MACAULEY COOK will lead Jersey Reds out against Richmond following a back-row shuffle which has cost club captain Lewis Wynne his place in the starting XV.
Director of rugby Harvey Biljon has sought to keep his professional squad on their toes ahead of their latest Championship tie at St Peter, with Cardiff Blues loanee Alun Lawrence set to be offered his full debut at Wynne’s expense.
Biljon wants to see a repeat of the ‘impetus’ shown by his replacements last weekend at Ampthill, while revealing that squad rotation will continue over the next fortnight to help prepare the Reds for crucial back-to-back fixtures against Ealing and Cornish Pirates.
‘There is no doubt that Lewis Wynne is our captain and he is our leader,’ Biljon explained. ‘But, I think we have a great opportunity here, with a run of games for us to prepare for the big ones. We have Richmond, then Nottingham, then Hartpury and we want to prepare our whole squad for those games against Ealing and Pirates.’
Alex Humfrey and Tim Grey have both retained their places in the pack, while Biljon has named an almost unchanged back-line, other than a switch to James Mitchell at scrum-half.
Full preview in Friday’s JEP.
