RaboDirect PRO12 Round 18 Previews

Posted on Mar 19, 2013 in RaboDirect Pro12

With just five rounds left to decide which teams will contest the Play-Offs, there is a new leader of the RaboDirect PRO12  with Glasgow Warriors  taking over the mantle from Ulster, whilst  for the fourth round in succession, Ospreys swapped places with Scarlets in the Play-Off Zone.

Three of those teams are in action on Friday night; Ulster traveling to Edinburgh, Ospreys hosting Welsh rivals Newport Gwent Dragons, and Scarlets in Italy to face Zebre.

Edinburgh can do their Scottish neighbours, Warriors, a favour if they can defeat Ulster however their record against the Ulstermen is not great. Meanwhile Ospreys and Scarlets must both be looking to come away with maximum points from opponents who are sitting at the wrong end of the table in their bids to reach the Play-Offs.

The leaders, Glasgow Warriors, are not in action until Saturday, and are the only one of the potential Play-Off teams to face another side from the top half of the table when the visit Leinster at the RDS.  Munster will also be looking for maximum points in the All-Irish clash against Connacht if they are to make a final push for the knockout stages.

With just two points separating the top three teams in the table, whilst it is even closer for the final Play-Off spot, there is definitely all to play for still as the RaboDirect PRO12 enters its closing stages.

London Scottish make 7 changes to starting lineup vs Gala

Posted on Jan 18, 2013 in British and Irish Cup, London Scottish

London Scottish have made seven changes to the starting XV for their final Pool 6 British and Irish Cup match against Gala at the Richmond Athletic Ground this Saturday (KO 2pm).

With the defeat to Moseley last Friday night meaning that Scottish can no longer progress from the group, Director of Rugby Simon Amor has decided to bring new faces into the side, whilst still selecting a strong starting XV.

Dave McCall returns to the wing, allowing Oli Grove to return to his customary outside centre position where he will partner PJ Gidlow. There’s also a change to the half back pairing as Dan Mugford is given the nod, with Phil Godman moving to the replacements bench.

Scottish have opted for a completely new front row from the Moseley game with Mark Irish, Harry Allen and Alex Mackenzie replacing Nic Mayhew, Adam Kwasnicki and Colin Quigley. And Ben Russell and Lewis Calder are named at blindside and openside flanker respectively, joining Mark Bright in the back row.

New recruit Eric Fry is in line to make his first appearance in a London Scottish shirt as he is named on a bench that also includes hooker Craig McGrath, prop Nic Mayhew and lock Alex Karonias. Richard Bolt and Andy Reay join Godman as the three replacements backs as Scottish opt for a four-three split in forwards and backs.

Simon Amor: “This is an opportunity for us to regain some winning momentum that we can take with us into the Championship fixtures to come. Gala are an exceptionally talented side. They are strong up front with a very powerful scrum and have some excellent backs and will present us with a very difficult  test.”

London Scottish side to face Gala at the Richmond Athletic Ground on Saturday 19th January (KO 2pm):

15 Jim Thompson; 14 James Love, 13 Oli Grove, 12 PJ Gidlow, 11 Dave McCall; 10 Dan Mugford, 9 Jamie Stevenson; 1 Mark Irish, 2 Harry Allen, 3 Alex Mackenzie; 4 Paul Spivey, 5 Tyler Hotson; 6 Ben Russell, 7 Lewis Calder, 8 Mark Bright (c).

Replacements:

16 Nic Mayhew, 17 Craig McGrath, 18 Eric Fry, 19 Alex Karonias, 20 Richard Bolt, 21 Phil Godman, 22 Andy Reay

Scottish make three changes to team facing Moseley

Posted on Jan 10, 2013 in London Scottish

Director of Rugby Simon Amor makes three changes to the starting XV for Friday night’s B&I Cup clash at Moseley.

PJ Gidlow is restored at inside centre, with former Moseley captain Andy Reay moving to 13 and Oli Grove deployed on the left wing. Scrum half Jamie Stevenson is once again given the chance to impress following his man of the match performance against Bedford.

In the pack, Joe Trayfoot is given the nod at blindside flanker, with Chevvy Pennycook switching to the openside. Josh Thomas-Brown is selected alongside Paul Spivey in the second row.

There is a strong replacements bench with Mark Irish, Tyler Hotson and Lewis Calder ready to be called upon. Scottish have opted for a five-two split of forwards and backs.

London Scottish side to face Moseley at Billesley Common on Friday 11th January:

15. Jim Thompson; 14. James Love, 13. Andy Reay, 12. PJ Gidlow, 11. Oli Grove; 10. Phil Godman, 9. Jamie Stevenson; 1. Nic Mayhew, 2. Adam Kwasnicki, 3. Colin Quigley; 4. Paul Spivey, 5. Josh Thomas-Brown; 6. Joe Trayfoot, 7. Chevvy Pennycook, 8. Mark Bright

Replacements: 16. Mark Irish, 17. Harry Allen, 18. Alex Mackenzie, 19. Tyler Hotson, 20. Lewis Calder, 21. Richard Bolt, 22. Dan Mugford

Moseley Expect Third Close Encounter

Posted on Jan 10, 2013 in Moseley

B & I Cup Moseley v London Scottish

Friday 11th January 2013 KO 7.30 pm

After a heartening win last week in the League against Jersey, Moseley hope to continue in the same style against London Scottish in their Pool 6 B&I Cup encounter tomorrow evening. This is a key match for both teams, with Scottish needing to win in order to retain a chance of qualifying for the knock-out stages, and Moseley hoping to cement their place at the top of the table.

The sides have already played each other twice this season, with honours shared. Both matches were played at Richmond Athletic Ground and were very tight affairs, Scottish winning more recently in the RFU Championship whilst the Birmingham side came back miraculously from a twenty point deficit in the Cup.

Although Moseley have made a number of changes to the side which beat Jersey, Head Coach Kevin Maggs expects the game to be another close encounter. "The players from both sides will enjoy the atmosphere under floodlights on a Friday night, and this should make for an excellent spectacle for both sets of supporters" he said.

Starting XV : 1. Ethan WALLER; 2. Adam CAVES; 3. Ben EVANS; 4. Tom HICKS; 5. Addison LOCKLEY; 6. Neil MASON; 7. Olly ROBINSON; 8. Ben PIENAAR; 9. Sam BROWN; 10. Glynn HUGHES; 11. Simon HUNT; 12. Charlie HAYTER; 13. Greg KING; 14. Brad HUNT; 15 Billy ROBINSON.

Replacements : 16. Sam Wilkes; 17. Stefan THORP; 18. Danny HERRIOTT; 19. Buster LAWRENCE; 20. Mike POWELL; 21. Anthony CARTER; 22. Oliver THOMAS.

Moseley Expect a Hot Reception

Posted on Oct 19, 2012 in Moseley

Moseley travel south for this second round game in the British and Irish Cup against old rivals London Scottish. After a fairly comfortable victory at home against Llanelli last week, Coaches Kevin Maggs and Dave Hilton have again rung the changes as they attempt to keep their squad as fresh as possible for what will be a big month of matches in the League.

Last season these sides faced each other twice in the regular season, and twice more in the bottom four play-off matches, with all matches decided by home advantage. There is extra spice added to this year’s matches as four of Moseley’s starting line-up from last season have made the journey to the capital to join the Exiles set-up.

Maggs expects a hot reception at Richmond Athletic Ground. “We want to continue this week where we left off against Llanelli”, he said. “After their narrow defeat last week, I expect Scottish will be all-out to turn us over and we will surely have to match fire with fire”.

London Scottish v Moseley

Saturday 20th October, 3.00pm kick off at Richmond Athletic Ground

Moseley Starting 15: 01. Steffan THORPE; 02.Adam CAVES; 03. Craig VOISEY; 04. Buster LAWRENCE; 05.Liam MATHER; 06.Neil MASON; 07. Oliver ROBINSON; 08.Ben PIENAAR; 09. Sam BROWN; 10. Brad DAVIES; 11 Brad HUNT; 12.Anthony CARTER; 13. Simon HUNT; 14. Oliver THOMAS; 15. Billy ROBINSON

Replacements: 16.Sam WILKES;17. David HILTON; 18.Addison LOCKLEY; 19. Nigel BURROWS; 20. Ben PONS; 21.Dave BRAZIER; 22. Glynn HUGHES