Foley could return against Brumbies

Editor

Bernard Foley could make his long-awaited return when the Waratahs host the Brumbies in the Dan Vickerman Cup on Saturday.

The Waratahs welcome back Will Skelton and Jed Holloway to the starting line up with Ned Hanigan also back from injury on the bench.

The decision on whether Foley will play will be decided on Friday, with Head Coach Daryl Gibson giving Foley every chance to take on the Brumbies.

“For Bernard it’s all about how he pulls up after training today. We will be monitoring how he goes overnight,” said Gibson.

“He’s training well, we just need to see how he is.  The ultimate decision will lie with our medical team.”

Waratahs prop Sekope Kepu who will mark his 100th Waratahs cap at the inaugural Dan Vickerman Cup against the Brumbies on Saturday. When Kepu arrived at the Waratahs his goal was to play one game for the side, not dreaming he would ever make it to 100.

“My ultimate dream was to play rugby as a professional sport, full time. I remember coming over and walking through the corridors here and seeing guys I watched growing up like Lote Tuqiri, Phil Waugh, Dan Vickerman, Tatafu (Polota-Nau)… it was a very overwhelming experience.

“You want to look at it as just another game. I came over with a dream to play one cap for NSW but to get 100 is humbling,” said Kepu.

Waratahs: 15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Reece Robinson, 13 Israel Folau, 12 Irae Simone, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley (Bryce Hegarty), 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Jed Holloway, 7 Michael Hooper(c), 6 Jack Dempsey, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Hugh Roach, 17 Paddy Ryan, 18 David Lolohea, 19 David McDuling, 20 Ned Hanigan, 21 Michael Wells, 22 Jake Gordon, 23 Bryce Hegarty (David Horwitz)

Date: Saturday, March 18
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 19:45 local (8:45 GMT)
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Nic Berry (Australia), William Houston (Australia)
TMO: Ian Smith (Australia)