Gloucester v Bath latest: Cherry and Whites forced into captaincy change as Wales and England stars out while Johann van Graan rotates again
Seb Atkinson (left) is among Gloucester's injury omissions for this weekend's West Country derby, while Louie Hennessey (right) is rotated in for Bath
Gloucester and Bath have both named their sides for Friday night’s West Country derby, with the respective coaches making changes to their squads.
The sides come into the clash at Kingsholm in differing moods following last weekend’s Investec Champions Cup action, with Gloucester securing a 36-36 draw against back-to-back champions Bordeaux-Bègles while Bath slumped to a 32-14 defeat to Montpellier at home.
However, top spot in the PREM is firmly up for grabs in this contest, with Gloucester topping the pile with 12 points from their opening three fixtures while Bath trail just behind on 11.
Gloucester without England and Wales duo for West Country derby
George Skivington will be without two of his key Test stars this weekend, with Dewi Lake and Seb Atkinson both ruled out due to injury. However, despite that double blow, Gloucester have named a strong squad for the top-of-the-table clash.
George Barton starts at full-back, with Ollie Thorley and Will Knight feature on the wings. Will Joseph and Max Llewellyn get the nod in midfield, while Charlie Atkinson and Caolan Englefield start in the halves. Jack Clement and Freddie Thomas feature alongside matchday captain Jac Morgan, who takes over the role from the aforementioned Lake, while Arthur Clark and Jean Kleyn start in the locks. Ciaran Knight, Seb Blake and Val Rapava-Ruskin are the run-on front-row.
The Gloucester boss has resisted the urge to go 6:2 on the bench, opting instead for a traditional 5:3 split with Jack Innard, Dian Bleuler, Afo Fasogbon, Will Trenholm, Lewis Ludlow, Dan Robson, Max Knight and Ben Redshaw on the bench.
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Johann van Graan makes wholesale changes
Bath have once again opted to rotate their squad, with head of rugby Johann van Graan running wholesale changes from their defeat last weekend. Santi Carreras starts at full-back, with recent Wales call-up Louie Hennessey and England U20s hotshot Tyler Offiah named on the wings. Ollie Lawrence and Cameron Redpath start in the centres, while Finn Russell and captain Ben Spencer are the half-back unit.
Miles Reid comes straight into the squad at number eight, with Guy Pepper and Josh Bayliss named on the flanks. Charlie Ewels joins Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi in the locks, while Archie Griffin, Kepu Tuipulotu and Beno Obano are the starting front-row.
Rugby transfers: West Country teams secure prize midfielders while former All Black retires
Van Graan has opted for his usual 6:2 split on the bench, with Dan Frost, Scott Kirk, Kieran Verden, Ross Molony, Ted Hill and Arthur Green the forward options while Tom Carr-Smith and Ciaran Donoghue cover the backline.
Gloucester v Bath teams in full
Gloucester: 15 George Barton, 14 Ollie Thorley, 13 Will Joseph, 12 Max Llewellyn, 11 Will Knight, 10 Charlie Atkinson, 9 Caolan Englefield, 8 Jack Clement, 7 Jac Morgan (c), 6 Freddie Thomas, 5 Arthur Clark, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Ciaran Knight, 2 Seb Blake, 1 Val Rapava-Ruskin
Replacements: 16 Jack Innard, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Afo Fasogbon, 19 Will Trenholm, 20 Lewis Ludlow, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Max Knight, 23 Ben Redshaw
Bath: 15 Santi Carreras, 14 Louie Hennessey, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Tyler Offiah, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben Spencer (c), 8 Miles Reid, 7 Guy Pepper, 6 Josh Bayliss, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Kepu Tuipulotu, 1 Beno Obano
Replacements: 16 Dan Frost, 17 Scott Kirk, 18 Kieran Verden, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Ted Hill, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Ciaran Donoghue, 23 Arthur Green
Venue: Kingsholm
Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant referees: George Selwood and Jamie Parr
TMO: Peter Allan
Live on: TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports UHD and HBO Max
