Gavin Coombes looks set for big welcome from West Cork fans
Club President Ricky O’Sullivan noted the presence of Dunmanway’s Darren Sweetnam in a similar match three years ago helped swell the attendance to near 1,500 and he hopes for large West Cork crowd tonight.
O’Sullivan reasoned: “We’re delighted to be hosting this fixture, it’s good for rugby throughout the province that clubs such as ourselves get to host these games and it’s even better when you see a player from the area chosen.”
Head Coach Peter Malone has made six changes from the team that recorded a third bonus point win in succession away to the same opponents last week. Stephen Archer is introduced at tight-head with Brian Scott switching to the loose. There’s a new-look second row with senior players John Madigan and Darren O’Shea named, while the academy’s Conor Oliver starts at openside with Bandon Grammar graduate Coombes moving to eight. The two changes to the backline see academy player Stephen Fitzgerald start on the wing and Cian Bohane takes the place of the injured Sam Arnold in midfield.
In the replacements, Cork Con’s Alex McHenry and Young Munster’s Alan Tynan are included in the squad for the first time.
Doncaster have selected former Munster players Sean Scanlon and Dec Cusack in the match-day 22. Scanlon will start at full back with Cusack one of two backline replacements in the seven additional players. There is also some Irish influence on the Nottingham side to play Leinster A at the Bay tonight (7.30pm). Head coach is former Munster coach Ian Costello who has named both Jordan Coghlan (formerly Leinster) and ex-Munster player Shane Buckley in the back row.
D Johnston; C Nash, D Goggin, C Bohane (capt), S Fitzgerald; Te Aihe Toma, J Poland; B Scott, K O’Byrne, S Archer; J Madigan, D O’Shea; D O’Callaghan, C Oliver, G Coombes.
V O’Brien, L O’Connor, R Burke, F Wycherley, J Foley, A McHenry, A Tynan.
S Scanlon, D Flockhart, A Bulumakau, L Hayes, T Lewis, S Humberstone, B White, R List, H Allen, C Quigley, M Challinor, D Nolan, L Makaafi, W Owen, J Williams.
J Bergmanas, D Nelson, W John, G. Kenworth, J Ram, D Cusack, S Edgerley.
J Stephenson, J Cobden, O Evans, V Hakalo, C Hall, S Olver, D Veenendaal; K Davies, TJ Harris, B Hooper, T Freeman, M Eames, B Morris (capt), J Coghlan, S Buckley.
Replacements. B Brownlie, T West, T Heard, J Poullet, M Everard, J Nash, L Rayner.
B Dardis, H Keenan, J O’Brien, T Daly, B Daly, C Marsh, N McCarthy, A Porter, B Byrne, O Heffernan, D O’Connor, I Nagle, P Timmins (captain), D Ryan, M Deegan.
S McNulty, E Byrne, J Loughman, D Aspil, J Power, C Frawley, J Larmour.
