Preview: Anglo-Welsh Cup Final, Bath v Exeter

Editor

Bath head coach Todd Blackadder has made three changes to his starting line-up for the Anglo-Welsh Cup Final against Exeter at Kingsholm.

Matt Banahan comes in on the right wing, whilst Freddie Burns and Kahn Fotuali’i form a new half-back pairing.

Tom Homer continues his run at full-back, with Banahan and Cooper Vuna occupying the wing positions. Will Hurrell and James Wilson join forces in the midfield, with Burns and Fotuali’i looking to pull the strings at fly-half and scrum-half respectively.

Beno Obano, Nathan Charles and Max Lahiff form in an unchanged front-row, with Charlie Ewels once again captaining the side from the second-row. Levi Douglas joins Ewels at lock, after scoring in Bath’s 13-12 semi-final triumph over Northampton Saints last week.

Tom Ellis, who completed an impressive return to action against Saints lines up at blindside flanker, with Josh Bayliss and James Phillips completing the back-row.

There is also a return for Will Homer, as the scrum-half takes his place among the replacements.

Meanwhile, Exeter international props Moray Low and Greg Holmes, who were the cornerstones of an outstanding scrummaging display against Newcastle last week, are retained while behind there is the likes of Dave Dennis, Matt Kvesic, Julian Salvi and Kai Horstmann to call upon.

Number eight Horstmann is promoted back into the starting line-up for Sunday’s game and he will have the honour of skippering the Chiefs on this his 100th appearance for the club.

Behind the Exeter eight, the Chiefs go with a new-look half-back pairing of Will Chudley and Gareth Steenson, while the only other change sees Tom Hendrickson come into the midfield alongside former Bath favourite Ollie Devoto.

Coach Ricky Pellow admits he likes the make-up of his side, which includes the experienced Horstmann, who is set to bring the curtain down on his professional career at the end of the current campaign.

“Kai will lead the side,” said Pellow. “He’s coming in for a reason. Not only does he lead from the front on the pitch, but off the field he is just as good. The players all have a lot of respect for him, as they do for the likes of Julian Salvi and Dave Dennis. Having those kind of on-field leaders is huge for us and will be key come the weekend.”

The teams:

Bath: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Will Hurrell, 12 James Wilson, 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Kahn Fotuali’i, 8 James Phillips, 7 Josh Bayliss, 6 Tom Ellis, 5 Charlie Ewels (c), 4 Levi Douglas, 3 Max Lahiff, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Beno Obano
Replacements: 16 Michael van Vuuren, 17 Nick Auterac, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Elliott Stooke, 20 Paul Grant, 21 Will Homer, 22 Ben Tapuai, 23 Aled Brew

Exeter: 15 Santiago Cordero, 14 Tom O’Flaherty, 13 Tom Hendrickson, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 James Short, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Will Chudley, 8 Kai Horstmann (c), 7 Julian Salvi, 6 Matt Kvesic, 5 Dave Dennis, 4 Toby Salmon, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Jack Innard, 1 Moray Low
Replacements: 16 Paul Davis, 17 James Kenny, 18 Jack Owlett, 19 Wilhelm Van der Sluys, 20 James Freeman, 21 Joe Snow, 22 Sam Morley, 23 Harry Strong

Date: Sunday, March 18
Venue: Kingsholm
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Adam Jones (Wales), Gareth John (Wales)
TMO: Sean Brickell (Wales)