Meredith to Lead Brumbies in Pre-Season Clash
Declan Meredith will captain the ACT Brumbies for the first time in their upcoming pre-season match against Hong Kong China, scheduled for Saturday evening at Hong Kong Football Club. This appointment marks a significant milestone for Meredith, who enjoyed a career-best Super Rugby Pacific campaign with the Brumbies in 2025. During that season, he started four matches at fly-half and made eight additional appearances from the bench. He also started all three of the Brumbies' matches in the inaugural Super Rugby AUS season.
Larkham Praises Meredith's Leadership
Coach Stephen Larkham has appointed Meredith to lead an inexperienced Brumbies side, which will be without its Wallabies and Australia A representatives. Hong Kong China, having qualified for the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup in Australia with a 70-22 victory over Korea in the 2025 Asia Rugby Championship, presents an intriguing opponent. Larkham highlighted the match as a valuable opportunity for the team to test themselves at a higher level and build team connection. He praised Meredith's leadership qualities, stating, "Declan is one of our game controllers who regularly talks during the game. He'll be one of the most active participants in huddles, steering the around the field. And he's been in the program as long as anyone else in this squad".
New-Look Brumbies Lineup
Meredith will partner Klayton Thorn in the halves, with First Nations & Pasifika XV representative Jarrah McLeod joining Kadin Pritchard in the midfield. The back three will feature Hudson Creighton on the left wing, Australia U20 star Shane Wilcox on the right, and Austin Anderson at fullback. Finn Baxter and Drew Brndusic are set to make their Brumbies debuts as starting props, packing down alongside Chris Mickelson in the front row. Harvey Cordukes and Lachlan Shaw will form the second-row duo, while former Australia U20 skipper Toby Macpherson, Jack Harley, and Tuaina Taii Tualima comprise a promising backrow trio. The match will be streamed on RugbyPass TV at 7:30 pm AEDT on Saturday.