Following a summer of change which brought a double-digit number of new players to the club while several iconic figures retired, the DoR admitted the work rate shown by the squad in the past two months has left him extremely impressed.
Back rows Aaron Tull and Willo Bicknell both receive starting debuts alongside fly-half Mike Cooke, and Seb beamed: “The whole group have worked incredibly hard.
“Part of the reward we wanted to put across to the new guys was ‘if you put the effort in, it will pay off’, and they’ve shown a sprinkling of quality which earns them a start.
“They’ve had fantastic pre-seasons, added a huge amount to the club and Willo, while he’s been around academies before, has come from Oxford Harlequins in National Two but truly stepped up and made a huge impact.
“Aaron’s also been wonderful, he does a bit of everything, and I’m excited to see him in action.”
‘Fantastic ball player’
He continued: “Mike’s a little underrated as a player, he’s an experienced guy whose played the All-Ireland League, had a good season at National One, and he’s added to the group.
“He’s gone quietly about his business, but he’s tough as anything, a fantastic ball player and he’s got to take on the challenge in the 10 jersey. It will be interesting to see how he goes.”
Tough selection calls
Prop George Breese is also set for a first appearance while there is a mix of experience and youth throughout the rest of the matchday 20, with Seb admitting the gauntlet has now been laid down to those who missed out.
He commented: “We’ve got plenty of others who are disappointed and came close to selection – and that’s a positive.
“We’re looking forward to the weekend. When I first started doing this the season felt long, but now nine or 10 years in it all seems to merge into one another and the nice thing with this group is it feels very fresh.
“We’ve probably needed it this year, pre-season’s had us wondering who’d win the battle for the shirts and I’m pleased everyone’s looking fit, in decent form and so we’ve ticked a few boxes.”
Sedgley ‘a quality side’
Turning his attention to Tigers – who beat Rams 34-33 for the first time at Park Lane back in March – Seb added: “They’re a quality side, but we love playing against them – what’s so great about National One is you have so many teams playing in different ways, and I feel they have a unique style.
“They put it on show each week and they’ll be looking forward to starting off at home – there’s no better motivation for them, but our lads will be excited by the challenge.”
And following the terrific following his side enjoyed for the game at Taunton a fortnight ago, Seb ended by hoping the travelling Ramily can again make their impact.
He ended: “We always get good travelling support – people like the away days!
“There are a few places you can get off the train and enjoy a few beers on the way up before watching quality rugby, and Sedgley’s a great place to go – we look forward to seeing our supporters up there.”
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