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Team announcement for Saturday delayed

Team announcement for Saturday delayed

Natalie Davidson18 Dec 2014 - 19:50
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One man does not make a team and certainly not a rugby one, but the return of Malcolm Barnes at scrum half is just the fillip the club needed ...

The perfect Christmas present you could say.

On Saturday, the lads travel to East Grinstead and for anyone who has not glimpsed the National Three London & SE league table of late, the bad news is that they are up near the top and challenging for promotion.

It won't be easy with or without that man Barnes at 9.

The good news is that Sam Whitehead has recovered sufficiently from the knee injury he collected in the stirring win over Tonbridge last weekend, to play this weekend.

But the disappointing news is that with one or two other problems still around coach Jordan Reynolds is not yet able to name a starting XV.

That may or may not be resolved as you read this and the team will be announced ASAP, but the only other likely major change will see big Simi Sawene switch from No. 8 and reverting to lock.

Nick Merrien will be the latest to get a chance at eight and if the forwards can do their business there is every hope that our electric backs from New Zealand, plus our own indomitable and vastly under-rated Jason Batiste, will cause a heap of problems.

The coach is excited by the potential of his backline, now that Barnes is back to orchestrate things.

Looking back to the win over 'TJs' the coach said the width of the passing was top notch and right across the backs they all responded so positively to having back the man previously so cursed by injury.

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