Hitchcock set for Coventry debut against Ampthill

Fresh face Tom Hitchcock makes his first appearance for Coventry when Ampthill make the short trip to Butts Park Arena tomorrow.

Since joining the club earlier this week, the former London Irish player will be looking to get his loan spell up and running next to Will Wand in what is an exciting centre partnership.

Having fully recovered from a broken nose which kept him out of the Caldy clash, Ryan Hutler makes a return to the starting XV on the right wing. The speedster is sure to be looking to add to his already impressive try tally for the season.

Another return to the starting line-up is scrum half Will Chudley who will complete 50% of a familiar half back pairing alongside Tongan international Pat Pellegrini. Will Lane, who boasts an impressive try scoring rate of his own, will look to make an impact from the bench.

In the forwards, Cov boss Alex Rae opts for the dynamism and experience of Matt Kvesic in the open-side flanker position. The former England player will pack down opposite fellow international Paddy Ryan wearing no.6.

A familiar face makes a welcomed return to the match-day squad as Toby Trinder fills a seat on the subs bench after an extended period out with injury. Trinder alongside the likes of Vilikesa Nairau and Jack Bartlett will not leave Alex Rae wanting for powerful replacement options.

Following a disappointing result at Paton Field against Caldy, it has felt like a lifetime for Rae and his men for this opportunity to put things right in front a home crowd.

“It’s great to be back at home after no rugby for two weeks. We’ve had a disappointing block of league fixtures which as a group disappointed us, but everyone is working incredibly hard to make sure our performances improve.”

“The biggest area we feel for improvement is being clinical and making sure we take the chances we’ve been creating, once we do that there are some big scores on the horizon.”

“This block will be a really good test for us as a group and we will truly see where we are now as a team.”

Coventry Rugby: Wilson; Hutler, Wand, Hitchcock, Martin; Pellegrini, Chudley; Chilvers, Poole, Nicol; Tyas, Nkwocha; Ryan, Kvesic, Nayalo.

Replacements: Biggs, Trinder, Nairau, Owen, Ball, Lane, Mitchell, Bartlett