TEAM NEWS: BAKER ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY

JAMES Baker could make an era-defining record 458th appearance as Rams head to title-chasing Plymouth Albion tomorrow (3pm).

The tight-head prop is currently tied with Sedgley Park’s Matt Riley as the most-capped one-club man in the semi/professional era.

And he will move ahead if he gets on at The Brickfields.

It would be a fitting occasion for the homegrown legend, with the visitors set to play in front of their highest-ever crowd.

With Albion sitting second in the table and the St Luke’s Men’s Day Out adding to ticket sales, more than 3,500 have already been snapped up.

Visitors swap five for Brickfields trip

Rams make five changes to the starting-line up which lost 36-31 to Bishop’s Stortford before the bye week.

These include debutant Fergus Dick, the blind-side flanker fresh from helping Oxford University beat Cambridge in their Varsity clash.

The ex-Loughborough University ace was close to joining Rams in 2023, only to extend his studies.

He is joined in the back row by Aaron Tull and No. 8 Willo Bicknell, Liam Elston switching back to the engine room.

And he is joined by Paddy Jackson in the second row.

The other two swaps in the pack come with props Ant Marris and Ryan Lomas going from the off.

They sandwich captain, hooker and leading try-scorer, Max Hayman.

Hoadley and Lamb return

Among the backs, Ed Hoadley returns from work commitments to take over the scrum-half jersey, Mike Cooke outside him.

The centre pairing of Morgan MacRae and Ellis Jones remains the same, but with Oli Rhoads out, Zach Clow switches from full-back to the right wing.

Elsewhere, Axel Kalling-Smith is on the left, with the returning Andrew Lamb completing the side at full-back.

Judd in line for debut

Baker is joined by fellow prop Paddy Harris on the bench, with Harry Stone also ready to make an impact further back.

A second potential debutant, Harry Judd, is a former Reading University captain who scored for the Development XV at British Army recently.

Scrum-half Ollie Hodgson rounds out the matchday 20, while hooker Harry Bicknell heads to Devon as the travelling reserve.

Rams Team @ Plymouth Albion

(15-9, 1-8) Lamb, Clow, Jones, MacRae, Kalling-Smith, Cooke, Hoadley; Marris, Hayman ©, Lomas, Elston, Jackson, Dick, Tull, W Bicknell

Replacements: Harris, Baker, Stone, Judd, Hodgson

Travelling Reserve: H Bicknell