Nottingham look to continue undefeated cup run

Nottingham are putting in the final preparations in a bid to continue their unbeaten run in the British and Irish Cup this Sunday (13 November) as they take on Pontypridd at home.

The Green and Whites have beaten both Doncaster Knights and Rotherham Titans in the Cup this season and are looking to go three for three to further their chances of a home quarter-final.

With an excellent opportunity to progress, Nottingham’s younger players have proven that they have what it takes to go all the way but coming up against last season’s Welsh Premiership champions will not be a walk in the park and Pontypridd are expected to bring a strong squad to Meadow Lane.

Director of Rugby, Glenn Delaney, said: “We’re all looking forward to the match against Pontypridd this weekend. It’s nice to be back at Meadow Lane after the trip to Leeds last weekend.

“We’ve won our two games in the B&I Cup so far, against Doncaster and Rotherham, so hopefully we’ll be able to find a good balance within the team this week to make it another win.”

The Green and Whites are hoping to bounce back this Sunday after a frustrating afternoon against Leedsin last weekend’s league game, which resulted in another narrow defeat, this time going down 22 points to 19.

Glenn added: “The boys played a good game at the weekend and we were disappointed not to win.

“I think it was a pretty even game in terms of what both teams offered, it just came down to managing the right areas of the pitch. We couldn’t convert our chances to clinch the win, but they did and the dropped goal was the deciding factor.

“We will be making quite a few changes to the team line up this weekend. The B & I Cup matches are a good chance to give some of the other players a chance to get out on the pitch. The match will also be an opportunity to allow some of the players who have a slight niggle a bit of time to rest up and enjoy some recovery.”

Sunday’s game will also see former Newcastle Falcon, Brent Wilson make his first appearance on the pitch for Nottingham Rugby.

Nottingham v Pontypridd kicks off at Meadow Lane at 3pm on Sunday. Tickets are available from the ticket office at £18 for adults, £13 for concessions and £4 for under-16s, but the club is offering two for one entry to this weekend’s game with every ticket purchased on the day. Season ticket holders can also bring someone along completely free of charge.

The team’s final group Cup match will be against Currie on 17th December at Malleny Park in Edinburgh.

Nottingham

15. James Stokes 14. Andy Savage 13. Ayoola Erinle 12. Charlie Hayter 11. Ryan Hough

10. Joe Cobden 9. Finlay Barnham (c)

1. Raphael Olive 2. Ollie Taylor 3. Matt Shields 4. Mitchell Todd 5. Lee Morley

6. Rupert Cooper 7. Brent Wilson 8. Phil Eggleshaw

Bench

16. Joseph Duffey 17. Michael Holford 18. Ben Prescott 19. Alex Shaw 20. Tom Calladine 21. Nathan Jones 22. Joe Munro