COV PREPARE TO TAKE ON LEADERS –

COVENTRY Rugby make one change to their starting XV as they visit leaders Newcastle for tomorrow’s Greene King IPA Championship Round 6 contest (3pm).

Senitiki Nayalo comes in for Luke Wallace in the back row for the clash which pits first v third in the table.

Coventry head to Kingston Park on the back of a fourgame unbeaten run, with wins over Bedford Blues, Yorkshire Carnegie and Doncaster Knights adding to a dramatic draw away to Ealing Trailfinders. Director of rugby

Rowland Winter and the coaches have kept largely to the team which beat Doncaster at Butts Park Arena last time out, with Nayalo joining Adam Peters and skipper Ryan Burrows in the back row.

On the bench Rob Knox, Toby Trinder, Alex Woolford and Ben Nutley all return to the match day squad after missing out last week.

Former England Under-20 international Henry Walker is also among the replacements.

With Scott Tolmie (knee) and Darren Dawidiuk (calf) both ruled out of action this weekend Coventry Rugby have been grateful for the support and assistance of Gloucester Rugby for dual registering Solihull-born hooker Walker.

Newcastle, rlegetaed from the Premiership last May, have a perfect record so far of five wins from five matches and sit four points ahead of Coventry.

Tomorrow’s game will be the first meeting between the sides since the 1996-7 season.

Cov won their home fixture,in injury-time, but the Falcon were 49-17 winners on Tyneside and they edge the head-to-head in league rugby between the two teams by 5-4. The contest will also feature the Championship’s top two tryscorers, Cov’s Max Trimble and Newcastle’s James Stokes.

COVENTRY RUGBY: 15 James Stokes, 14 David Halaifonua, 13 Heath Stevens, 12 Rory Jennings, 11 Max Trimble; 10 Will Maisey, 9 Tom Kessell; 1 James Gibbons, 2 Joe Buckle, 3 Gareth Denman, 4 Nile Dacres, 5 James Voss, 6 Senitiki Nayalo, 7 Adam Peters, 8 Ryan Burrows (capt).

Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Toby Trinder, 18 Phil Boulton, 19 Alex Woolford, 20 Ben Nutley, 21 Pete White, 22 Tony Fenner, 23 Rob Knox.