BIG BREAK: Bay of Plenty prop Aidan Ross is set to make his Super Rugby debut from the bench on Saturday. PHOTO: FILE
BIG BREAK: Bay of Plenty prop Aidan Ross is set to make his Super Rugby debut from the bench on Saturday. PHOTO: FILE
Seven games, six victories, 27 tries and 29 competition points - with Round 9 marking the midpoint of the 2017 Investec Super Rugby regular season, the Gallagher Chiefs can draw confidence from their performances to date as they prepare to take on a highly-motivated Western Force lineup in Perth thisweekend.
Saturday's game is the final fixture of the Chiefs three-week international tour. In Round 7, the team suffered their only defeat of the season thus far, losing 34-26 to the DHL Stormers in Cape Town.
The Chiefs showed remarkable composure a week later against the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, returning from the halftime break 10 points down to run in four unanswered tries and record a 41-27 win over the home side.
Chiefs head coach Dave Rennie has made four changes to the starting fifteen that fronted the Cheetahs last Saturday.
In the forwards, there is just one change to the front row with Bay of Plenty's Siegfried Fisi'ihoi being promoted from the reserves to start at loosehead prop. Dominic Bird rekindles his partnership with Brodie Retallick in the second row, while Liam Messam will start this week at blindside flanker.
Just one change in the backs with Shaun Stevenson moving from the bench to start on the right wing.
Of note in the reserves is the inclusion of former New Zealand Under 20 representative Aidan Ross. The 21-year old Bay of Plenty prop is in line to make his Investec Super Rugby debut off the bench.
Chiefs team to play the Western Force at 9.45pm (NZT) Saturday is:
