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Canterbury's Casey Laulala - Source: Photosport -
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Canterbury coaches Rob Penney and Tabai Matson have named an unchanged line-up to take on Wellington in the Air New Zealand Cup final at AMI Stadium on Saturday night.
The squad of 22 which beat Hawke's Bay 20-3 in last week's semi-final will get the chance to retain Canterbury's title won against Wellington in the capital last season.
Head coach Penney said: "The boys are really excited about the challenge ahead. It will be difficult because Wellington are a very good side but we are determined to give it everything."
The match will be centre Casey Laulala's last match for Canterbury before he takes up a contract with the Cardiff Blues.
Laulala made his Canterbury debut in 2003 and first played for the Crusaders a year later. Saturday night's match will be his 65th for Canterbury. He played 61 times for the Crusaders.
The match will pit two of the competition's top try scorers, Canterbury's Sean Maitland and Wellington's Hosea Gear, against each other.
Hawke's Bay wing Zac Guildford - on tour with the All Blacks - leads the try tally with 13, with Gear second on 11 and Maitland third with eight.
On Canterbury's other wing is Tu Umaga-Marshall, who will be up against his former province for the first time. Umaga-Marshall, who was not in the Canterbury squad which beat Wellington to win the Ranfurly Shield in August, has impressed since moving to Christchurch this season.
Penney added: "This match should be an absolute cracker. Both teams like to run the ball so there will be no shortage of excitement. We hope to see a big crowd there to add to what will be a great atmosphere."
Wellington meanwhile has also named the same 22 that beat
Southland 34-21 in Wellington last Saturday.
Canterbury: Colin Slade, Sean Maitland, Casey
Laulala, Tim Bateman, Tu Umaga-Marshall, Stephen Brett, Tyson
Keats, Nasi Manu, George Whitelock (captain), Michael Paterson,
Isaac Ross, Samuel Whitelock, Peter Borlase, Ti'i Paulo, Andrew
Olorenshaw.
Reserves: Steve Fualau, Rodney Ah You, Ash Parker, Matt Todd, Willi
Heinz, Ryan Crotty, James Paterson.
Wellington: Apoua Stewart, David Smith, Alapati
Leuia, Shaun Treeby, Hosea Gear, Piri Weepu, Alby Mathewson, Mathew
Luamanu, Serge Lilo, Victor Vito, Daniel Ramsay, Jacob Ellison
(captain), Anthony Perenise, Ged Robinson, John Schwalger.
Reserves: Dane Coles, Arden David-Perrot, Mark Reddish, Scott
Fuglistaller, Fa'atonu Fili, Robert Fruean, Daniel
Kirkpatrick.
