Charles Piutau returns for top-of-the-table clash

David Skippers
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There’s two massive Premiership games scheduled to take place on Tuesday, with Wasps hosting Sale Sharks and Bristol Bears facing Exeter Chiefs.

Wasps v Sale Sharks

Wasps head coach Lee Blackett has named his side for their Round 16 match with Sale Sharks at Ricoh Arena on Tuesday.

All but one of the starting XV that restarted Wasps’ Premiership campaign, against Northampton Saints a week ago, return to face Sale. The only change to that starting team sees the injured Kieran Brookes replaced by Jeff Toomaga-Allen.

There is one potential Wasps debutant in the matchday 23, as 18-year-old Senior Academy and England U18 fly-half Charlie Atkinson is named amongst the replacements.

Meanwhile, Sale Sharks have announced several changes to their matchday 23 after defeat to league leaders Exeter Chiefs in Round 15, as director of rugby Steve Diamond rotates his squad.

An almost complete change of personnel in the forwards sees Ross Harrison, Curtis Langdon and Jake Cooper-Woolley take their places in the starting line-up. James Phillips and Matt Postlethwaite replace Lood de Jager and Jean-Luc du Preez in a powerful second-row combination for the trip to Coventry, Du Preez remains involved and takes his place as a replacement on an experienced bench.

A back-row including academy graduates Cameron Neild and Ben Curry alongside Jono Ross complete the pack.

Will Cliff makes his first post lockdown start at scrum-half and pairs up with AJ MacGinty for the first time this season after both players impressed from the bench on Friday. The experienced half-back combination have the talents of Rohan Janse van Rensburg outside them with the 17 stone South-African returning to his usual position of inside centre having completed a two-match suspension. England U20 captain Connor Doherty joins the powerful Springbok in midfield on his first Premiership start.

22-year-old Arron Reed also makes his first Premiership start this season alongside Doherty, the winger replaces Bryon McGuigan who suffered a hamstring strain last Friday. The electric academy prospect is joined in the back three by first-team stalwarts Denny Solomona and Luke James.

Form: Wasps have won their last five Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches (all with a try bonus point) since their defeat at Leicester in February. Wasps have won their last three in a row at Ricoh Arena, their best run at the stadium since the end of the 2017/18 campaign. Sale Sharks have lost both of their matches since the return, at Harlequins and at home to Exeter Chiefs. Sharks have not lost three successive Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches since September 2018. Sale have won two of their last four away games in Premiership Rugby. The Sharks have won their last three encounters with Wasps in all competitions including their first ever victory at Ricoh Arena, 24-18 in Premiership Rugby in February 2019.

The teams:

Wasps: 15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Zach Kibirige, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Jimmy Gopperth, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Brad Shields, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Jack Willis, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 3 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ben Harris
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Tom West, 18 Jack Owlett, 19 Tim Cardall, 20 Sione Vailanu, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Charlie Atkinson, 23 Ryan Mills

Sale Sharks: 15 Luke James, 14 Denny Solomona, 13 Connor Doherty, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Arron Reed, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Will Cliff, 8 Jono Ross, 7 Ben Curry (c), 6 Cameron Neild, 5 James Phillips, 4 Matt Postlethwaite, 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 2 Curtis Langdon, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Valery Morozov, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Jean-Luc du Preez, 20 Lood de Jager, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Sam James, 23 Tom Roebuck

Venue: Ricoh Arena
Kick-off: 17:30 BST
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant Referees: Greg Macdonald, Jonathan Healy
TMO: Nigel Carrick

Bristol Bears v Exeter Chiefs

Piers O’Conor returns from a neck injury to start when Bristol welcome table-topping Exeter Chiefs to Ashton Gate on Tuesday.

Director of rugby Pat Lam makes nine changes from the side that secured a seventh successive Premiership victory over Gloucester in Round 15.

Charles Piutau and Luke Morahan are recalled to the backline, while Harry Randall is also included.

In the pack, Max Lahiff and Bryan Byrne are named in the front-row, while Ed Holmes and Dave Attwood form the second-row partnership. Dan Thomas is selected at openside.

Academy fly-half Ioan Lloyd comes back into the 23-man squad and is listed among the replacements.

Meanwhile, just four days after claiming maximum reward from their 32-22 win at Sale Sharks, the Chiefs travel to their local rivals with wholesale changes to their side.

Having stuck largely with an unchanged starting XV for their bonus-point victories against Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks, only winger Olly Woodburn remains in place from those two games for the short trip up the M5.

Aside from Woodburn, the Chiefs have made 14 changes to their starting line-up from that which won at the AJ Bell Stadium. Skipper Jack Yeandle heads up a pack which sees Welsh International prop Tomas Francis make his first league start since May 2019.

Behind, Scottish international Sam Hidalgo-Clyne gets his first start in the nine jersey for his new club, while fellow newcomer Josh Hodge will also make his Premiership debut at full-back.

Form: Bristol Bears are unbeaten in their last nine first team games since Leicester beat them 31-18 at Welford Road in Round Eight of Gallagher Premiership Rugby. The Bears have lost only once at Ashton Gate in any competition since March 2019: 21-26 to Wasps in Round Seven of Premiership Rugby. Exeter Chiefs racked up a third successive maximum point victory at Sale on Friday, whilst their only defeat away from home in any tournament since October was 30-34 at Harlequins in Gallagher Premiership Rugby on 29 February. Bristol beat Exeter 20-17 at Sandy Park in round four but have not achieved a league double over their south-west rivals since the two met in Premiership Two in season 1998/99. Incredibly Exeter have won on their last six visits to Bristol in all competitions, four at Ashton Gate and two at Memorial Stadium.

The teams:

Bristol Bears: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Semi Radradra, 12 Piers O’Conor, 11 Henry Purdy, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Harry Randall, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 Steven Luatua (c), 5 Dave Attwood, 4 Ed Holmes, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Bryan Byrne, 1 Max Lahiff
Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 John Afoa, 19 Joe Joyce, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Andy Uren, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Alapati Leiua

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Josh Hodge, 14 Tom O’Flaherty, 13 Phil Dollman, 12 Tom Hendrickson, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 8 Sean Lonsdale, 7 Don Armand, 6 Jannes Kirsten, 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Dave Dennis, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Jack Yeandle (c), 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Jack Innard, 17 Billy Keast, 18 Marcus Street, 19 Will Witty, 20 Richard Capstick, 21 Joe Snow, 22 Harvey Skinner, 23 Tom Wyatt

Venue: Ashton Gate
Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Craig Maxwell-Keys, Karl Dickson
TMO: Rowan Kitt

 

Bristol