Championship Round 17 Preview
Team news ahead of Round 17 of the Championship.
This weekend, the Championship ramps up with five rounds left to play and a full round of fixtures to look forward to. The draw for The Championship Cup - which kicks off on 9 April - was also revealed earlier this week, and you can see the complete list of fixtures here. Round 17 kicks off on Friday night with Nottingham hosting Coventry at Lady Bay and sees four matches across Saturday afternoon, with Ampthill given a bye weekend. Here's a look at how the teams line up. [Photo credit: John Ashton, @ickledot].
19:45 Nottingham vs Coventry
Nottingham will be looking to go one step further after their loss last weekend to Jersey Reds. The Archers scored five tries and kept it tight, but a last minute try from Jersey put the game out of reach. Head coach Craig Hammond makes just two changes to last weekendโs starting XV. The side are bolstered by Carl Kirwanโs return to the backrow at 6, coming in for George Cox. Scrum-half Michael Stronge is the last of the two changes, making his first appearance since the 2nd of January, replacing Matt Marsh.
Coventry last played two weeks ago against Cornish Pirates and kept the Pirates under the cosh for much of the game, but Pirates two tries in the last 10 minutes denied Coventry a valuable win. They travel to Lady Bay with Rowland Winter also making two changes to the starting XV. Senitiki Nayolo comes in at 6, shifting Adam Peters to the second-row and replacing Nile Dacres. Speedster Louis James returns from injury straight into the starting XV, replacing Rob Knox.
13:30 Hartpury vs Jersey Reds
Hartpury were unable to overcome a first-half flurry from Ealing Trailfinders last week, and the Gloucestershire side will look to bounce back this week against 3rd placed Jersey Reds. Hartpury name a settled squad, with just a single injury-enforced change. A knock to the head picked up by Jack Tovey gives Hartpury a perfect opportunity to reintroduce centre Charlie Foley to the starting XV.
Jersey Redsโ win victory over Nottingham last week made it their third in a row. The Reds have won all five previous games at the Alpas Arena, and will look for their sixth this weekend. Five changes to the starting XV, one in each row of the scrum. Luke Yendle starts at prop, replacing Steve Longwell. Former Hartpury player Tom Everard gets his chance in the second-row as Macauley Cook switches to the bench for the first time this season. And in the back row, skipper Lewis Wynne returns at flanker and Tim Grey moving to number 8 in place of Alun Lawrence. Two changes in the backs sees James Elliot start at scrum-half, rotating with James Mitchell. On the wing one Ryan replaces another, with Hutler selected ahead of Olowofela.
14:30 Cornish Pirates vs London Scottish
Cornish Pirates were made to settle for three points after drawing against Richmond last week away and make four changes for London Scottishโs trip to Cornwall. Wing Alex OโMeara returns to the first team in place of Robin Wedlake. Both halfbacks are replaced, with Alex Schwarz coming in at nine for Tom Kessell. Schwarz partners a fit again Arwel Robinson, who replaces Harry Bazalgette.
London Scottish play their first fixture in three weeks, and will be keen to get their first win of 2022 when they travel to Cornwall this weekend. Scottish make four changes to the starting XV that last played against Hartpury in Round 15. George Head comes at hooker in place of Nick Selway. Two changes in the second-row sees George Hammond and Ehize Ehizode come in for Angus Southon and Matas Jurevicius respectively. There is a single change in the backline as Paul Lasika starts at inside centre, replacing Javiah Pohe.
15:00 Ealing Trailfinders vs Bedford Blues
Ealing make seven changes to side that won away at Hartpury last Saturday, as they look to keep their grip on the Championship top spot. There are two changes in the front row, with Jan-Henning Campher and George Davis coming in at hooker and tighthead in place of Shaun Malton and Lewis Thiede. Also in the pack, Harry Casson replaces Bobby De Wee in the second-row, and Len Massyn comes into the back row for Max Northcote-Green. In the backs, Matt Gordon replaces Pat Howard at inside centre, making his first start for the club since 6th November. Steven Shingler gets the nod at 10, coming in for Craig Willis. And Luke Daniels starts at fullback for Bill Johnston.
Bedford Blues will be hopeful for a better performance this week after failing to score a point away to Doncaster Knights last weekend. The Blues make seven changes to their starting XV, including an entirely different front-row of Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi, Jack Hughes, Corrie Barrett, replacing Joey Conway, Jacob Fields, and Ed Prowse. Jordan Onojaife replaces Luke Frost in the second-row, and two changes in the backrow sees Ollie Newman at 7 for Joe Atkinson, and Oli Stedman packs down at No 8 as Tui Uru heads to the bench.
15:00 Richmond vs Doncaster Knights
Richmond will look to build on last weekendโs draw against Cornish Pirates as they welcome Doncaster Knights to the RAG. Irish prop Ntinga Mpiko makes his first Championship start of 2022, replacing Jimmy Litchfield. Ethan Benson comes in at blindside flanker, moving last weekโs player of the match Huw Worthington to number eight as the experienced Mark Bright drops to the bench. In the backs there is just one change, with Jack Stafford starting at scrum-half for James Lennon.
Doncaster Knights will be enthused after denying Bedford Blues any points last, and will look to replicate their performance at the RAG this weekend. Steve Boden has made three changes to the starting XV. Sam Olver starts at fly-half, as Billy McBryde moves to fullback. Fraser Strachan starts at inside-centre, and Conor Edwards moves to outside-centre to accommodate him, with Joe Margetts dropping to the bench.