Rhys Webb handed Bath debut against Bristol

David Skippers

Wales’ Rhys Webb hands off the tackle from Italy’s Callum Braley during the Guinness Six Nations match at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff.

Round 12’s Premiership action will see five games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, with Bath hosting Bristol Bears in the marquee match.

Saturday

Northampton Saints v Saracens

Dan Biggar, Rory Hutchinson and Cobus Reinach all return to Northampton Saints’ starting line-up this weekend for their clash with Saracens.

The hosts are gunning for their first season’s double over the Londoners in the Premiership since the 2014/15 season, following a last-gasp 27-25 win at Allianz Park on the opening day of this campaign.

Director of rugby Chris Boyd has made five changes for Saturday’s clash from the side that went down to Exeter Chiefs last weekend, with all of those coming in the backline.

Fly-half Biggar comes into the 10 jersey as James Grayson is rested following an HIA last weekend, with Reinach set to start alongside the Wales international at scrum-half.

Hutchinson returns from Scotland duty to play at inside centre, with Fraser Dingwall – selected in England’s wider Six Nations squad – outside him in Northampton’s midfield.

In the back three, Harry Mallinder has recovered from a slight hamstring injury to take his place at full-back, with Taqele Naiyaravoro and Ahsee Tuala lining up on the wings.

Saints’ pack is unchanged from last weekend’s outing, with Francois van Wyk, James Fish and Paul Hill all packing down together again in the front-row.

Alex Coles and Lewis Bean are selected in the engine room, while the same blend of youth and experience are utilised in the back-row, as veteran Tom Wood and England U20 international JJ Tonks start at flanker either side of club captain Teimana Harrison – who will lead out Northampton in front of a partisan 15,000-strong home crowd.

Meanwhile, Ben Earl and Nick Tompkins will return from international duty to play for Saracens this weekend.

The duo became the latest academy graduates to earn caps for their respective countries – England and Wales – and slot in at openside flanker and inside centre respectively.

Wing Rotimi Segun has been reinstated on the flank while experienced Richard Wigglesworth is back at scrum-half.

Following a four-week suspension, Will Skelton comes into the second-row to partner Callum Hunter-Hill and USA prop Titi Lamositele replaces Springbok Vincent Koch at tighthead.

Number eight Jackson Wray will captain the side at Franklin’s Gardens.

Form: Northampton Saints’ 7-57 reversal at Exeter on Sunday equalled their largest ever margin of defeat in Premiership Rugby, set at home to Saracens in April 2018. The Saints have now slipped to three successive Premiership Rugby defeats but have not lost four in a row in the tournament since April 2018. The Saints most recent success at Franklin’s Gardens in Premiership Rugby was against Gloucester on December 28. Saracens were beaten 10-60 at Wasps on Friday, their largest margin of defeat in any tournament in the professional era. Saracens have lost their last three away games in the tournament, at Exeter, Harlequins and Wasps. Northampton beat Saracens 27-25 in the opening round this season to end a run of six successive defeats in Premiership Rugby to the Londoners. The last time that Northampton achieved a season’s double over Saracens was in 2014/15.

The teams:

Northampton Saints: 15 Harry Mallinder, 14 Ahsee Tuala, 13 Fraser Dingwall, 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison (c), 7 JJ Tonks, 6 Tom Wood, 5 Lewis Bean, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Paul Hill, 2 James Fish, 1 Francois van Wyk
Replacements: 16 Reece Marshall, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Owen Franks, 19 Ben Glynn, 20 Mitch Eadie, 21 Henry Taylor, 22 Andrew Symons, 23 Matt Proctor

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Rotimi Segun, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Manu Vunipola, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Jackson Wray (c), 7 Ben Earl, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 5 Callum Hunter-Hill, 4 Will Skelton, 3 Titi Lamositele, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Richard Barrington
Replacements: 16 Tom Woolstencroft, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Joel Kpoku, 20 Calum Clark, 21 Alex Day, 22 Dom Morris, 23 Matt Gallagher

Venue: Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant referees: Andrew Jackson, Jonathan Healy
TMO: Sean Davey

Leicester Tigers v Worcester Warriors

Back-row pair Jordan Taufua and Sione Kalamafoni return to the Leicester line-up for Saturday’s home fixture against Worcester Warriors.

Both Taufua and Kalamafoni missed the away game against Sale Sharks last weekend but return to the forward pack where Jake Kerr and Harry Wells are also recalled to the starting line-up.

The backline shows two changes to the squad that travelled to the Sharks with George Worth lining up at centre following injury to Jaco Taute last week and Ben White is at scrum-half on his return to fitness.

Joe Thomas is named among the replacements and could make his first appearance in the Premiership.

Meanwhile, Worcester Warriors centre Ryan Mills will make his first appearance in almost two months on Saturday.

Mills, whose last appearance came against Saracens on January 4, replaces Wales international Ashley Beck, who suffered a shoulder injury against Bristol Bears on Sunday.

Mills is the only change to the side that was edged out at Ashton Gate and it will be only the second time in the Premiership this season that Warriors have been able to make so few changes to their squad.

The squad includes two academy players in wing Nick David and replacement loosehead prop Kai Owen.

David has scored a try in each of his first two Premiership matches while Owen, an England U20s international, made his debut in the competition off the bench at Bristol.

Scotland international fly-half Duncan Weir goes into the match needing nine more points to reach the 400 landmark in only his second season with the Warriors.

Form: Leicester Tigers’ last four matches in Premiership Rugby have all been won by the home side on the day. The Tigers only home defeat in any competition since October was 22-31 to Exeter in Premiership Rugby on 21 December. Worcester Warriors have slipped to four straight Premiership Rugby defeats but have not lost five in succession since October 2017. The Warriors only two away wins this season were both in visits in November, to Harlequins in Gallagher Premiership Rugby and to Enisei in the European Challenge Cup. Worcester have won their last five matches against Leicester in all competitions since the Tigers 34-5 victory at Sixways in March 2018. The Warriors have won on their last two visits to Welford Road in Premiership Rugby, only Saracens and Harlequins have ever won on three trips in succession at the venue in the tournament.

The teams:

Leicester Tigers: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Jonah Holmes, 13 George Worth, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Jordan Olowofela, 10 Noel Reid, 9 Ben White, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Jordan Taufua, 6 Hanro Liebenberg, 5 Harry Wells, 4 Tomás Lavanini, 3 Dan Cole (c), 2 Jake Kerr, 1 Greg Bateman
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Nephi Leatigaga, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Joe Batley, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Harry Simmons, 22 Johnny McPhillips, 23 Joe Thomas

Worcester Warriors: 15 Jamie Shillcock, 14 Perry Humphreys, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Nick David, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Cornell du Preez, 7 Marco Mama, 6 Ted Hill, 5 Graham Kitchener, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Matt Moulds (c), 1 Ethan Waller
Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Kai Owen, 18 Richard Palframan, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Sam Lewis, 21 Michael Heaney, 22 Jono Lance, 23 Scott van Breda

Venue: Welford Road
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Adam Leal
Assistant referees: Craig Maxwell-Keys, Roy Maybank
TMO: David Grashoff

Harlequins v Exeter Chiefs

Experienced prop Mark Lambert is set to make his 250th Harlequins appearance against Exeter Chiefs at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday.

Joining Lambert in the tight five is lock Matt Symons, who returns to the starting line-up having recovered from injury.

Also making a return from injury is Ross Chisholm, who replaces injured wing Cadan Murley, while New Zealand centre Francis Saili is named as a replacement having missed a large part of the season through injury.

Meanwhile, Exeter boss Rob Baxter has resisted tinkering too much with his winning formula from a week ago.

Indeed, his three changes up front are purely rotational with international props Alec Hepburn and Enrique Pieretto getting the nod over international props Ben Moon and Harry Williams.

The other change sees Sam Skinner come in for his first Premiership start of the season, taking over from Jonny Hill in the engine room alongside Jannes Kirsten, who was named man of the match against the Saints last time out.

The South African forward was the standout figure for the Devonians a week ago, but his team-mates around him were equally impressive.

Form: Harlequins have won just once in the last five rounds of Premiership Rugby – 41-14 at home to Saracens on 26 January. The Londoners have lost twice at Twickenham Stoop in Premiership Rugby this season, to Worcester in round 4 and London Irish in Round 10. Exeter Chiefs achieved their third biggest margin of victory in Premiership Rugby with their 57-7 eclipsing of Northampton on Sunday, their only two bigger victories were both against doomed London Welsh in season 2014/15. The Chiefs are unbeaten in their last seven away games in all competitions since their 10-13 reversal at Bath in Round Two of Gallagher Premiership Rugby. Exeter have lost just once in their last eleven meetings with Harlequins in Premiership Rugby – 26-28 at Twickenham Stoop in November 2018.

The teams:

Harlequins: 15 Aaron Morris, 14 Ross Chisholm, 13 Tom Penny, 12 Paul Lasike, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 Alex Dombrandt, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Chisholm, 5 Matt Symons, 4 Glen Young, 3 Simon Kerrod, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Mark Lambert
Replacements: 16 Joe Gray, 17 Nick Auterac, 18 Will Collier, 19 Tevita Cavubati, 20 Semi Kunatani, 21 Niall Saunders, 22 Brett Herron, 23 Francis Saili

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Tom O’Flaherty, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Tom Hendrickson, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Joe Simmonds (c), 9 Nic White, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Jannes Kirsten, 3 Enrique Pieretto, 2 Elvis Taione, 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Jordon Poole, 17 Billy Keast, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Jonny Hill, 20 Don Armand, 21 Jack Maunder, 22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Ollie Devoto

Venue: Twickenham Stoop
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant referees: Jack Makepeace, Philip Watters
TMO: Nigel Carrick

Sunday

London Irish v Wasps

London Irish has named its squad to welcome Wasps to the Madejski Stadium in Round 12 of the Premiership.

In the reverse fixture of Round One, both teams head into the contest having been successful in their last outings.

Harry Elrington and Ollie Hoskins start at loosehead and tighthead prop respectively, with Samoa international Motu Matu’u in the two jersey.

An unchanged second-row duo of Franco van der Merwe and Adam Coleman continue their partnership, with Van der Merwe captaining the side. Matt Rogerson, Blair Cowan and Albert Tuisue make up the back-row.

Ben Meehan starts at scrum-half and Stephen Myler continues in the 10 jersey, with Terrence Hepetema and Curtis Rona the midfield duo.

Ollie Hassell-Collins, fresh from four tries against Gloucester last week, is joined on the wings by Ben Loader, while Tom Parton completes the line-up at full-back.

Meanwhile, Wales international Will Rowlands returns to the Wasps starting line-up for Sunday’s Premiership clash.

The giant lock, who was handed his first cap for Wales against France last weekend, is the only change to the Wasps starting XV which defeated Saracens 60-10 in a Ricoh Arena, Premiership-record win in Round 11.

Kieran Brookes has recovered from a knee injury to be named among the replacements while Sam Spink is back in the matchday 23 after Michael Le Bourgeois sustained an MCL injury in the eight-try win over Saracens.

Elsewhere, Thomas Young will be out for approximately four weeks with a hamstring injury while Sione Vailanu suffered a knee issue against Leicester Tigers, which will put him out of action for approximately two months. Matteo Minozzi remains away on international duty with Italy.

Dan Robson will captain the side once again as Wasps look to build on an impressive 20 tries in the last five Premiership matches, which has seen them pick up four try-bonus points.

Form: London Irish have won their last three Premiership Rugby fixtures, against Northampton, Harlequins and Gloucester, but have not won four in a row in the tournament for almost a decade. The Exiles have won just twice at Madejski Stadium in Premiership Rugby this season, against Leicester in Round Four and Gloucester in Round 11. Wasps beat Saracens 60-10 at Ricoh Arena on Friday, their biggest margin of victory in Premiership Rugby since beating London Welsh 71-7 at Adams Park in November 2014. Wasps have won just twice away from home in Premiership Rugby this season, at Bristol in Round Seven and at Worcester in Round Nine. London Irish beat Wasps 29-26 in Round One this season to end a six-game winless run against the Midlanders, they have not achieved a season’s double over them since 2001/02. Wasps are unbeaten on their last three visits to Madejski Stadium in Premiership Rugby.

The teams:

London Irish: 15 Tom Parton, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Terrence Hepetema, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Ben Meehan, 8 Albert Tuisue, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Matt Rogerson, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Franco van der Merwe (c), 3 Ollie Hoskins, 2 Motu Matu’u, 1 Harry Elrington
Replacements: 16 Dave Porecki, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Steve Mafi, 20 Ben Donnell, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Bryce Campbell, 23 James Stokes

Wasps: 15 Marcus Watson, 14 Zach Kibirige, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Jimmy Gopperth, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Dan Robson (c), 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Jack Willis, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Thibaud Flament, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Biyi Alo, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ben Harris
Replacements: 16 Gabriel Oghre, 17 Tom West, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Charlie Matthews, 20 Ben Morris, 21 Will Porter, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Sam Spink

Venue: Madejski Stadium
Kick-off: 14:30 GMT
Referee: Tom Foley
Assistant referees: Hamish Smales, Gareth Holsgrove
TMO: Geoffrey Warren

Bath v Bristol Bears

New signing Rhys Webb will make his first start for the Blue, Black and White as the biggest West Country rivalry takes centre stage at the Rec this Sunday.

The home side are also boosted by the return of Taulupe Faletau, Will Stuart and Beno Obano from international camps ahead of the weekend’s clash when Bristol Bears head to Bath.

Both sides come into the match off the back of three straight Premiership wins, with Bath looking to overturn the result from their early season meeting.

Stuart returns from England duty to replace Christian Judge at tighthead while Mike Williams comes back into the starting line-up for Tom Ellis, who moves to the bench.

Faletau comes in for Zach Mercer at number eight to make up the pack. Beno Obano is the other notable change to the bench, returning to the squad from England camp.

Meanwhile, Jordan Crane makes his first competitive outing of the season when Bristol face Bath in the West Country derby.

The hugely experienced back-rower is one of seven changes to the side that secured a third successive Premiership victory last weekend.

Director of rugby Pat Lam includes Alapati Leiua and Andy Uren in the backline, with Henry Purdy (hamstring) missing out.

In the pack, Yann Thomas makes his first league start of the campaign, while Shaun Malton also returns to the front-row. Ed Holmes comes into the second-row, while Chris Vui remains at blindside flanker.

Steven Luatua comes back into the side as skipper, after missing the win over Worcester with a neck injury.

Nathan Hughes is listed among the replacements, while Ian Madigan and Mat Protheroe are also included.

Form: Bath’s only defeat in the last six rounds of Premiership Rugby was 15-29 at Gloucester on 4 January. Bath have lost only once at the Recreation Ground since this weekend last year – 12-25 to Saracens in Premiership Rugby in November. Bristol Bears have won their last three Premiership Rugby fixtures but have not won four in succession in the tournament since 2006/07. The Bears have won twice on the road in Premiership Rugby this season, at Exeter in Round Four and at Northampton in Round 10. Bristol have lost just once in their last four encounters with Bath in Premiership Rugby – 19-26 in ‘The Clash’ at Twickenham in April 2019. The Bears most recent success at the recreation Ground was 19-12 in Premiership Rugby in November 2006.

The teams:

Bath: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Ruaridh McConnochie, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Francois Louw (c), 6 Mike Williams, 5 Elliott Stooke, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jack Walker, 1 Lewis Boyce
Replacements: 16 Tom Doughty, 17 Beno Obano, 18 Christian Judge, 19 Tom Ellis, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Chris Cook, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Max Wright

Bristol Bears: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 Sam Bedlow, 11 Alapati Leiua, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Jordan Crane, 7 Steven Luatua (c), 6 Chris Vui, 5 Joe Joyce, 4 Ed Holmes, 3 Lewis Thiede, 2 Shaun Malton, 1 Yann Thomas
Replacements: 16 Will Capon, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 Max Lahiff, 19 Nathan Hughes, 20 Luke Hamilton, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Mat Protheroe

Venue: Recreation Ground
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant referees: Jamie Leahy, Paul Dix
TMO: Keith Lewis

 

Bath