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KEY POINTS:
Fresh legs and returning All Blacks mean five changes to the first winning Chiefs team of the year for their trip to Brisbane tomorrow night.
Coach Ian Foster has wasted no time bringing reconditioned internationals Byron Kelleher and Sitiveni Sivivatu into the starting XV to play the bottom-placedReds, replacing halfback Brendon Leonard and wing Lelia Masaga.
There are two new props, Ben Castle and Craig West, and Tanerau Latimer comes in for Marty Holah at openside flanker from the team that thumped the Lions 34-7 last week.
"We feel we're better to get our All Blacks straight back in. They were pretty obvious selections for us," Foster said of Kelleher and Sivivatu. Kinikinilau switches to the right wing, with Masaga dropping to the bench.
Nathan White and Simms Davison have, with hooker and stand-in captain Tom Willis, formed one of the stronger Super 14 front rows. But Willis is confident Castle and West, whose starting chances have been limited so far, are up to the challenge.
"Overall we've got some good depth in the quality of our props," Willis said yesterday. "[White and Davison] have done a fantastic job. 'Westie' and Ben are itching for a go and will give us fresh legs and enthusiasm, and they're both desperate to prove a point."
Foster acknowledged that Holah was outstanding against the Lions.
But he rates the promising Latimer highly and, aware that the Chiefs must gather plenty of points from their final seven games to be in the playoff hunt, wants to avoid risking Holah's batteries running low.
The Reds, who have lost six games on the bounce, are in a mess and have been forced to largely retain the team walloped 38-3 by the Force last week.
Talented first five-eighths Berrick Barnes is out with a shoulder injury, and key lock Hugh McMeniman has an ankle strain.
