Team news: Sale Sharks vs Bristol Bears – PRC R1
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Pat Lam hands competitive debuts to four players for Saturday’s PREM Rugby Cup opener against Sale Sharks at the Salford Stadium (3pm KO).
Georgian international Luka Ivanishvili, who starts on the blindside flank, and full back Josh Carrington, who arrived from Cardiff Met University in the summer, are named in the starting XV, while scrum-half Max Pepper and Wales international Louis Rees-Zammit are set to feature from the bench.
Lam also names seven Academy players in his matchday squad, with Aidan Boshoff and Josh Carrington named in the back three, Joe Jenkins starting in the midfield and Kenzie Cripps, Kofi Cripps and Tomas Gwilliam on the bench.
Skipper Fitz Harding makes his 98th competitive appearance for the club in the back row, while Ben Grondona, fresh from his Test debut for Argentina in the summer, starts at number eight.
Bristol Bears team to face Sale Sharks in round one of the PREM Rugby Cup on Saturday (3pm KO):
15. Josh Carrington (debut), 14. Aidan Boshoff (3 apps), 13. Joe Jenkins (26 apps), 12. Benhard Janse van Rensburg (50 apps), 11. Gabriel Ibitoye (59 apps), 10. AJ MacGinty (53 apps), 9. Kieran Marmion (52 apps); 1. Jake Woolmore (169 apps), 2. Harry Thacker (133 apps), 3. George Kloska (65 apps), 4. Joe Owen (35 apps), 5. Joe Batley (75 apps), 6. Luka Ivanishvili (debut), 7. Fitz Harding (c) (97 apps), 8. Ben Grondona (20 apps).
System players: 16. Tomas Gwilliam (5 apps), 17. Sam Grahamslaw (12 apps), 18. Lovejoy Chawatama (5 apps), 19. Kenzie Jenkins (3 apps), 20. Kofi Cripps (3 apps), 21. Max Pepper (debut), 22. James Williams (55 apps), 23. Louis Rees-Zammit (debut).
