ZACH Clow will win his 50th Rams cap and complete a full house of 26 starts this season as the Berkshire men conclude their National One campaign at Darlington Mowden Park tomorrow (3pm).
The full back, who leads the way with 15 tries this term – 31 in total for the club – is joined on the outside of the three-quarters by Jack Rampton and Nat Arnold, the latter making a starting debut in the North-East.
Fresh from becoming Sweden’s all-time top try-scorer a fortnight ago, Axel Kalling-Smith returns to the midfield alongside breakthrough star Joe Pannese, Andrew Lamb taking over at fly-half as Fraser Honey’s incredible 51-match starting run comes to a close.
Another of the finds of the campaign, Ollie Hodgson, again starts at scrum-half as Bath loanee duo Ioan Emanuel and hooker Jasper Spandler are joined by former Irish Under 20s tight-head Ryan Lomas in the front row.
Connor Stapley’s incredible recovery from a sickening triple leg break against Darlington on the opening day of the campaign is completed with his restoration to the starting line-up, the lock having come off the bench to celebrate his brother Robbie’s final outing of a sensational career against Rosslyn Park two weeks ago.
Dan Swain partners Stapley Jr in the engine room, the former Taunton Titans having bagged a brace to take his seasonal haul to an impressive six tries against Rosslyn.
Ex-Oratory School man Morgan MacRae comes back in on the blind-side flank, with club legend Tom Vooght on the other side of the scrum as last time’s hat-trick hero James McRae captains the side from the start for the first time at No. 8.
From the bench, prop Paddy Harris joins Clow in completing a full 26 squad inclusions with Nick Barry back to provide further ballast, two further forwards named in the form of Ben Atkins and Mikey Duda.
Tomek Pozniak – who has nine tries in 19 games during his debut season at Old Bath Road – rounds out the squad as they aim to seal a top-four spot with victory at The 26,000-seater Darlington Arena.
Rams Team @ Darlington Mowden Park
(15-9, 1-8) Clow, Rampton, Kalling-Smith, Pannese, Arnold, Lamb, Hodgson; Emanuel, Spandler, Lomas, C Stapley, Swain, MacRae, Vooght, McRae ©
Replacements: Harris, Barry, Atkins, Duda, Pozniak