For a variety of reasons, including holidays and injury, the team which faces Effingham looks nothing like the side which lost so badly to Tottonians two weeks ago.With two of the 1st XV hookers off the Island and the third, Doc Snook, waiting for an operation on a damaged knee, in comes 18-year-old Josh Chamier for his first game at this level in the front row.In the back row 17-year-old Nick Trower makes his debut at blind side flanker while in the threes young Ross Allan switches from wing to full-back to free Mark White to play at stand-off.Steve O’Brien moves from the threes to open side flanker and the veteran Ian Troy forms a new centre partnership with Arnou Helmholt-Kneisel.On one wing is Mark Le Mottée and on the other Nick Mindenhall.
‘There are probably more Jersey-born players in the team than for a long time,’ said coach, Dai Burton.
‘I’ve had to make changes, but I’ve seen both Nick and Josh play, I’ve asked about them and they deserve their place in the team.
They won’t let me down.’As Jersey go to Effingham, who’ve won their last three games and a side which slipped out of Division II at the end of last season, Burton is keen that his side start playing a more expansive style of rugby.’We’ve won all our own ball in the scrum this year; we win about 80 per cent of our own line-out ball and 30 per cent of the opposition, so I want us to play a risk attack formation,’ he said.’Ross will come in on the wing in attack and go back to full-back to defend.
We’ll aim for a three-phase attack and use our runners.
I just wish at times some of the team showed more aggression, Hendo (Ian Henderson) makes big hits, but I’d like more of that from the rest of the side.
At times we lack the killer instinct, to really intimidate the opposition.’If Jersey had turned the amount of possession they have had this season into points they would be at the top of the division.
Instead, they’re half-way, and could either go up .
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or down.However, despite all of the setbacks he’s had – which includes a dozen players making themselves unavailable for this weekend – Burton is surprisingly upbeat.He, and fellow coaches Ian Anderson and Guy Hinks, spent two days with the coaching staff of London Irish and Richmond last week, where the three of them came away reassured that what Jersey does in training, the two London sides do in training.The one hidden ingredient, however, might be for them to be just that little bit more daring.Win or lose tomorrow, Jersey will show more adventure than they have in recent games, even though they know that Effingham won’t be push-overs.’It will be a tough game,’ Burton said.
‘You can be assured of that.’Team: Jon Brennan, Josh Chamier, Marcus Nobes, Danny McAlister, Roger Quirk, Nick Trower, Ian Henderson, Steve O’Brien, Paul Nayar, Mark White, Mark Le Mottée, Ian Troy, Arnou Helmholt-Kneisel, Nick Mindenhall, Ross Allan.
Replacements: Ken More, Phil Walker.
