Experienced hooker Leni Apisai has made a timely return from injury and replaces regular Lions rake Asafo Aumua, who is unavailable for the match after earning selection in the All Blacks end of year tour squad.
The 21-year-old will start his 30th match for Wellington in the only personnel change to the squad who beat Northland 49-21 in the semifinal.
Gibbes said Apisai had been training fully with the squad for the past two weeks and was fully recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered against Otago four weeks ago.
Bay of Plenty booked their place in the final with a 48-32 win against Otago in Tauranga.
The last time the two finalists met was in round three of the 2017 regular season in Rotorua, where Wellington won 31-10 — making it five successive wins against the Steamers.
Wellington last played in the Championship final in 2015. They lost 26-25 to Hawke’s Bay in Napier.
Bay of Plenty’s last appearance in a provincial final was in 2000 when they beat Nelson Bays to win the old National Provincial Championship second division and earn promotion to the top division.
Having been denied a return to the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership last year when beaten by North Harbour in the semifinals, Wellington are looking to cap a dominant season with a win tonight.
Wellington captain, and flanker, Brad Shields said the past was irrelevant,
“That’s been the message, focus on what we can do and how we’ve been doing things really well all year, and be confident that we’ve put in the work. We just have to make sure we pull it out tonight,” he said.
Success would be about taking opportunities, something they had let slip in recent weeks. — NZN
