January has been a bit of a solemn affair at Goldington Road; as two disappointing defeats against Ampthill and Richmond have left the Blues adrift of the leading pack in the Championship.
Mike Rayer has once again rung the changes in an attempt to find the right formula, as he makes seven personnel changes from the narrow defeat at Richmond last Saturday.
He will have to make do without one of the Championship’s leading point scorers as Will Maisey misses out, but former Ampthill fly-half, Louis Grimoldby partners Alex Day in the half-back positions in his place.
Dean Adamson is another key change, as the prolific winger returns on the left wing from a head injury with Pat Tapley reverting to his familiar position in the number 14 jersey.
There are four changes to the forward pack including a first start of the season for Robin Williams, while Karl Garside, Tui Uru and Joe Atkinson are also handed starts.
Tom Litchfield also returns from England Under-20 international duty to complete the raft of changes as Bedford Blues look to continue their fine record against Hartpury.
This will be the tenth meeting between the two sides, with the Blues taking victory in eight out of the nine meetings; the latest win coming in October as the Blues despatched the Gloucestershire side 42-19.
A win will take Bedford Blues up to 5th in the Championship standings, but with the majestic Boxing Day victory against Jersey now a distant memory, the side will need to up their game from recent weeks to do so.
It’s no secret that Bedford Blues have not been at their fluent best since the turn of the year, but perhaps a dominant record against this weekend’s opponents can reignite their season.
The game kicks off at 3pm at Goldington Road on Saturday 29th January.
Bedford Blues Starting XV:
15. Rich Lane, 14. Pat Tapley, 13. Jamie Elliott, 12. Tom Litchfield, 11. Dean Adamson, 10. Louis Grimoldby, 9. Alex Day; 1. Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi, 2. Jack Hughes, 3. Karl Garside, 4. Robin Williams, 5. Luke Frost, 6. Tui Uru, 7. Joe Atkinson, 8. Oli Stedman
Bedford Blues Replacements:
16. Jacob Fields, 17. Joey Conway, 18. Corrie Barrett, 19. Tom Lockett, 20. Bailey Ransom, 21. Connor Tupai, 22. Ethan Grayson, 23. Matt Worley
