Three changes to winning Welsh side

3:58pm Friday 9th January 2009

London Welsh make three changes, one positional, for Saturday’s fixture with Plymouth Albion from the side that snatched a dramatic late win at Bedford Blues.

Dragons full-back Mark Harris landed an injury-time touchline conversion against his former club to give Welsh a 33-32 win after a pulsating National League One clash yielding nine tries.

Welsh turn their attention this Saturday to the visit of Plymouth Albion to Old Deer Park as they look to make it three wins in a row.

The last time the two sides met, at Brickfields last September, the Dragons emerged on the right side of a 24-25 scoreline, despite Albion scoring twice in injury-time.

An injury to centre Paul Mackey, sustained against the Blues, sees Will Lawson start at number 12 against Plymouth after the on-loan Leicester Tigers Academy centre capped his Welsh debut as a half-time replacement for Mackey with a second-half try.

“Paul has a mild knee ligament injury which will probably keep him out for three weeks,” said London Welsh head coach Danny Wilson.

“It’s obviously a blow because Paul has been playing really well for us, but young Will Lawson had a good solid second half and took his try well.”

The other changes see Tom Audley come into the starting lineup at openside flanker with Matt Corker reverting to the second row and Jonathan Mills switching from openside to blindside flanker.

Fiji international Wame Ratu Lewaravu switches to the bench while there is no place in the match-day 22 for the Dragons’ other on loan Tigers debutant against Bedford, flanker Robert Bell.

“We made a change at half-time last weekend opting to go for an out and out seven, because although we felt we were playing well in attack, we perhaps weren’t as quick across the line in defence,” added Wilson.

"That change is something we wanted to take into the match with Plymouth and Tom Audley is our main out and out seven.

“We had a good look at Robert last week and he played really well and will definitely figure in the next couple of games, but we have a strong squad and we need to use it, so Tom comes back in.

"Matt Corker’s had an excellent few weeks for us in the back row but his natural position is in the second row.”

London Welsh team to face Plymouth Albion

15. Mark Harris 14. Paul Sampson 13. Peter Murchie 12. Will Lawson 11. Michael Tagicakibau 10. Aled Thomas 9. Allen Chilten 1. Paul Doran Jones 2. Sunia Koto Vuli 3. Aaron Liffchak 4. Matt Corker 5. Mike Powell (capt). 6 Jonathan Mills 7. Tom Audley 8. Tom Brown.

Replacements: 16. Gavin O’Meara 17. Shaun Ruwers 18. Wame Ratu Lewaravu 19. Nathan Bonner-Evans 20. Nick Runciman 21. Aaron Hopkins 22. Ed Lewis-Pratt