Bournville have reshuffled their side for Saturday’s crunch National Two West match against Exeter University at Avery Fields (2.30pm).
Assistant Coach Alex Grove will be in charge of the team following the midweek departure of Head Coach Matt Price and he has made two changes of personnel and four positional for the visit of the students.
The two changes are in the pack where Nick Murphy and Jake Bailey come into the starting XV.
Murphy was due to start in last Saturday’s defeat at Hinckley but had to settle for a place on the bench after he suffered a tyre blow-out on the M54 near Wolverhampton. He will hope for a less stressful afternoon this weekend.
Murphy replaces Harry Dawson in the second row with Bailey called up at hooker which allows Clarkson McLeod to move across the front row to loosehead prop in place of James Burgoyne.
Kieran Henderson and Louis Mifsud switch places on either side of the flanks.
In the back division, Rob Knox moved to full-back in a swap with Joe Jenkins who will partner Joe Nellany in the centre this week.
Hooker James Weaver returns to the squad as a replacement having recovered from the rib injury which ruled him out last week.
Fly-half James Mann also returns to the matchday squad as a replacement.
The Exeter match is the first of six that will determine whether Bourns will still be playing National Leagues rugby next season.
A run of 11 defeats in their last 12 games has seen Bournville slip into the bottom two and they are currently four points adrift of Macclesfield in 12th place.
Exeter are one place above Macclesfield and eight points clear of Bournville and also need to pick up points to stay there.
Last season Exeter finished fifth in the table but they have less consistent in the current campaign although they did beat Loughborough Students, who defeated them in last year’s BUCS Super Rugby final, in a National Two West match last month.
The BUCS competition remains a focus for both of the university sides and Exeter have some catching up to do if they are to make the final again as they are currently a mid-table fifth with Loughborough clear at the top.
Bournville were 34-31 winners when Exeter visited Avery Fields last season but the students triumphed 52-36 in December 2022. Bournville’s two visits to Exeter – the most recent in November – have ended in defeats.
Bournville | 15 Rob Knox; 14 Alex Evans, 13 Joe Jenkins, 12 Joe Nellany, 11 Nathan Decalmer; 10 Jacob Fewtrell, 9 Reiss Price; 1 Clarkson McLeod, 2 Jake Bailey, 3 Stef Thorp, 4 Nick Murphy, 5 Ben Meakin (C), 6 Kieran Henderson, 7 Louis Mifsud, 8 Jonjo Fanning.
Replacements | 16 James Weaver, 17 James Burgoyne, 18 Harry Dawson, 19 Freddie Morgan, 20 James Mann.
*Bournville Blues head to Hereford IIs for a Counties Three Midlands West (South) match (3pm).
Sam Grimshaw, who came off the bench for the first team at Hinckley, will start for the Blues this week with Mikey Ho returning to action at full-back.
The Blues are fourth in the table, seven points behind leaders Upton on Severn, but just three behind second-placed Woodrush and two behind Cleobury Mortimer in third.
But the Blues have two games in hand on Cleobury and one on Woodrush who they face at Avery Fields on Friday April 4.
Before then the Blues face a potential promotion decider at Upton on Severn on March 22.
Bournville Blues | 15 Mikey Ho; 14 Niall Demel, 13 Sam Grimshaw, 12 Matt Serrell-Cooke, 11 Liam Turner; 10 Alex Warner, 9 George Ayliffe; 1 Scott Rudge, 2 Conor Thorneycroft, 3 Kuba Kijak, 4 Sam Beckford, 5 Harry Belcher, 6 Bhairaj Rai (C), 7 Eddie Wiggins, 8 Ben Harper.
Replacements | 16 Sean Kimberley, 17 Jamie Avery, 18 Luka Rajkovic, 19 Chris Crutchley, 20 Jack Mitchell.
