ACT Brumbies hand debuts to 10 players as Super Rugby AUS season opens against Waratahs

The ACT Brumbies will hand out 10 first-team debuts when they face the NSW Waratahs in the opening round of Super Rugby AUS at Bungendore Sports Hub on Sunday, with assistant team manager Josh Townsend among the most notable names to earn a starting berth.

Townsend will pack down at lock alongside Toby Macpherson, the former Australia Under-20 captain who takes the captaincy for the Brumbies for the first time. Australia Under-20 representatives Eli Langi and TJ Talaileva will debut at flanker, while Ewald Kruger — another U20 product — is named among the replacements.

In the front row, Lington Leli and hooker Liam Bowron join Super Rugby Pacific regular Rhys van Nek, with Oscar Cleary set to make his debut at No. 8. Finn Baxter, son of former Wallabies prop Al Baxter, is also in line for a debut off the bench alongside Darcy Fogarty, Dylan Bretton, Oscar Shaw, and Tu’ukalikali Vaipulu.

The backs offer a blend of experience and fresh faces. Capped Wallaby Tane Edmed partners debutant Klayton Thorn at half-back, while David Feliuai and Kadin Pritchard resume the centre combination they built during the Super Rugby Pacific season. Paris Olympian Corey Toole and New Zealand-born Australia A representative Ollie Sapsford start on the wings, with First Nations and Pasifika XV captain Triston Reilly named at fullback.

The Waratahs arrive as defending Super Rugby AUS champions, making the scale of the Brumbies’ selection gamble all the more striking. Macpherson’s captaincy adds further intrigue, with the lock tasked with steering a largely inexperienced side through one of the competition’s most demanding opening fixtures.