Preview: Churchill Cup Final
England Saxons welcome back flanker and captain Will Skinner for the Churchill Cup Final against Scotland on Saturday.
England Saxons welcome back flanker and captain Will Skinner for the Churchill Cup Final against Scotland on Saturday.
Skinner was rested for the game against Ireland A, which the Saxons won 34-12, but returns to take his place on the openside for the final.
He takes over from London Irish's Steffon Armitage in one of four changes to the side – all of which come in the forwards.
Skinner's Harlequins team-mate Chris Robshaw comes into the side at number six with Jordan Crane packing down at number eight.
There is an enforced change at tighthead with Jack Forster coming into start, due to David Wilson being called into the senior England squad.
Forster's elevation sees Wasps prop Tom French come onto the bench, as does Leeds' Bath-bound lock Stuart Hooper, with Harlequins number eight Tom Guest not considered because of a rib injury.
Head Coach Steve Bates has chosen to leave the back-line that scored five tries in a 34-12 win over Ireland A last Saturday intact.
“Scotland will pose some significant threats,” Bates said.
“We mustn't give them a chance to get their heads in front.”
Scotland A Head Coach Rob Moffat has made five changes to the starting XV that defeated Argentina Pumas last Wednesday.
Glasgow scrum-half Colin Gregor comes into the side to form a half-back partnership with fly-half Gordon Ross, whilst Edinburgh duo Mark Robertson and Roland Reid return to the wings.
The only change in the pack sees Glasgow flanker James Eddie return to the blindside flank as Moffat anticipates a physical battle against a Saxons side in search of their fourth Churchill Cup title in six years.
“We've taken a lot of positives from the first two games. The big challenge for us now is to raise the bar of performance once again and ultimately win the Churchill Cup,” Moffat said.
“We know England are a big test for us because they're strong and powerful up front and have some game breakers behind the scrum. But whilst we respect that, we are concentrating on our own game.
“The Churchill Cup Final is a positive and exciting challenge for us and everyone connected with the Scotland A team is excited by the opportunity that lies ahead.”
The Teams:
England Saxons: 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 Ugo Monye, 13 Ollie Smith, 12 Anthony Allen, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Ryan Lamb, 9 Paul Hodgson, 8 Jordan Crane, 7 Will Skinner (c), 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 George Skivington, 4 Chris Jones, 3 Jack Forster, 2 George Chuter, 1 Alex Clarke.
Replacements: 16 Andy Titterrell, 17 Tom French, 18 Stuart Hooper, 19 Steffon Armitage, 20 Lee Dickson, 21 Adrian Jarvis, 22 Ben Foden.
Scotland A: 15 Steve Jones, 14 Mark Robertson, 13 Rob Dewey, 12 Calum MacRae, 11 Roland Reid, 10 Gordon Ross, 9 Colin Gregor, 8 Stevie Swindall, 7 Alan MacDonald, 6 James Eddie, 5 Dan Turner, 4 Fergus Pringle, 3 David Young, 2 Fergus Thomson (c), 1 Ed Kalman.
Replacements: 16 Andrew Kelly, 17 Stuart Corsar, 18 Jon Dunbar, 19 Scott Newlands, 20 Mark McMillan, 21 David Blair, 22 Jim Thompson.
Date: Saturday 21 June, 2008
Kick-off: 16:30 (local)
Venue: Toyota Park