Rod Petty, Birmingham & Solihull's highly versatile back, is set to make his 100th appearance for the Bees this weekend, as they take on London Welsh at Damson Park on (Sunday 21st November, Kick off 3pm).

The 31 year old Australian has been an integral part of the Bees set up, since making his debut for the Club against Exeter in 2006. His role this season, according to Bees’ Director of Rugby Russell Earnshaw has been more influential than ever.

"Chopper has been a standout performer this year, operating at both scrum half, fly half and in the centre too as required, often coming off the bench and making a real impact. He has also worn the captain's armband on a number of occasions, reflecting his status as one of the more senior members in the squad."

Looking ahead to Sunday's game, the landmark appearance is certainly not front of mind for the phlegmatic Aussie. "It's bound to be a tough game – they’re flying at the moment, but saying that Bristol was a tough game that nobody expected us to get anything out of and we came out on top, so anything can happen in rugby. We’re confident, we’ve been working on our plays this week and we know we can get something from the game."

The Bees go into Sunday's game after a disappointing 46-23 defeat away at Nottingham on Friday week, whilst London Welsh go into this weekend's fixture in 4th place in the Championship Table. They recorded a 33-9 victory against the Bees when the two sides met at The Old Deer Park in September.

"We’ve got a really good squad, we perhaps have just struggled for some consistency and this hasn’t been helped by injuries to key players at key times. But I think if we can build on performances like the Bristol game, then we can still finish in the top 8, as there really isn’t much in the league at the moment." said Rod Petty.

Petty forms a centre partnership with Will Lawson, with Tomasi Tanumi starting on the wing. Ross McMillan captains the side, whilst Ben Gerry makes a welcome return from injury on the bench, along side dual registered prop Alex Waller, and fellow Northampton player Dan Sanderson.

The Bees team to face London Welsh at Damson Park on Sunday 21st November, kick off 3pm is as follows: 1. Rob Dugard, 2. Ross McMillan (c), 3. Nglau Tau, 4. Semisi Taulava, 5. Adrian Griffiths, 6. Mike Denbee, 7. Jack Preece, 8. Rob Connolly, 9. Jimmy Williams, 10. Mark Woodrow, 11. Mitch Culpin, 12. Rod Petty, 13. Will Lawson, 14. Tomasi Tanumi and 15. Tom Foden. On the bench:- 16. Mauro Sperandio, 17. Alex Waller, 18. Ben Gerry, 19. Dan Sanderson, 20. Adam Clayton, 21. Ollie Grove and 22. Simon Hunt.