Magners League Official Website : Bates selects fresh back-row for Euro clash

Bates selects fresh back-row for Euro clash

14 December 2005, 1:24 pm

By Jonathan McConnell

Border Reivers’ head coach Steve Bates has made ten changes, two positional, to this weekend’s team to play CA Brive-Correze in the fourth round of the European Challenge Cup.

Captain Paul Thomson returns to the front row along with Steve Scott who is promoted from the bench.

An entirely new back-row is listed with John Dalziel coming from last week’s bench along with Scott Gray and Semo Sititi who return to the starting line-up. Locks Opeta Palepoi and Scott MacLeod swap shirts from last week’s win.

In the back division, Stephen Cranston is on the left wing and Charlie Hore and Calum MacRae are also promoted from last week’s bench.

Bates said: “After this weekend, we will have a good bunch of players that are match-hardened. We are trying to achieve a brand of play that supporters can expect from the Reivers,” he added.

Border Reivers team:
15 Calum MacRae; 14 Simon Danielli, 13 Ben MacDougall, 12 Charlie Hore, 11 Stephen Cranston; 10 Gregor Townsend, 9 Brendan McKerchar; 1 Paul Thomson (CAPTAIN), 2 Steve Scott, 3 Bruce Douglas; 4 Opeta Palepoi, 5 Scott MacLeod; 6 John Dalziel, 8 Semo Sititi, 7 Scott Gray

Substitutes:16 Ross Ford, 17 Tom McGee, 18 Mark Blair, 19 Kelly Brown, 20 Jonny Weston, 21 Nikki Walker, 22 Stuart Moffat