Coventry v Plymouth Albion

Phil Maynard is able to select a near full-strength Coventry side for the visit of Plymouth Albion to the Butts Park Arena tonight.

Flanker Ben Pons will be absent with a shoulder problem but the stomach bug which wrecked the build up to last weekend’s defeat against Nottingham has relented. Hooker Ross McMillan and back row Henno Venter also return after mandatory three week breaks for concussion following defeat in Cornwall against the Cornish Pirates.

Fly-half Joey Carlisle, a loan signing from Worcester Warriors will make his debut with Fangatapu Apikotoa switching to centre.

Maynard told the Evening Telegraph,

“ All games are must-win for me, but one thing that the last few weeks have shown is that games against top or bottom are all winnable. We’ve got to start doing that.”

“We have had a strange set of circumstances in the last four weeks but, despite everything we were up against, we all feel that we should have beaten Moseley and Nottingham. We have got to start building some momentum and there is a definite resolve in the squad to get it all together.”

Full story.. www.coventrytelegraph.net

Worcester Warriors director of rugby Mike Ruddock has urged Joey Carlisle to make the most of his chance at Coventry.

He said,

“Joey was not able to get too much game time and I think that showed when he played the A game and when he came on against Montpellier. I think he would be the first to admit he made a bad decision at the time.”

“What I said to Joe is ‘I am going to put you know into Coventry, I want to see you play really well and come back into contention for the first team’. He is comfortable with that, he realises he needs regular competitive rugby where there are four points at stake and where there is a need for him to perform.”

Full story.. www.coventrytelegraph.net

Plymouth Albion have made two changes and four positional switches as they prepare to erase the painful memory of last weekend`s defeat against Doncaster Knights.

Ryan Hopkins replaces Danny Porte at tight-head prop while Mike Lewis comes in for Tom Skelding at lock.

Tongan centre Sione Tu`ipulotu is expected to pass a fitness test on a knee injury and play at full back with Gary Kingdom switching to the wing. Ben Mercer will take over at outside centre whilst Keni Fisilau steps inside to wear the Number 12 jersey. Hooker James Owen (elbow) is rated as extremely doubtful.

Albion chairman of rugby Graham Dawe told The Herald,

"Sione has to come through a fitness test, but he has said he should be fit to play.James Owen is no more than 50/50."

"Sione has played at full-back before and both Keni and Ben started the season at centre – it is no major deal."

Full story.. www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/albion

Skipper Kieran Hallett has urged his team mates to rediscover winning ways tonight in the Midlands.

He said,

"I don't think it is fair to say we are in a relegation battle just yet, but we have got ourselves in a situation now where we have to get a win from somewhere.

If you look at the teams around us, they are losing as well.”

"But, obviously, last Saturday's (21-6) home defeat to Doncaster doesn't help and we have got to try and turn it around somehow. It isn't one thing we have got to change, it is a team collective. We have got to sit down and ask ourselves, 'What is going on here?"

Full story.. www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/albion

Doncaster Knights v Bristol

The Knights hope to take the increased confidence within the camp following their first win of the season at Plymouth and use it to a positive effect against Bristol.

Head coach Lynn Howells told the Doncaster Free Press,

"Getting that first win is a big monkey off our back. And I'm pleased we did it with the lads who have been playing regularly.”

"It didn't happen because we had lots of players come back into the side from injury. These boys have put in a lot of hard work and I'm delighted they got the result. It's been coming for a couple of weeks. We've been playing better each week and on Saturday we had the rub of the green for a change."

Howells is hoping not to have to field coach and former Bristol player Brett Davey despite his performance against Albion. He said,

“Brett did a great job for us and had a real calming influence on the lads. But he was only playing because we have so many injuries. We just didn't have the players - but we can't keep relying on Brett."

Full story.. www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk

Bristol full-back Luke Arscott has re-emphasised the importance of a good performance for the full eighty minutes at Castle Park.

He told the Evening Post,

“ We have been disappointed by our performances over the last few games. We put our best 40 minutes of rugby together in the second half at Cornish Pirates. We just have to be more consistent and keep hold of the ball more."

Arscott added,

“We expect them (Doncaster) to be a tough side. They went to Plymouth, which is quite a tough place to go and, although that doesn't fit in with their results, we know they are a good side because they were up there in the top four of this division last season.”

"We have looked at videos of their games and they haven't been playing too badly. They pushed Exeter close when they played them."

Full story.. www.thisisbristol.co.uk/bristolrugby

Bristol team news.. www.bristolrugby.co.uk/6435.php

Exeter Chiefs v Rotherham Titans

Exeter Chiefs will start at Sandy Park tomorrow as comfortable favourites to beat Rotherham Titans and extend their winning run in the Championship to eight games.

Head Coach Rob Baxter will once again rotate his squad for the game no doubt with one eye on the forthcoming trio of fixtures against Bedford, Nottingham and the Cornish Pirates. However he still believes there is much more to come from his side.

Baxter told the Western Morning News,

“A couple of the guys have said in meetings this week that we haven't really hit our straps at home yet.”

"I'd agree with that to a degree and I think their attitude about what they want to achieve at home, and the type of rugby they want to play, is fantastic. That said, there are going to be some tough conditions: it looks as though it is going to be a wet and windy day, and that will be a fresh challenge in itself."

Bryan Rennie, Nic Sestaret, and Tom Bedford will miss the match after picking up injuries at Birmingham last week. James Scaysbrook is also out after picking up an injury in training this week.

Former Pirates wing Matt Jess and Truro-born Josh Matavesi will feature in the match-day squad.

Full story.. www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/rugby

The Titans will travel to Sandy Park without top points scorer Johnny West in their starting line-up.

The 20 year-old fly-half has been in impressive form this season bagging 70 points but his father, Titans coach Craig West, has decided to rest him presumably with one eye on the home fixture against the Pirates next weekend.

He told the Sheffield Star,

"Jonny works really hard, is learning all the time and his kicking has been fantastic for us, but there were one or two errors in defence against Bedford last week, so we felt we needed a bit more experience in his position.

"Jonny will go to the bench and Michael Whitehead will take over at fly-half at Exeter."

The Titans have also named on-loan centre Luther Burrell in their side after receiving permission from Leeds Carnegie to do so.

Full story.. www.thestar.co.uk/rugbyunion

Moseley v London Welsh

Moseley head coach Ian Smith could be forced to field South African Andy Borgen as an emergency full-back this weekend if Reece Spee fails to recover from an ankle injury.

Borgen, a summer signing from Natal Sharks, is a fly-half by trade but the impressive form of Tristan Roberts has until now consigned him to the role of inside centre.

Smith told the Birmingham Mail,

“We’ll have to find a situation where he can play ten soon. Although it hasn’t been apparent on the pitch, he’s made a big impact since he has been here.”

“He is very energetic, a good character who is very abrasive and works hard. We have really enjoyed having him around.”

Andy Williams is back for Moseley after a damaged groin and will give Smith a headache at scrum-half where he will have to omit club captain Gareth Taylor if he is to hand the Welsh international an immediate return.

Full story.. www.birminghammail.net/

The difficulties of having so many dual-registered players are highlighted by this piece from the Birmingham Post regarding the plight of Tim Rodwell this season…

www.birminghampost.net

London Welsh team to face Moseley.. www.london-welsh.co.uk

Cornish Pirates v Birmingham & Solihull

Match preview on this site can be found here.

Western Morning News match preview.. www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk

Canadian international Stuart Ault has urged his team mates to take the Pirates on at their own game on Sunday and play expansive rugby too.

He told the Birmingham Mail,

It’s our style, it’s the one we practise and the one Russell recruited for. We have to stick to it. We have got a skilful team that chucks the ball around. That might play into their hands but them trying to do it against us plays into ours too.”

Ault continued,

“We are all really up for this challenge,” he said. “There have been a lot of positive things happen at the club and in training so everything is feeling a bit better. The boys who are here are all committed to the cause – for whatever reason – and that’s brought us together.”

Full story.. www.birminghammail.net

Nottingham v Bedford Blues

Nottingham boss Glen Delaney has admitted that his side are severely stretched as they prepare to try and extend their winning run to seven games against the Blues.

He told the Evening Post,

“ We have a lot of guys out injured at the moment, which is a bit annoying. Ian Nimmo has broken his leg, Matt Parr has a broken arm, Andrew Savage has hamstring problems, David Jackson is suffering from a bang on the neck, Charlie Haytor has had a shoulder operation and Jack Cobden has been ill.”

Delaney continued,

"It's not been good. Our back division is going to be a bit under-resourced and I'm looking at what I can do.”

"Parr has had to have plate put in his arm but we have more problems in the backs than we have in the forwards. The forwards will be OK. We will have to try to deal with it. I'm on the phone trying to see who's about.”

"It should be a good game on Sunday and it would be fantastic to win seven in a row. I'm very upbeat about the game. Injuries will happen. But sickness and injuries are out of our control. As long as we stay in charge of what we are in control. then there's no point in worrying about it."

Full story.. www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/rugby

Bedford Blues have injury problems of their own with Sacha Harding and Chris Goodman injured, whilst Brad Davies and Mark Lilley missed the trip to Rotherham through illness.

Former Cornish Pirates and short-term Bees prop Dan Seal made his debut for Bedford at Clifton Lane