Warwickshire need to win to retain their place in the top flight of the three-tier competition, but victory might also help them to secure the North group title and a place in the final at Twickenham on June 1 if Yorkshire do them a favour by beating group leaders Lancashire in the Roses Match at Harrogate.

"It's an unsual position to be in but the most important thing is that we beat Cheshire to ensure that we keep our place having won promotion last season," said Warwickshire's head coach John Widdowson.

"Cheshire are also fighting to stay up as are Yorkshire who could do us a favour if they beat Lancashire in the Roses Match. But first and fore-most our priority has to be to beat Cheshire."

Warwickshire will be without Nuneaton scrumhalf Huw Thomas, who kicked two conversions in their 14-10 win over Yorkshire last weekend, Kenilworth centre James Hersey, and Coventry full-back Ben Russell, who are unavailable this weekend.

Cov's former England Under-18 scrumhalf Nathan Jones will replace Thomas, Nuneaton's Alex Croft comes in for Hersey and Watreloo's John Loudon setps in for Russell.

In one non-enforced change Ronnie McLean replaces Cov teammate Sam Montague on the wing.

Warwickshire: Loudon (Waterloo), McLean (Coventry), Croft, Peacock (both Nuneaton), Johnson (Coventry); Jones, Dorrian (both Coventry); Maddocks, Whitehead (both Coventry), Boulton (Rotherham), Cheney (Rugby Lions), Hodge (Coventry), Simkiss, Morris (both Broadstreet), Southwell (Nuneaton). Reps: Southwell (Broadstreet), Dugard (Coventry), Greavy (Broadstreet), Callaway (Earlsdon), Parker, Brown (both Kenilworth), Montague (Coventry).

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