson back and Luke obviously back and the back three going really well, we think that Rene will serve us well in the second half," Lam said.
Stanley was named to start at second five-eighths last game but was a late withdrawal because of concussion. He has returned this week to the unfamiliar role at centre where his direction on defence and low error rate will be needed against the Force.
The visitors have made two changes in their front row with on-loan hooker Nathan Charles and loosehead prop Nic Henderson promoted and wing Nick Cummins picked on the bench after his two-game suspension.
"We expect the Blues to be ferocious," coach John Mitchell said. "If you go back to the Bulls performance, they hurt them, they came out firing and put them away. We're expecting that kind of onslaught."
Chamberlain has finally been given his chance after making his mark late last season when he was drafted in to cover the rising casualty rate. He played three games and was picked this season but has had to wait for his chance behind Lilo.
However Lam expected his "rawboned and aggressive" style to make an impact this weekend.
BLUES v FORCE
Blues
Isaia Toeava
Joe Rokocoko
Benson Stanley
Luke McAlister
Rudi Wulf
Stephen Brett
Alby Mathewson
Viliame Ma'afu
Tom Chamberlain
Jerome Kaino
Filo Paulo
Kurtis Haiu
John Afoa
Keven Mealamu (c)
Tony Woodcock
Force
James O'Connor
C. Shepherd
Mitch Inman
Ryan Cross
M. Bartholomeusz
David Hill
Chris O'Young
Richard Brown
David Pocock
Matt Hodgson
Nathan Sharpe (c)
Tom Hockings
Tim Fairbrother
Nathan Charles
Nic Henderson
Blues reserves: Tom McCartney, Tevita Mailau, Andrew van der Heijden, Peter Saili, Chris Smylie, Rene Ranger, Paul Williams.
Force reserves: Ben Whittaker, Matt Dunning, Ben McCalman, Sam Wykes, Justin Turner, Sam Harris, Nick Cummins.
