London Irish v Toulon: Teams
Jonny Wilkinson will start at fly-half for Toulon in Sunday's Heineken Cup clash with London Irish at Madejski Stadium.
Last Updated: 10/12/10 3:11pm
Despite suffering from a dose of the 'flu, Jonny Wilkinson will start at fly-half for Toulon in Sunday's Heineken Cup clash with London Irish at Madejski Stadium.
The French club travel across the channel without loose forwards Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and George Smith but the starting XV does feature former England wing Paul Sackey, Springbok number eight Joe van Niekerk and All Blacks prop Carl Hayman.
RCT also start with an all-English second row in the form of Kris Chesney and Dean Schofield. Inside centre Gabi Lovobalavu adds a bit a pacific flavour while Bleus Pierre Mignoni and Sebastien Bruno add to the international mix.
London Irish coach Toby Booth is under no illusions regarding the tough task his team face if they want to progress into the next round but is quietly confident his team have what it takes.
"The "group of death" in the Heineken Cup is going to be an interesting one to watch over the next two weeks - things are standing pretty much equal with each team having won its first home game," explained Booth.
Focused
"Back on our home turf this weekend we will be looking to put in a repeat of our strong performance against Munster. We've trained hard this week, are focused and all out to win."
The Exiles welcome back winger Sailosi Tagicakibau, who starts his first game since October, and the Samoan is joined by compatriot Seilala Mapusua who returns from international duty.
In the pack, Bob Casey pairs up with Nick Kennedy in the second row, while James Buckland returns at hooker.
London Irish: 15 Delon Armitage, 14 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 13 Elvis Seveali'i, 12 Seilala Mapusua, 11 Jonathan Joseph, 10 Ryan Lamb 9 Paul Hodgson, 8 Chris Hala'ufia, 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 Richard Thorpe, 5 Bob Casey, 4 Nick Kennedy, 3 Faan Rautenbach, 2 James Buckland, 1 Clarke Dermody.
Replacements: 1. Brian Blaney, 17 Alex Corbisiero, 18 Paulica Ion, 19 Kieran Roche, 20 George Stowers, 21 Topsy Ojo, 22. Dan Bowden, 23 Darren Allinson
Toulon: 15 Benjamin Lapeyre, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Geoffroy Messina, 12 Gabi Lovobalavu, 11 Rudi Wulf, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Pierre Mignoni, 8 Joe van Niekerk, 7 Joe El Abd, 6 Olivier Missoup, 5 Kris Chesney, 4 Dean Schofield, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Sebastien Bruno, 1 Saimone Taumoepeau
Replacements:16 Mickael Ivaldi, 17 Benjamin Basteres, 18 Mehdi Merabet, 19 Christian Loamanu, 20 Thomas Sourice, 21 Tom May, 22 Laurent Magnaval, 23 Jocelino Suta,
