Reds v Chiefs: Teams

Ben Daley: Returns from injury to the Reds' starting XV

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Reds coach Ewen McKenzie has made just one change to his starting XV for Sunday's meeting with the Chiefs in Brisbane.

Prop Ben Daley, who's recovered from his hamstring injury, has been thrust straight back into the line-up for the all-important encounter.

Flanker Beau Robinson also returns to Queensland's matchday 22 and will be used as an impact player from the bench.

There is no place however for out-of-form loose forward Radike Samo, who falls out of the squad and will play club rugby over the weekend.

The Reds' backline remains unchanged and will run out this week with Will Genia at number nine , Ben Lucas at 10, Digby Ioane and Dom Shipperley on the wings; with Mike Harris and Anthony Faingaa in the centres; and Luke Morahan at full-back.

"We've worked our way through a difficult period of injuries and are now seeing the benefit of cohesion in our selections and with combinations out of the field," said McKenzie.

Intensity

"You can sense a huge lift in the confidence and intensity of our play following the return of a number of players and they will only continue to play better the more they get the opportunity to play alongside one another.

"We took a huge step forward last week against the Crusaders in terms of performance and I genuinely believe it's only a matter of time before we fully click.

Loose forward Liam Messam and lock Brodie Retallick return to the Chiefs line-up for Sunday's showdown at the Suncorp Stadium.

Messam missed the 34-21 win over the Lions in Pukekohe last weekend with a rib injury, while Retallick was given a rest after having played in all previous nine matches.

The three other changes are also in the pack. Try-scoring prop Sona Taumalolo comes back in, as do hooker Mahonri Schwalger and number eight Alex Bradley.

"We know the Reds are starting to hit form with their top players coming back at the right time," said Chiefs assistant coach Wayne Smith.

"They have targeted this game on their home track as a must-win match for them, so we are expecting an intense fixture in front of a large Sunday afternoon crowd."

Reds: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Ben Lucas, 9 Will Genia, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 James Horwill (c), 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper, 2 James Hanson, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Greg Holmes, 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19 Eddie Quirk, 20 Beau Robinson, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Rod Davies.

Chiefs: 15 Andrew Horrell, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Alex Bradley, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke (capt), 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Sona Taumalolo.
Replacements: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Toby Smith, 18 Kane Thompson, 19 Sam Cane, 20 Augustine Pulu, 21 Jackson Willison, 22 Robbie Robinson.

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