Worcester Sport
Cowan in for league debut at Sale
12:14pm Thursday 9th February 2012
NUMBER eight Blair Cowan will make his Aviva Premiership debut as Worcester Warriors resume league action with a televised away trip against Sale Sharks at Edgeley Park tomorrow night (8pm).
Cowan, who signed from Cornish Pirates last month, has impressed in the LV= Cup in recent weeks and is now given his full league debut as Warriors aim to make it three successive Premiership victories.
Head coach Richard Hill also makes changes at half-back from the side that defeated Gloucester last month as experienced duo Andy Goode and Shaun Perry, who will captain the team from scrum-half, link up.
Prop George Porter is rewarded for a number of eye-catching displays with a place among the replacements along with Danny Gray and Ravai Fatiaki, who this week both signed new deals at Warriors.
"This is a crucial game for both teams as they will want to return to winnings ways in the league and we know a win would put us close to them in the standings," said Hill.
"This week, with Phil Larder back, we feel we are back on track with our defence and if we can combine that with the attack of recent weeks then we should move on another level in terms of our performance.
"The conditions up north could dictate the game. If we get snow and bad conditions under foot, then maybe the attacking rugby will have to take a back seat to the more pragmatic and territorial game.
"If we can reach the level of performance we did against Gloucester then there is an opportunity to get a positive result. However, Sale are a difficult team and they might be bolstered by the return of some key players so I expect them to put a big pack out against us."
Warriors: Pennell; Garvey, Grove, Rasmussen, Benjamin, Goode, Perry; Mullan, Lutui, Taumoepeau, Percival, Jones, Betty, Abbott, Cowan. Replacements: Porter, Shervington, Tomaszczyk, Gillies, Kvesic, Arr, Gray, Fatiaki.