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Worcester change entire XV for Wasps, handing 3 youngsters their Premiership debuts
By Online Editors
Worcester have handed debuts to three youngsters for their Friday night Gallagher Premiership trip to Wasps, with the possibility of four more players making their competition debut from the bench at the Ricoh Arena.
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Beaten comprehensively by Gloucester when the 2019/20 league season recommenced last weekend, the Warriors’ reshuffle will see wing Noah Heward, who is still in the senior academy, get his first taste of the Premiership, with scrum-half Gareth Simpson and lock James Scott, who recently graduated to the senior squad at Sixways, also making their competition debuts.
There are four more potential Premiership debutants among the Worcester replacements in former Oxford University tighthead prop Joe Morris, lock Justin Clegg, former Saracens centre Oli Morris – another current senior academy member – and back row forward Caleb Montgomery.
None of the side who started against Gloucester will be involved against Wasps but Scotland internationals Duncan Weir and Cornell du Preez, South Africa centre Francois Venter, hooker Beck Cutting, tighthead prop Richard Palframan and back row forward GJ van Velze will all start after coming off the bench last weekend.
Chris Pennell replaces the suspended Melani Nanai at full-back and loosehead prop Callum Black returns to action for the first time since he sustained a foot injury at Saracens in early January.
He's no household name but the story of @AlexRieder1 is a compelling insight into hardships inflicted by the sport: shattered limbs, dependence on painkillers and an onerous mental health battle that preyed on vulnerabilities
– he talks to @heagneyl ???https://t.co/orpMtJLZH5
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 19, 2020
Lee Blackett, meanwhile, will give first Wasps starts to Ben Vellacott and Ryan Mills, the pair who came off the bench to make their debuts in last Sunday’s win over Northampton Saints.
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There are two potential Premiership debutants in the 23, as Alfie Barbeary and Theo Vukasinovic are named among the replacements.
WASPS: 15. Rob Miller; 14. Paolo Odogwu, 13. Michael Le Bourgeois, 12. Ryan Mills, 11. Marcus Watson; 10. Lima Sopoaga, Ben Vellacott; 1. Simon McIntyre, 2. Tom Cruse, 3. Biyi Alo, 4. Tim Cardall, 5. James Gaskell (capt), 6. Ben Morris, 7. Gabriel Oghre, 8. Tom Willis. Reps: 16. Alfie Barbeary, 17. Tom West, 18. Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 19. Theo Vukasinovic, 20. Sione Vailanu, 21. Sam Wolstenholme, 22. Jacob Umaga, 23. Matteo Minozzi.
WORCESTER: 15. Chris Pennell; 14. Noah Heward, 13. Francois Venter, 12. Will Butler (capt), 11. Nick David; 10. Duncan Weir, 9. Gareth Simpson; 1. Callum Black, 2. Beck Cutting, 3. Richard Palframan, 4. James Scott, 5. Andrew Kitchener, 6. GJ van Velze, 7. Tom Dodd, 8. Cornell du Preez. Reps: 16. Isaac Miller, 17. Lewis Holsey, 18. Joe Morris, 19. Justin Clegg, 20 Caleb. Montgomery, 21. Jono Kitto, 22. Jamie Shillcock, 23. Oli Morris.
"He gives us that big physical edge and we don’t want to tweak him too much"
– Wasps boss Lee Blackett is still singing the praises of hard-hitting Malakai Fekitoa despite his one-game ban for a series of yellow cards, reports @heagneyl ???https://t.co/wI9beyY9Gz
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 19, 2020
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Merci Shawn,
Go to commentsThe All Blacks and their continued success basically fund the entire game here. In countries with much bigger economies and larger rugby audiences they can push players more knowing that irrespective of rep or club teams success the size of their economy means that they will always get decent crowd buy in and hides the fact that it is the game itself that is deterring crowd attendance here in NZ. It seems that NZRU have made the decision that the All Blacks, rightly, must be kept in the best position to win to secure the future of the game here possibly, as some have opinioned, at the expense of super rugby. In my view they have to do this because they know that the local game cannot financially stand on its own and frankly as a live spectacle more often than not the games are a done deal before kick off. There are too many rules and too many opportunities for referees and TMO s to stop the game. Too often live crowds are sitting watching nothing. Who wants to watch hookers scoring more tries than wingers? Until the game is, for example, rid of legalised obstruction at the rolling maul which seems to be the aim for every pro team and the game is played wider with no fear of playing with the ball in your half in case the ref spots some minor technical indiscretion, teams will continue to scrum for a penalty, kick for the corner and rolling maul it. Who wants to watch that? That is why no one is going to games - because the viewing experience is rubbish irrespective of whether a couple of All Blacks are playing or not. The NZRU need to get their big boy pants on and do something about the rules.
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