0
Barnes shifted to inside centre
March 19, 2008 Barnes shifted to inside centre - Super 14 - Fox Sports
AUSTRALIA five-eighth Berrick Barnes has again been named at inside centre for Queensland for his comeback Super 14 clash against the Lions at Johannesburg on Sunday (AEDT).
Barnes is the only change to the Reds outfit which pulled off a stunning 40-8 upset win over the Bulls in Brisbane last weekend.
He missed the boilover after withdrawing on match eve with a calf muscle injury and was replaced in the centres by fellow former Brisbane Broncos rugby league player, Charlie Fetoai.
Reds coach Phil Mooney has again opted for Quade Cooper at No.10 for the Lions clash after the boom teenager combined well with halfback Sam Cordingley in the bonus point victory over the Super 14 defending champions.
"Berrick's an international player and we need him in the side," Mooney said.
"It's tough on Charlie (Fetoai) as he did an excellent job for us when called into the side against the Bulls.
"But it's fantastic for our depth to have a player like him who can step up at short notice and perform so well."
Wallabies great Tim Horan has already called for Barnes to concentrate on inside centre at Queensland because he does not believe he could topple Matt Giteau for the national No.10 guernsey.
Mooney was clearly relieved he could use a relatively unchanged side against the Lions after wielding the axe in recent weeks to try and spark the 2007 wooden spooners.
But Mooney warned Queensland that their five-tries-to-one victory over the Bulls would mean nothing if they could not back up in South Africa.
He said only a string of wins would restore pride following their woeful 2007 season and disappointing 2008 start.
"The 22 did the job against the Bulls," Mooney said.
"It's now up to them to give us a back-to-back performance of the same or better quality against the Lions."
The Lions are in 12th place on the Super 14 - five points behind the Reds.
Queensland have settled into their Pretoria training base after leaving Brisbane on Monday for their South African jaunt that will also include clashes against the Sharks and Cheetahs.
Reds: Chris Latham, Clinton Schifcofske, Morgan Turinui, Berrick Barnes, Peter Hynes, Quade Cooper, Sam Cordingley (c), Leroy Houston, Poutasi Luafutu, John Roe, James Horwill, Van Humphries, Dayna Edwards, Sean Hardman, Greg Holmes. Replacements: Stephen Moore, Rodney Blake, Ed O'Donoghue, David Croft, Ben Lucas, Brando Va'aulu, Scott Higginbotham
AAP