Noah Heward and Luke Scully, who could be on opposing sides in this season’s Under-20s Six Nations, will line up alongside each other for Cavaliers in tonight’s (Monday) Premiership Rugby Shield match against Leicester Tigers Development at Sixways (kick-off 7.30pm).
Full-back Heward has been included in the England Under-20s squad for the Six Nations with fly-half Scully in the Wales squad for the tournament.
Both have impressed in helping Cavaliers to the top of the Shield’s Northern Conference with four consecutive bonus point victories in the first half of the season.
Centre Will Butler will make his seasonal debut for Cavaliers having recovered from an ankle injury which he sustained playing for Warriors in the Premiership Rugby Cup match at Bath in September.
Back-row forwards Matti Williams (abductor muscle) and Caleb Montgomery (hand) will also return after lengthy injury lay-offs. Williams will start with Montgomery set to make his comeback as a replacement.
There are five guest players in the squad, four of them from Hartpury University. Wing Matt McNab, who has already played for Cavaliers, and tighthead prop Mitch Walsh both start with their team-mates Aiden Burnett and Max Boxall on the bench.
Nick Bingham of National Two North side Sheffield Tigers provides cover for Walsh as Warriors have three tightheads – Conor Carey, Farai Mudariki and Joe Morris – on the injured list.
The Leicester match marks the halfway point of Cavaliers’ season after which the Shield takes a break during the Six Nations and returns in late March when Cavaliers will play four of their last five matches away.
Cavaliers
15 Noah Heward
14 Ed Fidow
13 Scott van Breda
12 Will Butler
11 Matt McNab (Hartpury)
10 Luke Scully
9 Gareth Simpson
1 Kai Owen
2 Isaac Miller
3 Mitch Walsh (Hartpury)
4 Matt Cox
5 James Scott
6 Morgan Monks
7 Matti Williams
8 Tom Dodd (C)
Replacements
16 Beck Cutting
17 Lewis Holsey
18 Nick Bingham (Sheffield Tigers)
19 Aiden Burnett (Hartpury)
20 Caleb Montgomery
21 Callum Morris
22 Max Boxall (Hartpury)
23 Nick David
Leicester Tigers Development | 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Mason Tonks (Birmingham Moseley), 13 Joe Thomas, 12 EW Viljoen, 11 Kyran Bungaroo, 10 Johnny McPhillips, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 1 James Whitcombe, 2 Charlie Clare, 3 Osman Dimen, 4 Cameron Jordan, 5 George Martin, 6 Thom Smith (C), 7 Taylor Gough, 8 Jordan Coghlan.
Replacements | 16 Darren Dawidiuk (Birmingham Moseley), 17 Keston Lines, 18 Gaston Cortes, 19 Tom Manz, 20 Ollie Ashworth, 21 Will Findlay (Yorkshire Carnegie), 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Harry Glynn.