Green & Whites ready for potential Premiership play off
Feb
THE final game of the first phase of the Championship takes Glenn Delaney’s men south as the Green and Whites put themselves to the test against a potential Premiership play-off adversary.
Nottingham are already cemented into 5th place and know that next-month’s schedule will offer some of the biggest tests of the season as each side battles for crucial points.
Tomorrow’s game will see Glenn Delaney unleash a strong line-up against the Welsh, with the bulk of his stars without injuries after strategic squad rotation earlier in the month due to a fixture pile-up.
Ben Buxton steps into the front row alongside the familiar faces of Tom Youngs and Martin Halsall in what promises to be a powerful combination for the Green and Whites.
The team is captained by Craig Hammond, who notched up his 250th Nottingham career appearance against Worcester Warriors, and continues to play at lock alongside Ian Kench.
The back row sees Phil Eggleshaw step into Hammond’s usual position, while Luke Sherriff and 22-year-old Tongan giant Sione Kalamafoni complete an experienced Nottingham pack.
Championship leading kicker James Arlidge returns to fly-half and is 2 short of smashing home 50 penalties in his Nottingham league Career. He plays alongside usual scrum-half partner Tim Usasz, who himself is only one try short of 10 tries in his Nottingham tenure.
The Nottingham back line will be looking to continue their season-long high-scoring run, with Cesar Sempere and Andy Savage making a speedy wing pairing, while Junior Sifa and Tim Streather will form a strong centre partnership ahead of full back David Jackson.
Nottingham Director of Rugby Glenn Delaney said: “London Welsh are a very strong side and they will offer us a great challenge as we look to progress this season.
“At home they have a very strong record but we know we can battle well on the road and do our best to put in a momentum building performance.”
The Green and Whites side to take on London Welsh tomorrow:
1. Ben Buxton, 2. Tom Youngs, 3. Martin Halsall, 4. Ian Kench, 5. Craig Hammond, 6. Phil Eggleshaw, 7. Luke Sherriff, 8. Sione Kalamafoni, 9. Tim Usasz, 10. James Arlidge, 11. Cesar Sempere, 12. Junior Sifa, 13. Tim Streather, 14. Andy Savage, 15. David Jackson. Rep: Finlay Barnham, Jack Cobden, Don Blake, Tom French, Jimmy Stevens, Alex Shaw, Jonny Baird.
