Wallaroos lock Michaela Leonard is relishing the opportunity to step up as captain as coach Jay Tregonning confirms his side to face the Black Ferns in Redcliffe.
Leonard will take over from Shannon Parry in Thursday's O'Reilly Cup opener, with backrower Piper Duck still on the sidelines with injury.
It was a rollercoaster ride for the Western Force lock, who was initially unsure whether she was even going to be picked when Tregonning called her into his office late Saturday to tell the news.
“It’s incredibly exciting and an incredible honour,” Leonard told Rugby.com.au. “To be honest, I was speechless and shocked. We were doing selection announcements and conversations (Saturday) afternoon so I was a little unsure about what the meeting was about and if I was getting bad or disappointing news.
“To hear Jay (Tregonning) say that I was absolutely speechless. Being a part of the Wallaroos for the past five years has been a massive part of my life and all of us. The sacrifices we make, the structures and what we strive for and I think being seen by our coaching staff as having the qualities to lead that squad out is something that will be a lasting memory for me for the rest of my life.”
The Wallaroos welcome back overseas trio Kaitlan Leaney, Arabella McKenzie and Emily Chancellor after they missed the 22-5 win over Fijiana.
Leaney will start at blindside flanker as part of a bulked up pack, with Ash Marsters shifting to openside after her player-of-the-match performance in their opening Test of the year.
McKenzie and Chancellor will come off the bench for the clash, whilst Tania Naden will start at hooker with Adiana Talakai ruled out with injury as the only other change in the side.
Leonard faced the Harlequins trio during her own brief stint in the UK with Premier 15s finalists Exeter. With Chiefs teammate Lori Cramer joining the Wallaroos squad in Canada, the former Brumbies skipper is already noticing the benefits of their respective expeditions.
“I think you definitely see it in the standards around our unit sessions. There’s that little bit more micro chat between players about lifting techniques and when we’re moving into a defensive set and maul, how we’re moving and the intensity we need to hit it,” she believes.
“The focus on repetition and quality, there’s a little more driving those standards from that experience. I think you get great tips and pointers from coaches but when you had players being on the other side of the world playing a really heavily set-piece dominant hemisphere, it’s great to have those girls come back into the program and share that knowledge on a player-coaching level.
“It really drives the program as we look to implement those elements that work so well for the northern hemisphere sides into our program.”
The Wallaroos enter the contest quietly confident against a new-look Black Ferns team.
New coach Allan Bunting has named six debutants in their 23-player squad, with seven starters remaining from the World Cup-winning side.
“The energy through the group this week has been amazing,” Leonard believes.
“The wealth of Emily Chancellor, Kaitlan Leaney and Arabella McKenzie coming back, they’ve brought the knowledge of the past nine months in the UK. We’ve got new ideas in Carys (Dallinger) who is familiar with the NZ style of play coming into that game driving role along with the young girls coming in and those players who have been around for a while.
“The knowledge and experience around the group is really exciting. We had a great campaign against Fiji to build into this game and I think it’ll be the perfect opportunity to take the Black Ferns on home soil and hopefully come away with the win for the first time in Wallaroos history.”
1. Bree-Anna Cheatham
2. Tania Naden
3. Eva Karpani
4. Michaela Leonard (C)
5. Annabelle Codey
6. Kaitlan Leaney
7. Ashley Marsters
8. Grace Hamilton
9. Layne Morgan
10. Carys Dallinger
11. Ivania Wong
12. Cecilia Smith
13. Georgina Friedrichs
14. Maya Stewart
15. Faitala Moleka
Reserves
16. Madison Schuck
17. Emily Robinson
18. Bridie O’Gorman
19. Sera Naiqama
20. Emily Chancellor
21. Jasmin Huriwai
22. Arabella McKenzie
23. Alana Elisaia
1. Kate Henwood
2. Georgia Ponsonby
3. Tanya Kalounivale
4. Maiakawanakaulani Roos
5. Chelsea Bremner
6. Alana Bremner
7. Kennedy Simon (co-c)
8. Liana Mikaele-Tu'u
9. Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu
10. Ruahei Demant (co-c)
11. Katelyn Vahaakolo
12. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu Atai'i (Sylvia) Brunt
13. Amy du Plessis
14. Mererangi Paul
15. Renee Holmes
Reserves
16. Luka Connor
17. Krystal Murray
18. Amy Rule
19. Joanah Ngan Woo
20. Kendra Reynolds
21. Iritana Hohaia
22. Rosie Kelly
23. Tenika Willison
