Northampton Wanderers begin their defence of the Premiership Rugby Shield on Monday evening away to rivals Leicester Tigers A.
The Premiership Rugby Shield, as it is now known, is what the A League was in previous years. The twelve Premiership clubs are involved, split into two conferences, North and South.
This year one game per round will be shown live on FreeSports, with Saracens Storm v Exeter Braves this weeks offering (7.45pm kick off), a move which should help to raise the profile of the tournament, and also to stave off the wave of cancellations that we saw last year.
More importantly though it will give viewers a chance to see some of the most exciting young players around playing live. As in previous years, teams will load their sides with Academy players, and in some cases with players still at school. For instance Solihull’s Noah Heward starts at full back for Worcester Cavaliers this evening against Newcastle Falcons A, who in turn have Gosforth Academy’s Ethan Clarke on the bench.
Elsewhere the sides are bursting with some of the very best players from last year’s school season, among them Cameron Jordan for Leicester Tigers A, Ollie Sleightholme for Northampton Wanderers, Sam Spink for Wasps A, Kieran Wilkinson among a host for Sale Jets, Hugh Tizard for Harlequins, Reece Dunn for Gloucester United, Cameron Boon for Saracens Storm, and Sam Maunder for Blundell’s to name but a few.
There a five fixtures this evening, however the action actually kicked off on Friday in a curtain raiser to the opening Gallagher Premiership fixture as Bristol United beat Bath United 30-21. Bath named an exciting side with plenty of youthful Premiership experience, but much like in the senior fixture, the Premiership new boys, led by openside Jake Heenan, took the spoils.
It looks set to be an exciting year of rugby in the Premiership Rugby Shield, a chance to see the stars of the future in action, and with a game a week live on TV, a chance for even more people to experience it.
Premiership Rugby Shield Round 1 Fixtures & Results:
Friday
Bristol United 30-21 Bath United (South)
Monday
Leicester Tigers A v Northampton Wanderers (North)
Wasps A v Sale Jets (North)
Worcester Cavaliers v Newcastle Falcons A (North)
Harlequins A v Gloucester United (South)
Saracens Storm v Exeter Braves (Live on FreeSports, 7.45pm kick off) (South)
Team Sheets:
Bristol United:
- Jack Tovey, 14 Matt Welsh, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 Sam Bedlow, 11 Tom Pincus, 10 Tiff Eden, 9 Harry Randall, 1 Jordan Lay, 2 Tom Lindsay, 3 Lewis Thiede, 4 Joe Joyce, 5 Ehize Ehizode, 6 Sam Graham, 7 Jake Heenan (c), 8 Nick Haining.
Replacements: 16 Will Capon, 17 Tom Rowland, 18 Ollie Dawe, 19 Joe Batley 20 Nick Fenton-Wells, 21 Reiss Cullen, 22 Jack Bates, 23 Ioan Lloyd.
Bath United:
15 Darren Atkins, 14 Levi Davies, 13 Max Wright, 12 Max Clark, 11 Ruaridh McConnochie, 10 Tom De Glanville, 9 Alex Davies, 1 Arthur Cordwell, 2 Michael van Vuuren, 3 Sam Nixon, 4 Levi Douglas, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Tom Ellis, 7 Josh Bayliss (c), 8 Miles Reid.
Replacements: 16 Tom Doughty, 17 Geraud Clermont, 18 Kieran Verden, 19 Rhys Davies, 20 Paul Grant, 21 Jack Davies, 22 Will Butt, 23 Will Partington.
Leicester Tigers A:
15 Sam Aspland-Robinson, 14 Kwaku Asiedu, 13 Matt Smith (c), 12 George Worth, 11 Jonah Holmes, 10 Joe Ford, 9 Ben White, 1 Facundo Gigena, 2 Jake Kerr, 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Cameron Jordan, 5 Sam Lewis, 6 Thom Smith, 7 Taylor Gough, 8 Fred Tuilagi.
Replacements:16 Harry Mahoney, 17 Keston Lines, 18 Osman Dimen, 19 Toby Hutchinson, 20 Cameron Gray, 21 Dave Brazier, 22 Will Flinn, 23 James Neal.
Northampton Wanderers:
15 Harry Mallinder (c), 14 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 13 Fraser Dingwall, 12 Andrew Symons, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 James Grayson, 9 Charlie Davies, 1 Will Davis, 2 Mikey Haywood, 3 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 4 Ed Taylor, 5 Devante Onojaife, 6 Joe Wallace, 7 Paddy Ryan, 8 Mitch Eadie
Replacements: 16 Joe Gray, 17 Hayden King, 18 Ziana Alexis, 19 Freddie Betteridge, 20 Ollie Newman, 21 Connor Tupai, 22 Matt Worley, 23 George Furbank.
Wasps A:
15 Owain James, 14 Josh Grimes, 13 Cameron Anderson, 12 Will Simonds, 11 Callum Sirker, 10 Sunni Jardine, 9 Will Porter (c), 1 George Thornton, 2 Jack Dickinson, 3 David Langley, 4 Joe Tunney, 5 Tim Cardall, 6 Josh Fenner, 7 Kieran Curran, 8 Tom Willis (c).
Replacements: 16 Adam Johnson, 17 Jack Higgins, 18 Alex Hunt, 19 Will Cardall, 20 Silas Pill, 21 Josh Nott, 22 Sam Spink, 23 Taju Atta.
Sale Jets:
15 Nathan Pope, 14 Tom Brady, 13 Tom Roebuck, 12 Connor Doherty, 11 Billy Wara, 10 Kieran Wilkinson, 9 Matt Sturgess, 1 Monty Weatherby, 2 Curtis Langdon, 3 Cal Ford, 4 Rouban Birch, 5 George Nott (c), 6 Ciaran Booth, 7 Teddy Leatherbarrow, 8. Sam Moore.
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 James Harper, 18 Alex Brooks, 19 Witness Mandizha, 20 Sam Dugdale, 21 Raffi Quirke.
Worcester Cavaliers:
15 Noah Heward (Solihull School), 14 Tom Howe, 13 Dean Hammond, 12 Joe Margetts (Hartpury), 11 Mason Tonks (Hartpury), 10 Luke Scully, 9 Luke Baldwin (c), 1 Kai Owen, 2 Beck Cutting, 3 Gareth Milasinovich, 4 James Scott, 5 Rob Fuller (Hartpury), 6 Jamie Macartney (Hartpury), 7 Zac Xiourouppa, 8 Matt Cox.
Replacements: 16 Jordan Liney (Hartpury), 17 Nick Rigby, 18 Farai Mudariki, 19 Max Katjijeko (Luctonians), 20 Ollie Walker (Hartpury), 21 Michael Heaney, 22 Sam Hollingsworth (Birmingham Moseley), 23 Ervin Muric (Hartpury).
Newcastle Falcons A:
15 Tom Arscott, 14 Ben Stevenson, 13 Tom Penny, 12 Dominic Waldouck (c), 11 Zach Kibirige, 10 Brett Connon, 9 James Elliott, 1 Chris Keen (Gala RFC), 2 Jamie Blamire, 3 Craig Mitchell, 4 Will Montgomery, 5 Tom Hicks (Doncaster Knights), 6 Connor Collett, 7 Simon Uzokwe, 8 Tom Marshall.
Replacements: 16 Joe Lashley (Northumbria University), 17 Tristan Grant (Darlington Mowden Park), 18 Isaac Brace (Northumbria University), 19 Ethan Clarke (Gosforth Academy AASE), 20 Morgan Passman, 21 Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti, 22 Charlie Wilson, 23 George Wacokecoke.
Harlequins A:
15 Charlie Walker, 14 Gabriel Ibitoye, 13 Alofa Alofa, 12 Henry Cheeseman, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Tim Swiel, 9 Dave Lewis, 1 Daniel Hobbs-Awoyemi (Guest), 2 Jack Musk, 3 Ratu Manasa Saulo Romumu (Guest), 4 Hugh Tizard, 5 Nick Brown (Guest), 6 Archie White, 7 Jack Kenningham, 8 Piotr Zeszukek (Trialist).
Replacements:16 Kyle Traynor (Guest), 17 Brad Clements (Guest), 18 Kieran Sassone, 19 Luke James, 20 Jack Cooke (Guest), 21 Niall Saunders, 22 Ross Chisholm, 23 Cadan Murley.
Gloucester United:
15 Reece Dunn, 14 Tom Seabrook, 13 Henry Purdy, 12 Jack Reeves, 11 Jacob Morris, 10 Lloyd Evans, 9 Charlie Chapman, 1 Alex Seville, 2 Henry Walker, 3 Jack Bartlett, 4 Harry Butler, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 6 Will Safe, 7 Aaron Hinkley, 8 Gareth Evans.
Replacements: 16 Todd Gleave, 17 Ollie Adkins, 18 Luke Dalbock, 19 Callum Allen, 20 Jack Clement, 21 Ewan Fenley, 22 Isaac Marsh, 23 Louis Rees-Zammit.
Saracens Storm:
15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Elliot Obatoyinbo, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Reuben Bird-Tulloch, 11 Dom Morris, 10 Manu Vunipola, 9 Tom Whiteley, 1 Titi Lamositele, 2 Scott Spurling, 3 Hayden Thompson-Stringer, 4 Jon Kpoku, 5 Dom Day, 6 Jack Nay, 7 Sean Reffell, 8 Andy Christie.
Replacements: 16 Tadgh McElroy, 17 Ralph Adams-Hale, 18 JP Phelan, 19 Cameron Boon, 20 Alfie Scopes, 21 Henry Taylor, 22 Viliami Hakalo, 23 Ali Crossdale.
Exeter Braves:
15 Max Bodilly, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Tom Hendrickson, 11 James Short, 10 Sam Morley, 9 Sam Maunder, 1 Moray Low, 2 Elvis Taione, 3 Marcus Street, 4 Richard Capstick, 5 Wilhelm Van Der Sluys, 6 James Freeman (c), 7 James McRae, 8 Tom Lawday.
Replacements: 16 Jack Innard, 17 Billy Keast, 18 Jack Owlett, 19 Cory Teague, 20 Flynn Elworthy, 21 Joe Snow, 22 Tom O’Flaherty, 23 Toby Williams.
