England Counties internationals Dave Brazier and Nile Dacres will make their season debuts for North Midlands in their final Bill Beaumont County Championship Division Two South match against Somerset at Dudley Kingswinford on Saturday May 20 (3pm).
Birmingham Moseley scrum-half Brazier and Coventry-bound Plymouth Albion lock Dacres both played for England Counties in their internationals against Scotland Clubs and Ireland Clubs earlier in the year.
Neither was available for North Midlands for last week’s 56-56 draw with Warwickshire or the heavy defeat by Hampshire two weeks ago but they return to county duty hoping to secure places in the England Counties squad for the summer tour to Spain.
Brazier takes the place of the injured Ben Trinham and Dacres, who has rejoined North Midlands having represented Devon last season, displaces Sam Nott, who drops to the bench.
They are among four changes of personnel to the side that drew with Warwickshire with Frank Kelly of Luctonians called up on the right wing and Steve Leach of Old Halesonians coming into a reshuffled back row. Gino Belmonte of Bromsgrove switches from the blindside flank to hooker in place of the injured Jack Lea.
North Midands.
15 Cael Hodgson (Worcester); 14 Frank Kelly (Luctonians), 13 George Morgan (Kidderminster Carolians), 12 Tom Johnson (Moseley Oak), 11 Josh Trinham (Stourbridge); 10 Rod Petty (Stourbridge), 9 Dave Brazier (Birmingham Moseley); 1 Stefan Thorp (Stourbridge), 2 Gino Belmonte (Bromsgrove), 3 Mark George (Stourbridge – captain), 4 Nile Dacres (Plymouth Albion), 5 Steve Price (Luctonians), 6 Aiden Cheshire (Luctonians), 7 Sam Montieri (Bromsgrove), 8 Steve Leach (Old Halesonians).
Replacements: James Weaver (Moseley Oak), Adam Willis (Bournville), Sam Knott (Bromsgrove), James Martin (Old Halesonians), Brandon Lea (Edwardians), Bryn Phillips (Birmingham & Solihull), Callum Jones (Worcester).