With the pressures of league rugby off for the week, Southampton takes the chance to look at some promising fringe players when they receive Salisbury II.
Martin Davis is called up to hooker as are flankers Rob Greenaway and Matt Inder, while Mark Roderick comes in for Martyn Marks at scrum-half. Dan Woolf joins his brother James for the first time in the red and white hoops.
Meanwhile, Pete Fox returns at prop, Nick
Timms reverts to the second row while skipper Tony Cador and Dave Griffiths swap places between fly-half and inside centre for a game which the Test Park side will use to regain some confidence ahead of the Christmas league run-in.
With their second game against the same opposition
in the space of two weeks, Fawley are preparing an
experimental side to meet Tottonians II, so they can view some of the keen players from the local Marchwood army base.
This is likely to include a host of Fijians plus Army hooker Dave Baxter, Dan Callus and former Southampton man who left Fawley to join them, Paul Harvey. But with a Vets fixture also on the card, skipper Andy Headley has no idea who will actually start.
It is a week of rest elsewhere, especially with the intense three-week period before the festive break ahead, with many clubs allow their players to get a few family brownie points in.
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