DEFIANT director of rugby Dave Robins remains confident his struggling Malvern side can survive in National Three Midlands as they head to Luton tomorrow (ko 3pm).

Forced to make eight changes, the makeshift Spring Lane side crashed to their second successive league loss as they were toppled 31-16 by Peterborough.

But despite this latest defeat Robins says his side can stay up even though they face a tough seven-game run-in against many of the current top eight.

John Clark is back at tighthead prop after recovering from a knee injury, Gareth Taylor goes into the back row.

Captain Philip Rawle is unavailable but James Hynes makes his first start of the season at second row. Dominic Reagan switches from the wing to centre, replaced by Tom Hupfield.

Robins said: “It’s going to be a tough game.

“Even with a full side it’s not an easy place to go. Luton are still going for a play-off place.

“We’ve just got to keep going. Life is difficult at the moment but we’ve got to have faith. We have our backs to the wall but we’ve got to battle on.

“It’s disappointing, we’re hanging on for grim life now.

“Including tomorrow’s game we have seven games to play, six of them against teams currently in the top eight.

“The clubs around us fighting for points are playing clubs in the lower half of the table in their remaining games.

“We certainly have the biggest task. It’s not going to get any easier for us.

“We went to Newport two weeks ago with nine changes and it was eight against Peterborough last week.

“We were without three of our first-choice forwards.

“Every week we are having to make changes, we can’t get a settled side at the moment.”

First-team squad v Luton (away-ko 3pm)-meet at Spring Lane at 10.30am, Ketch Hotel, Worcester at 10.45am, from: J Clark, A Murphy (c), D Murphy, J Hynes, M Williams, G Taylor, C Edwards, S Daws, R Hollyman, A Dixon, J Southall, W Farris, D Reagan, T Hupfield, R Flaming, A Green, J Lock, J Williams.

Third XV v Ross-on-Wye II (home-ko 2.15pm)- meet at Spring Lane at 1pm, from: W Downes, M Prosser, T Wolke (c), D Wolfe, S Taylor, P Sharp, A Hill, J Smith, T Jones, G Richards, B Sharrett, J Engoush, I Ally, G Marshall, B Pullen.