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TEAM NEWS | Seven changes for Ealing encounter
Mike Rayer has named his squad as Bedford Blues look to spring an upset on the Championship’s league leaders, Ealing Trailfinders tomorrow in the capital (KO 3pm).
Tickets can be purchased directly from our hosts, click here to join us at Trailfinders Sports Club.
Blues will go in search of a first victory away at Ealing since October 2015 when a late Steffan Jones penalty secured the spoils that day and will be looking to return to winning ways after a tough few weeks since the turn of the year.
One of the club’s oldest fixtures since a first meeting in 1891, Blues will need a strong performance this time around against an Ealing side that have tasted defeat on home soil just once in the past three years within regular season Championship fixtures.
For the 25th meeting between the sides, Rayer makes a total of seven changes including a completely different front-row from last weekend’s battle with Doncaster. Jack Hughes will pack down between the returning Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi and Corrie Barrett.
Having recovered from injury to feature from the bench last weekend, Jordan Onojaife is able to start in the second row against his former side, while Ollie Newman and Oli Stedman return in the back row.
In the backs division, there is just one change as Joel Matavesi is picked from the start for the first time at inside centre, with Jamie Elliott reverting back to his more familiar position at 13 to accommodate Matavesi’s inclusion.
Among the replacements, Dani Long-Martinez is in line for his competitive Blues debut having previously featured for the club in pre-season over the last two campaigns.
Andre Robson misses out due to his Head Injury Assessment protocols and joins Will Maisey, Josh Pieterse and Will Biggs on the treatment table.
Bedford Blues Starting XV:
15. Rich Lane (C), 14. Matt Worley, 13. Jamie Elliott, 12. Joel Matavesi, 11. Dean Adamson, Louis Grimoldby, Connor Tupai; 1. Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi, 2. Jack Hughes, 3. Corrie Barrett, 4. Robin Williams, 5. Jordan Onojaife, 6. Bailey Ransom, 7. Ollie Newman, 8. Oli Stedman
Bedford Blues Replacements:
16. Jacob Fields, 17. Joey Conway, 18. Ed Prowse, 19. Luke Frost, 20. Tui Uru, 21. Joe Atkinson, 22. Alex Day, 23. Dani Long-Martinez
