TEAM NEWS: 1st XV v Nottingham, 03/02/2024

Ampthill welcome Nottingham Rugby to The Olney Field on Saturday afternoon in the first home fixture of 2024 after the postponement of the Ealing game last month.

This will be third meeting between the two sides this season – the Mob won a preseason friendly 17-7 before the Archers won at The Lady Bay in October 41-28 in “a game we could’ve won”.

Head Coach Paul Turner makes five changes to the matchday twenty-three that lost at Hartpury last Saturday “despite scoring five tries away from home”.  Samson Adejimi returns at hooker for his first game in 2024 and is supported by Dom Hardman at loosehead and James Johnston at tighthead. Johnston makes his Mob debut after signing from Lyon last summer. Joe Peard and Kaden Pearce-Paul continue their partnership in the engine room whilst Ollie Stonham returns to the back row on the blindside, with Josh Smart continuing on openside and club captain Morgan Strong packing down at eight.

Turner makes two changes in the backs with fly-half Gwyn Parks and inside centre Fraser Strachan both returning to the starting fifteen. Turner picks an unchanged back line of Harris, Elliot and Bacon who have contributed five tries in the last two games and will again look to get the Mob on the front foot.

Following a final training session last night, Turner said “Last Saturday’s result is one to forget. Despite scoring 5 tries away from home – it was another game we could easily have won. We’ve all had a good look at ourselves this week as we’ve prepared for Nottingham who are dangerous opponents. This is a massive game for us.”

Starting XV:

  1. Tom Bacon 14. Tobias Elliot 13. Brandon Jackson 12. Fraser Strachan 11. Ben Harris 10. Gwyn Parks 9. Pete White 1. Dom Hardman 2. Samson Adejimi 3. James Johnston 4. Joe Peard 5. Kaden Pearce-Paul 6. Ollie Stonham 7. Josh Smart 8. Morgan Strong (c)

Replacements:

  1. Beck Cutting 17. Jasper McGuire 18. Harvey Beaton 19. Izzy Moore-Aiono 20. Syd Blackmore 21. Charlie Bracken 22. Josh Barton 23. Francis Moore

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