National League Division Three rugby previews

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Friday, April 17, 2009
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This is Bristol

Former Lydney skipper Paul Price returns to action on Saturday having completed a two year ban imposed by the Rugby Football Union which even barred him from acting in any official capacity within the sport.

Price, 34, pleaded guilty after testing positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, following a National League Three South game against Cinderford at Regentsholme on March 2007.

The loosehead prop's ban ends on Saturday but he has been keeping himself fit and will start on the bench for Lydney in their game away to fellow relegation threatened Worthing.

Lydney, one place off the foot of the table, need to win their remaining three league games to ensure that they avoid relegation along with Havant from Division Three South.

The Severnsiders will finish the season with games at home to second placed Ealing and fifth placed Canterbury but first up is this weekend an unchanged side face Worthing who are level on league points but have played one more game.

Havant are already relegated and look certain to be joined by Chinnor who are level with Worthing and Lydney on 39 points but on Saturday in their final game host unbeaten league champions London Scottish.

Lydney (away v Worthing, 3pm): T Wickes; C Holder, C Jones, M Rinildi, C Vine; M Davies, J Williams; G Porter, B Lewis, S Price, M Cormack, P Keily (capt), B Slater, D Jenkins, W Jones. Reps: P Price, M Taylor, J Bashford, A Tomlins, R Burford.

■ Jon Edwards will miss Bridgwater & Albion's remaining three league games this season as the 27 year old is getting married.

Also missing from Bridgwater is prop Alec Chase, who has been suspended for four weeks by an RFU Disciplinary Panel for striking an opponent in the 30-8 league defeat at Ealing.

Chase will be eligible to play again on May 13 so James Bryant continues at loosehead prop as he did in last week's 29-12 home win over Henley Hawks while Sam Osborne replaces Edwards on right wing.

The weekend Rugby Lions make their first ever visit to College Way with Bridgwater looking to build on last weekend's game which eased their relegation worries.

The two sides have already met on two previous occasions this season at Webb Ellis Road with Bridgwater looking to make it a clean sweep having won 28-23 on the opening day of the season and then 30-28 at teh turn of the year in the third round of the EDF National Trophy.

"We are the only side to have beaten Rugby at home twice this season. They have got nothing to play for whereas we have got everything to play for so we need to pull out another performance," said Bridgwater skipper Ben Purcell.

"In training we've tweaked parts of our game plan in preparation for Rugby and continue to put pressure on them for the whole time and make them make the mistakes and then capitalize on them."

Bridgwater & Albion (home v Rugby Lions, 3pm): L Messer; S Osborne, B Williams, T Elisara, G Hancock; L Cozens, M Britton; J Bryant, C McGrath, D Morton, D Hodge, S Hunt, D Johnson, D Kemmish, B Purcell (capt). Reps from: R Prescott, W Stiling, J Rudkin, D Kimberley, D Hallaran, R Allen, A Bellamy.

■ Dings Crusaders travel to Canterbury looking to build on their recent form of two wins and a losing bonus point against three of the top four sides in the league.

Dings make three changes from the side that beat Ealing last week, In the backs, Orlando Stott is not available so Sam Caven moves from centre to left wing and Christian Gervais comes in at centre. Tighthead prop Tim Brockett replaces injured Chas Meddick and Ed Hack comes in at blindside flanker with Mitch Quoi dropping to the bench.

Dings Crusaders (away v Canterbury, 3pm): A Westall; C Wright-Hider, C Gervais, A Dancer, S Caven; T Lujaniec, N Dipple; B Cole, D Wheeler, T Brockett, D Bufton, G Lloyd, P Panizzutti, E Hack, M Panoho (capt). Reps: J Lloyd, M Quoi, M Trench, D Lee, S Edwards.

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