Reuben Logan and Seb Kelly will make their first Gallagher PREM starts as Alex Sanderson makes four changes to his starting XV for Saturday’s round 17 trip to face Newcastle Red Bulls at Kingston Park (live on TNT, KO 7.45pm).
The other changes sees scrum-half Gus Warr and winger Arron Reed come into the XV in place of Raffi Quirke and Tom O’Flaherty, who take their places on a bench featuring a 5-3 split.
Academy hooker Alfie Longstaff starts again in a front row that includes Asher Opoku-Fordjour at loosehead and James Harper tighthead.
Skipper Ernst van Rhyn will partner Ben Bamber again in the second-row. With Jacques Vermeulen and Dan du Preez ruled out due to injury and Tom Curry unavailable after sustaining a concussion on England duty last week. Sam Dugdale starts at blindside flanker with Kelly at openside and Logan at number 8.
Warr starts at scrum-half with George Ford at fly-half and outside them, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White is joined in the centres by Luke James
Joe Carpenter continues at full-back and he’ll have Scotland winger Reed and Tom Roebuck either side of him on the wings.
On the bench, Academy hooker Wills Austin is joined by Academy props Patreece Bell and Ralph McEachran. Hyron Andrews and Tristan Woodman are the other forwards named as replacements as Alex opts for a 5-3 split.
Quirke, Ollie Davies and O’Flaherty make up the rest of the bench.
Starting XV:
15. Joe Carpenter, 14. Tom Roebuck, 13. Luke James, 12. Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 11. Arron Reed, 10. George Ford, 9. Gus Warr; 1. Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 2. Alfie Longstaff, 3. James Harper, 4. Ernst van Rhyn ©, 5. Ben Bamber, 6. Sam Dugdale, 7. Seb Kelly, 8. Reuben Logan.
Replacements:
16. Wills Austin, 17. Ralph McEachran, 18. Patreece Bell, 19. Hyron Andrews, 20. Tristan Woodman, 21. Raffi Quirke, 22. Ollie Davies, 23. Tom O’Flaherty.
