Sale v Newcastle: Teams

The new Aviva Premiership season will get underway as Sale Sharks host Newcastle at Edgeley Park on Friday.

New Sale head coach Mike Brewer has brought in several new faces over the summer after last year's disappointing campaign and four will be handed starts on Friday.

In all, there are nine possible debutants in Brewer's match-day squad as summer signings Paul Williams, Kyle Tonetti, Nic Rouse and Karena Wihongi come straight into the starting line-up at full-back, centre, lock and prop respectively.

Aston Croall, Matty James, Wame Lewaravu and Rhys Crane - who also joined over the off-season - are named on the bench while youngster Tom Brady is handed a first-team debut on the wing.

James Gaskell will skipper the Sharks for the first time as the 20-year-old was recently announced as the club's youngest captain.

Brewer will be hoping to signal Sale's top-six intentions with an opening-day win at home.

Hard work

"The players we have here want to play in the Heineken Cup and know they will have to work hard to achieve that," he said.

"A win tomorrow (Friday) would give everyone a huge boost and galvanise the whole club."

Newcastle hand a debut to fly-half Jeremy Manning, with last season's Golden Boot winner Jimmy Gopperth on the bench as he recovers from an ankle injury.

Scrum-half Micky Young is also named among the replacements with his place taken by Chris Pilgrim.

"It's more a case of not taking any unnecessary risks," new head coach Alan Tait said of the selection.

"We've gone with the guys who have been fit, training at full intensity and have been involved in all the rugby across the summer.

"Jimmy has only been coming back from the last three weeks after his ankle injury, while Micky hurt his groin at the Middlesex Sevens and has been working back to full fitness from that."

There are also Aviva Premiership debuts for centres Andy Henderson and Luke Eves, prop Tim Ryan and number eight Ally Hogg, who all signed in the summer.

Sale: 15 Paul Williams, 14 Tom Brady, 13 Kyle Tonetti, 12 Anitelea Tuilagi, 11 Ben Cohen, 10 Nick Macleod, 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 Sisaro Koyamaibole, 7 David Seymour, 6 Carl Fearns, 5 James Gaskell (capt), 4 Nic Rouse, 3 Karena Wihongi, 2 Neil Briggs , 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements:16 Marc Jones, 17 Aston Croall, 18 Jack Forster, 19 Wame Lewaravu, 20 Sean Cox, 21 Chris Leck, 22 Matty James, 23 Rhys Crane.

Newcastle: 15 Alex Tait, 14 Gcobani Bobo, 13 Luke Eves, 12 Andy Henderson, 11 Charlie Amesbury, 10 Jeremy Manning, 9 Chris Pilgrim, 8 Ally Hogg, 7 Will Welch, 6 Brent Wilson, 5 Tim Swinson, 4 James Hudson (capt), 3 Tim Ryan, 2 Rob Vickers, 1 Jon Golding.
Replacements: 16 Kieran Brookes, 17 Micky Ward, 18 Grant Shiells, 19 Filipo Levi, 20 Redford Pennycook, 21 Micky Young, 22 Jimmy Gopperth, 23 Rob Vickerman.