Faddes to replace rested Ben Smith
The Highlanders have named utility back Matt Faddes at fullback to replace Ben Smith against the Sunwolves in Tokyo on Friday.
Smith is sitting out the second of his All Blacks stand-down games, having missed the loss to the Rebels in round three.
The co-captain’s absence leaves a big hole but the Highlanders have injected Aaron Smith and Luke Whitelock into the starting side after both came off the bench during the win against the Blues last Saturday.
Intriguingly, Whitelock has been named at No 6 as Elliot Dixon keeps the No 8 jersey.
Elsewhere, changes have been kept to a minimum as the Highlanders attempt to build on the Blues win against Tony Brown’s Sunwolves side.
Rob Thompson makes a timely return to the midfield after missing the Blues game for personal reasons and that allows Sio Tomkinson to move into Faddes’ No 14 jersey.
After appearing to be injured against the Crusaders in round nine, Faddes made a remarkable recovery to feature against the Blues and his experience and strong kicking game make him a solid replacement for Smith.
The Highlanders had moved Josh Ioane to fullback against the Rebels but head coach Aaron Mauger was pleased with the playmaker’s performance against the Blues and clearly wants him to build on it.
That means a head-to-head against former Highlander Hayden Parker, whose name has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Damian McKenzie in the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup squad.
Parker has been in strong form for the Sunwolves, especially with the kicking tee, and will be just one of the Sunwolves players the Highlanders are familiar with.
Against the Hurricanes last week, the Sunwolves also fielded former Highlanders Dan Pryor, Fumiaki Tanaka and Jason Emery, while Sunwolves outside back Josh Timu trained with the Highlanders throughout the preseason.
Dillon Hunt has been named among the reserves as the Highlanders opt for a 6-2 split on the bench.
The game kicks off at 10pm, NZ Time, on Friday and will be officiated by Kiwi referee Ben O’Keeffe.
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