Exeter Chiefs forward James Phillips could make his Plymouth Albion debut today when unbeaten league leaders Newcastle Falcons make their first trip to Brickfields.
The powerful back-row joined Albion on-loan from the Aviva Premiership club on transfer-deadline day.
Phillips suffered a serious knee injury playing for Exeter in the top flight at the start of the season and the Chiefs are keen for him to get some Championship game time before the end of the season.
Albion coach Nat Saumi resisted the temptation to select him previously, but he has included him on the bench.
Joining him among the replacements is fellow Exeter forward Alex Brown, who could make his league debut for Albion.
Prop Brown, who has previously played for Doncaster and Bedford in the Championship, has featured for Albion in the British and Irish Cup but not in the league. Brown, like Phillips, has played in the Premiership this season.
Albion also hand dual-registered England Under-20 star Luke Cowan-Dickie his first league start at hooker against Newcastle. Cowan-Dickie, better known as a loose-head prop, did feature in two Cup matches at hooker for Albion.
Cowan-Dickie takes over from Jon Vickers, who misses his first league match due to injury. Fellow hooker Tom Cowan-Dickie is also injured, so the forgotten Jamie Salter will be the back-up number two on the bench.
Elsewhere, Paul Bailey, who made his professional rugby debut against Newcastle, is preferred to Lewis Warner on the wing, while Rupeni Nasiga is brought into the second row with Sean-Michael Stephen dropping back to number six in place of Herbie Stupple, who Albion will look to make an impact from the bench.
Part of the reason to play Nasiga and Stephen was to try and help Albion win more line-out ball – an area that let them down against Bristol in their last match.
Albion spent much of the game defending at Bristol as they struggled to get hold of the ball.
"We played well against London Scottish, but lost at Bristol," said Saumi. "This week we have put Repeni in just to get more options in the line-out. He is also good in the tackle."
On the inclusion of Phillips, Saumi, who has had to leave out players like Wayne Sprangle, Harrison Tovey and Ien Ascroft-Leigh to find a place for the Exeter man, said: "We work with Exeter and we have to keep working with them. They help us out a lot and the club might need them again next season.
"They want some of their players involved. James Phillips needs a game. I have explained it to some of the boys that are not involved. It is quite tough but that's the way it is."
Former Premiership club Newcastle have not lost yet this season. However, Albion, who have won the only two previous meetings of the sides in Plymouth when they played at Beacon Park, hope they might have their eyes on the play-offs already.
"Newcastle seem like the ones who will be going up to the Premiership but you never know with the play-offs," said Saumi. "They might be using this game for some of their players to try and stand out."
Albion made them work hard for a 31-15 win at Kingston Park in November.
"Newcastle have had some close games," said Saumi. "I have told the boys that if they want to make their mark and show that we are a very good team then this is the challenge."
Plymouth Albion: McAtee; Bailey, Howley-Berridge, Armitage, Bowen; Cusack, Cushion (capt); Rogers, L Cowan-Dickie, Fairbrother; Beukeboom, Nasiga; Stephen, Matavesi, Carpenter. Replacements: Roberts, Warner, Stupple, Phillips, Salter, Brown, Hocking.
