I’m looking for a much better performance than last weekend,’ he explained.
‘We’re playing at home, we’ll expect a big crowd and now’s the time for the guys to stand up and be counted.
If they don’t, they won’t be playing the week after.
It’s as simple as that.’ While this time last year he had any number of centres to choose from, this year many of them have left the Island or are unavailable.
So, having played the last part of last season on the wing, captain Steve O’Brien has moved back inside.
‘We’ve got to get the best out of him,’ said Burton.
‘We need different types of firepower which is also why we’ve been looking at different patterns of play in our training sessions.
Steve gives us more options at centre.’ Also back into the fray comes Kiwi Matt Davenport-Brown, who rarely played any rugby last year, while one of the two semi-professionals at the club, Kern Yates, is out through injury.
However, his absence means that former captain Richie Griffiths plays from the start in a game which Jersey must win if they expect automatic promotion this season.
Wimbledon, a team Jersey haven’t played for several seasons, are a well organised, professional outfit – they proved that with a 58-5 win over Lewes last Saturday.
Jersey should hold them in the pack but, if they give away too many penalties, as they did last week, the visitors could well return home as winners .
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Nothing but the best will win this league match for Jersey, with the Collins Stewart-back squad lining up as follows: Marcus Nobes, Josh Chamier, Ross Kenwright, Ian Henderson, Jon Allo, Richie Griffiths, Latu Maka’afi, Paul Nayar, Darren Toudic, Ryan Morgan, Steve O’Brien, Mark White, Matt Davenport-Brown, Gareth Jeffreys.
Replacements: Peter O’Connor, Marc Peters, Steve Mee, Richard Stevens.
