Tumy and Dan return for Sale to face the champs

Tumy and Dan return for Sale to face the champs

ACADEMY PROP Tumy Onasanya makes his first Champions Cup start while Luke Cowan-Dickie, Nick Schonert, George Ford and Tom Roebuck return to the starting XV as Your Sharks prepare to face back-to-back Europeans champions La Rochelle at a packed-out Salford Stadium on Sunday (KO 1pm, Sunday 21st January, LIVE on TNT, ITV). 

Elsewhere, Sam James switches to full-back while Dan du Preez and Tom Ellis return from injury to take their places on the replacements bench. 

Hooker Cowan-Dickie marks his return to the England squad with a starting place against La Rochelle. He’ll pack down in a front row with Onasanya and Schonert. 

Ben Bamber starts with Jonny Hill in the second-row and they’ll have an all homegrown, unchanged back-row behind them, with Sam Dugdale and captain Ben Curry joined by Josh Beaumont at number 8. 

In the backs, Gus Warr and George Ford combine again at half-back and they’ll have Sam Bedlow and Rob du Preez outside them in the centres. 


It’s an all homegrown back three with Roebuck marking his Six Nations call-up with a return to the wing alongside new Scotland call-up Arron Reed and full-back James. 

On the bench, Agustin Creevy, Asher Opoku-Fordjour and James Harper are the front-row replacements, while Ellis and Dan du Preez will cover the rest of the forwards. 


Academy duo Nye Thomas and Rekeiti Ma’asi-White join the experienced Telusa Veainu on the replacement backs. 

Sale Sharks Starting XV:   

15. Sam James, 14. Tom Roebuck, 13. Rob du Preez, 12. Sam Bedlow, 11. Arron Reed, 10. George Ford, 9. Gus Warr, 1. Tumy Onasanya, 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3. Nick Schonert, 4. Ben Bamber, 5. Jonny Hill, 6. Sam Dugdale, 7. Ben Curry ©, 8. Josh Beaumont.   

Replacements:   

16. Agustin Creevy, 17. Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 18. James Harper, 19. Tom Ellis, 20. Dan du Preez, 21. Nye Thomas, 22. Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 23. Telusa Veainu. 

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