By Paul Smith 
Experienced front-rowers Jordon Poole and Toby Trinder return to the Coventry starting line-up that hosts Ampthill tomorrow (Butts Park Arena, 3pm kick-off).
Cov’s skipper and his vice-captain were rotated to the bench for last week’s 49-31 win over Caldy from where both appeared during the course of the second half.
This pair plus lock Senitiki Nayalo – who capped a man-of-the-match display against Caldy with a brace of close-range tries – now have more than 270 Coventry appearances under their collective belts and this experience will play a key role for an injury-hit Cov side containing five loan players.
Nayalo is joined in the engine room by one of these in the form of dynamic Bath lock Mackenzie Graham who scorched past Chinnor’s cover to claim a memorable Blue-and-White debut try a fortnight ago.
In the absence of the suspended Aaron Hinkley, the versatile Suva Ma’asi is named on the openside flank – the position in which he started Cov’s November win at Ampthill. He operates alongside no.8 Chester Owen and the reliable Tom Ball who makes his 21st appearance of the season.
Cov’s bench contains five forwards among which Bath’s Jack Bennett, who has England experience at age-group level, joins Dan Green in providing youthful back-five cover from the bench.
Sale’s Ralph McEachran has also returned to the BPA as back-up for Trinder. The loose-head prop made his Cov debut from the bench during the clubs’ most-recent encounter at Dillingham Park in the Autumn.
Behind the scrum head coach Alex Rae opts for the same half-backs that started last week’s bonus-point win over Caldy which means Exeter loan scrum-half Sam Maunder partners leading scorer Tommy Mathews.
In the continuing absence of Oli Morris, Daf-Rhys Tiueti and Tom Hitchcock combine in midfield.
Top try-scorer Ryan Hutler and local product David Opoku join forces with Charlie Robson – another two-try star from Cov’s most recent outing – in the back three, with Glasgow’s Logan Trotter providing bench support.
Rae is hoping that his team can continue a run of displays that have brought 15 league points and 19 tries since the Championship returned in mid-March.
“We’ve won three league games in a row in this block and we’re keen to keep that run going with big performances this weekend then at Hartpury before we have a week off,” he said.
“Ampthill are a tenacious, tough side who are always difficult to play against so we’re expecting a good test.”
Coventry: Charlie Robson; Ryan Hutler, Daf-Rhys Tiueti, Tom Hitchcock, David Opoku; Tommy Mathews, Sam Maunder; Toby Trinder, Jordon Poole, Billy Nairau; Mackenzie Graham, Senitiki Nayalo; Tom Ball, Suva Ma’asi, Chester Owen
Replacements: Will Biggs, Ralph McEachran, Eliot Salt, Dan Green, Jack Bennett, Josh Barton, Theo Mannion, Logan Trotter
Tickets for Cov’s home game against Ampthill on Saturday can be purchased at https://www.coventryrugby.co.uk/tickets/matchday-tickets/
