By Paul Smith 
Coventry’s prospects of bouncing back from last week’s disappointing home defeat against Ampthill have been boosted by the return of five players from injury.
And with prop Eliot Salt – who left the Butts Park Arena pitch after an hour – also passed fit to play head coach Alex Rae has named a strong combination to make the trip to Hartpury’s 4ED Arena tomorrow (2.30pm kick off).
Four of the returnees are members of the backline and as a result only Tommy Mathews survives from last week’s run-on team.
And having played most of his rugby for the Blue-and-Whites at fly-half, the club’s leading points scorer switches to inside centre for his first return to Hartpury since joining Cov last summer.
Fit-again Oli Morris (pictured above) and Liam Richman are either side of Mathews in a new midfield combination with Josh Barton rotated from the bench to start at scrum-half.
In the absence of the injured David Opoku, head coach Alex Rae also welcomes wingers Jimmy Martin and Jake Henry back to his starting line-up while on-loan Glasgow full-back Logan Trotter’s reward for last week’s two-try appearance from the bench is an opportunity to wear Cov’s no.15 shirt.
Rae and his coaching team also make two changes plus three positional switches in the pack where Cornish prop Salt continues in the tight-head role he filled for three-quarters of last week’s contest following Billy Nairau’s first-minute injury.
Having missed four games with a knock sustained against Leicester, Rhys Anstey makes his fourth start of the season alongside Bath loanee Mackenzie Graham in the second row.
This allows Tiki Nayalo to revert to no.8 and with Matt Kvesic still injured and Aaron Hinkley serving the middle week of his three match suspension, Tom Ball switches to the openside flank while Chester Owen wears Cov’s no.6 shirt.
Cov’s forward replacements include a trio of loan players in Bath’s Jack Bennett plus Sale props Ralph McEachran and Tye Raymont – an England under-20’s tight-head who is in line to make his Blue-and-White debut.
Scrum-half Sam Maunder and centre Tom Hitchcock rotate to a bench which once again features a five-three representation of forwards and backs.
Cov’s boss said he is expecting a tough test at a venue where Hartpury are unbeaten this season and have conceded fewer points than anyone other Championship home side.
He said: “It will be a really tricky game – it has always been a difficult away trip although our recent record there is good.
They’ve been together as a group for a while and on average only concede 18 points per game at home in the league which will be a good challenge for our attack but we’re confident when we get things right in that area we score points.”
Coventry: Logan Trotter; Jake Henry, Oli Morris, Tommy Mathews, Jimmy Martin; Liam Richman, Josh Barton; Toby Trinder, Jordon Poole, Eliot Salt; Rhys Anstey, Mackenzie Graham; Chester Owen, Tom Ball, Senitiki Nayalo
Replacements: Suva Ma’asi, Ralph McEachran, Tye Raymont, Dan Green, Jack Bennett, Sam Maunder, Tom Hitchcock, Will Lane
