The Brumbies have announced their team for Saturday evening:
- Running on:
1. Ben Alexander
2. Stephen Moore
3. Guy Shepherson
4. Ben Hand
5. Peter Kimlin
6. Mitchell Chapman
7. George Smith (c)
8. Julian Salvi
9. Joshua Holmes
10. Christian Lealiifano
11. Alfi Mafi
12. Tyrone Smith
13. Stirling Mortlock
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper
15. Mark Gerrard
Reserves:
16. Huia Edmonds
17. Salesi Ma’afu
18. Sitaleki Timani
19. Henry Vanderglas
20. Patrick Phibbs
21. Gene Fairbanks
22. Francis Fainifo
Of note is that it’s a 5.30pm kickoff, which is good for the cold but still allows plenty of drinking time.
Also the following arrangements for Shawn Mackay:
- His CA Brumbies teammates will wear black armbands for the match and for the remainder of the season while the crowd on hand at Canberra Stadium will have the opportunity to pay their respects during a ‘pause for applause’.
Friend says it is a fitting tribute for the popular member of the squad.
“We wanted to give people the opportunity to pay their respects in a way that reflected the sort of person Shawn was,” Friend said. “Shawn was a very positive and upbeat individual who had an enthusiastic and genuine approach to life. As a result we thought that a positive celebration of Shawn’s life was more appropriate than a sombre one.
“I spoke to [Shawn’s father] John Mackay this week who told me that the only thing the family asked was that we win this weekend against the Stormers. It has been a challenging week for Brumbies Rugby but adversity like this can often galvanise a group and we’ll be doing our utmost to ensure that we fulfill the Mackay’s wish on Saturday.”
Further tributes to Mackay will be announced in the coming weeks.