For the second time in six weeks, Jersey Reds head to the north-east in a bid to unseat high-flying Newcastle Falcons.
The Falcons have yet to lose since being relegated from the Premiership last May, sitting on top of both the Greene King IPA Championship and pool 2 of the Championship Cup courtesy of 11 straight wins.
Two of the Geordies’ victories have been against Jersey – by 8-21 on the Island in the opening round of the cup, and by 42-19 in a league encounter at Kingston Park at the start of November.
While the Falcons have already sealed top spot in the cup pool, the Reds will be seeking to gain a first win in five attempts in this fixture and give themselves a shot at claiming the best runner-up spot in the cup rankings, thereby earning a home quarter-final.
Director of Rugby Harvey Biljon has again rung the changes to his squad, with seven changes to the starting XV from the line-up that began last weekend’s 33-20 home win over Hartpury.
A new half-back pairing sees Aaron Penberthy partner Liam Howley, the latter having recovered from injury to make his first appearance since the pre-season match against the Scarlets. And Leroy Van Dam, himself recently back from injury, comes in at left wing for the injured Brendan Owen.
There are four changes in the pack: Nic Dolly comes in at hooker, Rory Bartle starts in the second row and in the back row Kyle Hatherell and Janco Venter return to the fray, with Namibian international Venter skippering the side for the first time.
On their return from Newcastle, the Reds will prepare for a return to Championship action in the final match of 2019, when London Scottish are the visitors for a Christmas cracker of a fixture on Saturday December 21st. Kick-off at Stade Santander International will be at 2pm.
Jersey Reds 1st XV squad v Newcastle Falcons (A) – Championship Cup Pool 2, Round 6/6, Kingston Park, Saturday December 14th 2019, k-o 2pm
Backs (15-9)
Auguy Slowik
Alex Morgan
James Newey
Rodney Iona
Leroy Van Dam
Aaron Penberthy
Liam Howley
Forwards (1-8)
James Wayland
Nic Dolly
Leeroy Atalifo
Liam Hallam-Eames
Rory Bartle
Kyle Hatherell
Jake Upfield
Janco Venter (capt)
Replacements (16-23)
TJ Harris, Harry Morley, Alec Clarey, Conor Joyce, Max Argyle; Will Homer, Greg Dyer, Jack Stapley
