Squad announced for Championship XV vs Maori All
Blacks. Saturday, November 17 at Doncaster RFC, k-o 1205, live on
Sky Sports HD.
Jersey's Nathan Hannay has been confirmed as a member of the RFU
Championship squad for the representative match against the New
Zealand Maori team on Saturday November 17. The game will be shown
live at JRFC - see below.
The Island skipper has earned his place following a series of
talismanic displays in the Jersey shirt this season, including an
impressive display in front of Head Coach Mike Rayer, whose Bedford
side took on Jersey at St Peter at the end of September. He is one
of three second-row players in the squad.
Nathan, 28, joined Jersey from Launceston in summer 2010 and has
played more than 40 games for Jersey, scoring four tries. Though
the Maori match takes place in the county of Nathan's birth (he was
born in Halifax, Yorkshire), he was brought up in Devon and a large
contingent are planning on travelling up from the south-west for
the game.
The match is the second of three games to be played by the Maori
on their short tour, which also includes games against Leicester
Tigers (Nov 13, lost by 34-24) and Canada (Nov 23 at Oxford
University).
The Championship XV game is being shown live on Sky Sports - and
the JRFC clubhouse will be open from 11am. The game starts at
12.05pm, and lunch of pie, chips, peas and gravy will be available
at a cost of £4. Those wanting to see some live action can watch
Jersey Athletic take on Beeches (KO 12.30pm on SP4) and later on
there will the Autumn International between England and Australia
on the big screen (KO 2.30pm).
The 23-man Championship squad is made up entirely of English
Qualified Players, drawn from all 12 Championship clubs, and
reflects the wealth of talent on offer in the RFU Championship.
Commenting on the opportunity the RFU Championship XV game
offers the players and the league as a whole, Rayer said:
"I think it's a great opportunity. Myself, [and fellow Coaches]
Ian and Diccon have been in this division for a while now, as have
a lot of the players. It's proven as a development pathway; there
are a few guys in the England squad who have passed through the RFU
Championship at some stage in some form. I'm a big supporter of the
RFU Championship and what it's done for player development."
Three former England Under 20 players have been named in the
squad, with Bedford's Josh Bassett the most recent representative.
The 20-year-old scored three tries for England in their successful
Six Nations campaign and also travelled to South Africa to compete
in the IRB Junior World Championship last June.
Leeds Carnegie pair Calum Green and Jacob Rowan also have Under
20 caps to their name with back row Rowan, 22, Carnegie's youngest
ever captain. He lay joint second in the RFU Championship
try-scoring chart with six ahead of the ninth round of fixtures
this weekend.
Also on six tries, Nottingham's Rhys Crane joins Green &
White team mates Nic Rouse and Tim Streather in the squad.
Experience comes in the form of Cornish Pirates captain and
Championship stalwart Gavin Cattle who will travel up from Penzance
with team mates Phil Burgess and Alan Paver.
"There are some guys who have done really well in the RFU
Championship and have been around this division for a number of
years" commented Rayer.
"It's important that you have that blend of more experienced
guys guiding the young enthusiastic players around the pitch.
That's exactly what I'm expecting of guys like Gavin Cattle, Nic
Rouse and Alan Paver, who are very experienced at this level.
"There are some really exciting looking backs in the squad as
well. I'm really excited by the potential centre partnership, and
what we have out wide. It's a good mix."
Backs
Luke Baldwin (Bedford Blues)
Josh Bassett (Bedford Blues)
Gavin Cattle (Cornish Pirates)
Rhys Crane (Nottingham)
Charlie Hayter (Moseley)
Dante Mama (Doncaster Knights)
Tristian Roberts (Bristol)
Jake Sharp (Bedford Blues)
Tim Streather (Nottingham)
Jack Tovey (Bristol)
Forwards
Dan Baines (Rotherham Titans)
Phil Burgess (Cornish Pirates)
Tom Davies (Doncaster Knights)
Calum Green (Leeds Carnegie)
Nathan Hannay (Jersey)
Mark Irish (London Scottish)
Richard Mayhew (Newcastle Falcons)
Alan Paver (Cornish Pirates)
Ben Pienaar (Moseley)
Nic Rouse (Nottingham)
Jacob Rowan (Leeds Carnegie)
Oliver Tomaszczyk (Newcastle Falcons)
Jon Vickers (Plymouth Albion)
Head Coach: Mike Rayer (Bedford Blues)
Assistant Coaches: Ian Davies (Cornish Pirates) and
Diccon Edwards (Leeds Carnegie)
