Ex Rotorua Boys' High School student Latu Vaeno gets his first Chiefs start this weekend. Photo/File
Ex Rotorua Boys' High School student Latu Vaeno gets his first Chiefs start this weekend. Photo/File
Former Rotorua Boys' High School student Latu Vaeno makes his first run-on start for the Chiefs against the Lions in Hamilton this weekend.
Chiefs coach Dave Rennie has made just two changes to the starting fifteen which defeated the Crusaders in round one with Maama Vaipulu getting a start atnumber 8 and Vaeno replacing the injured Shaun Stevenson on the right wing.
Vaeno made his Super Rugby debut coming off the bench in the 27-21 win in Christchurch last Saturday.
The Chiefs are hoping to go two-from-two when they take on the South African side at 5:15pm on Saturday.
The earlier kick-off time will be a blessing for the Chiefs who depart on Sunday afternoon for a challenging two-week international trip taking on the Kings in Port Elizabeth then onto Argentina to take on newcomers the Jaguares in Buenos Aires.
Latu Vaeno playing for Rotorua Boys' High School in 2014. Photo/File
In the reserves, Japan captain Michael Leitch is expected to make his highly anticipated return to Super Rugby, while former Warrior Glen Fisiiahi looks set to earn his first Super Rugby cap from the bench.
"This is a big game for us. We play the Curry Cup Champions, a side who were unlucky not to make the Super Rugby Playoffs last year," said Rennie.
"While we were happy with the attitude and effort against the Crusaders, we know we can be more clinical and have learnt a lot about ourselves. It's nice to get a bit of continuity from a selection point of view for our first outing at home."
