“Chris has fitted in well at training and has been really positive around the squad,” said rugby director Phil Maynard, who signed Mahony just before the registration deadline in January. “He has been a high class performer and we want to get him playing as quickly as possible.

“It freshens the whole thing up and adds more competition.”

Aaron Carpenter captains the side for the second time after taking charge at Nottingham last Sunday and moves to blindside flanker with Alex Shaw returning at No.8. Centre Phil Mackenzie and flanker Richie Bignell also return to the starting XV from the bench, Matt Dwyer lines up at hooker after playing for the Barbarians in midweek, and Nathan Jones continues at scrum-half after playing an hour last weekend in his first game back from injury.

Neath were regular adversaries of Cov until the rise in league rugby brought an end to regular Anglo-Welsh fixtures and, currently lying second in the Welsh Premiership behind Swansea, guarantee a warm reception for visitors to The Gnoll.

“Hardly any of our lads have played down there and I don’t think they appreciate what they are going to come up against,” said Maynard.

“They are a very partisan crowd who for 80 minutes are a bit one-eyed over what happens on that bit of green in the middle, and this will be as full-on a game of rugby as we will have all season.

“But it’s a fantastic place to play, it never changes, and it is probably my favourite ground in Wales along with Swansea. It will be a test, but we are looking to win the game and see significant improvement in certain areas we have been working on.”

Former Cov coach Steve Williams is now part of the coaching team at Neath and the side includes back row forward Gareth Gravell who played 30 games in his one and a half seasons at the Butts Park Arena between 2004 and 2006.

The two clubs have an identical record in the British & Irish Cup with a win over Heriot’s but defeats against Munster, Bristol and Nottingham.

Coventry: Mahony; Frewin, Mackenzie, C Lewis, J Lewis; Apikotoa, Jones; Maddocks or Dugard, Dwyer, Hall, Herrington, Dechartres, Carpenter, Bignell, Shaw. Reps: Russell, Plantey or Johnson, Walls, Maddocks or Dugard, McMillan, McGowan, Askew. Kick-off 2.30pm.

* Birmingham & Solihull will start the Championship relegation play-offs with a two-point penalty after fielding an unregistered player against Doncaster two weeks ago.

The club failed to re-register hooker George Thomas when he returned from a loan spell at Loughborough Students.

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