LOOSEHEAD prop Ryan Bower will skipper Worcester Warriors tomorrow as they host French Top 14 side Oyonnax at Sixways in the European Challenge Cup (3pm).
Warriors keep 10 of the matchday 23 who lost to Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership last weekend with just number eight David Denton keeping his starting place.
Denton forms the back row alongside Andrew Durutalo and Huw Taylor while Pierce Phillips and Darren Barry occupy the second row.
In the front row Bower is accompanied by Gareth Milasinovich and the tournament’s joint-top try-scorer Joe Taufete’e after the USA hooker bagged a hat-trick against Brive in October.
Ben Howard returns from international duty with England sevens to start at full-back alongside wingers Tom Howe and Perry Humphreys with all three having crossed the whitewash in their last appearances for the club.
Sam Olver and Michael Dowsett team up to form the half-back pairing.
Dean Hammond starts in the centre having scored six tries in eight games this season and is joined by Max Stelling in midfield.
Hammond, Stelling and Howard are the only survivors from the side who last faced Oyonnax at Sixways in a 20-13 win in January 2014.
Stelling came off the bench in that match to score the winning try.
Warriors will hope for more of the same as they look to push their claims for a top spot in Pool Five where they sit just three points behind Connacht.
Kurt Haupt returns to the squad among the replacements along with Simon Kerrod, Biyi Alo and Matti Williams while Jamie Shillcock is also on the bench after overcoming a knee injury.
Warriors: Howard; Howe, Hammond, Stelling, Humphreys; Olver, Dowsett; Bower, Taufete’e, Milasinovich, Phillips, Barry, Taylor, Durutalo, Denton. Replacements: Haupt, Kerrod, Alo, Faosiliva, Williams, Baldwin, Shillcock, Pennell.
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