Brian Archibald has made five changes to Bermuda’s 23-man squad for Saturday’s crucial clash against the Cayman Islands at the National Sports Centre’s North Field.

Mikle Dill, who returned to the island this week after spending the past five months at the Stellenbosch Rugby Academy in South Africa, is the only change to the backline to the team who lost 59-7 to Mexico on May 13.

Up front, powerful young prop Pernell Brangman Jr. is rewarded with a return to the squad following his hard work over the past season.

Brynley Toms will gain his first senior cap, and will represent Bermuda for the first time since winning the regional Under-19 Championship in 2010.

The 6ft4in 286lb prop is the son of local rugby legend Brian Toms, and has being playing for Bedwas in the Welsh Premier Division for the past four seasons, having previously representing Wales Students during his time at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Also in line to make their senior National XV debuts on Saturday are back-row forwards Ben Cook and Tommy Hart, another member of Bermuda’s 2010 Under-19 Championship winning team.

Team manager Artie Darrell said: “While disappointed with our result against Mexico, there are plenty of bright points; our open field play was very strong and we have great ball carriers who play smart, heads-up rugby. We also gave our rookies much needed game time and have shown the youth how high the bar is at this level.

“We have spent the last few weeks regrouping, working on our weaknesses while sharpening our strong points. While it is often a cliché, we must spend our time and energy working on the simple things in the game. During set piece line outs and scrums against Mexico, we often lost possession. This results in much less game time actually holding the ball, making our job a lot more difficult.

“We must say thank you to MS Amlin and DHL for their continued sponsorship, and the support from the community.”

Kick off is at 7pm, and admission is free.

Squad

Forwards: Dustin Archibald, Pernell Brangman Jr, Ben Cook, Pete Dunkerly (captain), Ben Green, Thomas Greenslade, Tommy Hart, Conor McGlynn, Simon Petler, Adam Richards, Darren Richardson, Brynley Toms, Mikey Williams.

Backs: Corey Boyce, Dan Cole, Rich Cumbers, Tashon DeSilva, Mikle Dill, Jahniko Francis, Tom Healy, Tyler Kendall, Calum Maule, Chris Naylor.