Western Daily Press (Saturday)
HEINZ IS BACK AT NINE FOR CHERRY & WHITES
ENGLAND scrum-half Willi Heinz will play his first match of the season when Gloucester resume their Gallagher Premiership campaign at home to Northampton Saints this afternoon.
And when the Cherry & Whites return from the two-week leaguewide break, Santiago Carreras will make his first start for the club after an impressive debut from the bench last time out against Newcastle.
Head coach George Skivington has made seven changes to the starting line-up from last round, with five players away on international duty ahead of the Six Nations.
Joining Carreras in the back three are Ollie Thorley and Jason Woodward, who is also back in action for the first time since round two. Billy Twelvetrees and Mark Atkinson link up in the midfield, with Lloyd Evans keeping the fly-half shirt.
In the forwards, Skivington has selected the tried and tested back row of Jordy Reid, Ruan Ackermann and Lewis Ludlow, who resumes the captaincy.
Val Rapava-Ruskin, Henry Walker and Fraser Balmain make up the front row, with Matt Garvey and Matias Alemanno behind them in the second row.
Skivington knows that Saints will provide a stern test for his side.
The head coach said: “Every game in the Premiership is a hard game, so it doesn’t matter where someone’s sitting in the table, it’s a tough game no matter what. From that point of view we prepare for every team the same, do as much homework as we can and get our game on point and then try to turn up on the Saturday.
“Saints haven’t had a game in a little while, but they’re a good team. They’ve got some really good players and they play good attacking and expansive rugby. They got a couple of tries through their set piece against Worcester as well. Just like everyone else in the Premiership, they’re a serious threat.
“There’s no underestimating them from our point of view.”