Test stars back for Super Saturday in Champions Cup

Adam Kyriacou

There’s five games in Pool 2 of the Champions Cup on Saturday but the action begins with a Pool 1 clash between Bristol Bears and Clermont.

Bristol Bears v Clermont Auvergne

Featuring in Europe’s premier club rugby competition for the first time since 2008, Bristol boss Pat Lam welcomes back a host of returning internationals to his matchday squad.

Max Malins and Ben Earl are listed to start for the Ashton Gate clash, while Callum Sheedy also comes into the backline.

Bristol include Ioan Lloyd and Kyle Sinckler among the replacements, while Siva Naulago could make his competitive debut from the bench.

Meanwhile, Clermont Auvergne are boosted by the return of Peceli Yato to the XV, with the back-rower starting after being on the bench for the past two Top 14 rounds.

He is alongside Judicaël Cancoriet and Fritz Lee, while Sébastien Vahaamahina and Sitaleki Timani complete the back five.

Rabah Slimani is also handed a start, looking to shore up a scrum which struggled against Montpellier, with Adrien Pélissié and Etienne Falgoux completing the pack.

Behind the scrum, there is a familiar look to the backline as Morgan Parra and Camille Lopez once again combine at half-back, while George Moala, Apisai Naqalevu, Damian Penaud and Kotaro Matsushima are all retained.

There is just one alteration with Alivereti Raka, who was on France duty last weekend, preferred to Peter Betham on the left wing.

The teams:

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

Clermont: 15 Kotaro Matsushima, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Apisai Naqalevu, 12 George Moala, 11 Alivereti Raka, 10 Camille Lopez (c), 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Peceli Yato, 6 Judicaël Cancoriet, 5 Sébastien Vahaamahina, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Adrien Pélissié, 1 Etienne Falgoux
Replacements: 16 Etienne Fourcade, 17 Peni Ravai, 18 Sipili Falatea, 19 Paul Jedrasiak, 20 Tavite Veredamu, 21 Sébastien Bézy, 22 Tim Nanai-Williams, 23 Tani Vili

Venue: Ashton Gate
Kick-off: 13:00 GMT
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Craig Maxwell-Keys (England), Paul Dix (England)
TMO: Trevor Fisher (England)

Bath v Scarlets

Bath make seven changes to their side as the Blue, Black and White open up their Champions Cup campaign against Scarlets at the Rec on Saturday.

Following international duty in the recent Autumn Nations Cup competition, the side are boosted by the return of England’s Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Will Stuart and Sam Underhill, as well as Wales’ Taulupe Faletau.

Will Stuart comes into the front-row and will make his first appearance of the season following his involvement in the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Cup, joining Beno Obano and Tom Dunn.

Charlie Ewels comes in for Elliott Stooke at lock and captains the side whilst Underhill and Faletau replace Josh Bayliss and Zach Mercer respectively.

Joseph slots into midfield with Josh Matavesi switching into the 10 shirt to replace Rhys Priestland, who is recovering from his head injury against Worcester Warriors in Round Three of the Premiership.

Joe Cokanasiga replaces Semesa Rokoduguni on the wide channel and Watson comes in for Tom de Glanville at full-back.

Meanwhile, Gareth Davies is set to make his 200th appearance in Scarlets colours after being named in the side to face Bath.

The scrum-half made his Scarlets debut 11 years ago and joins an elite band of players from the regional era to reach the double century milestone.

Davies is one of nine internationals that featured in the Autumn Nations Cup returning to the Scarlets matchday squad, seven of them in the starting XV.

Wales and Lions full-back Leigh Halfpenny links up with Ryan Conbeer and Steff Evans in an exciting back three. Elsewhere in the back division, Tyler Morgan and Steff Hughes combine in midfield with Hughes continuing to captain the side. Davies is partnered by Dan Jones at half-back.

Up front, the all-Wales front-row of Wyn Jones, Ryan Elias and Samson Lee return en bloc, while another Wales international, Jake Ball, joins Sam Lousi in the second-row.

The only change in the back-row sees Scotland’s Blade Thomson come in at blindside flanker alongside number eight Sione Kalamafoni and Jac Morgan.

Among the replacements, Rob Evans, Marc Jones and Javan Sebastian provide the front-row cover; 21-year-old lock Morgan Jones will make his European debut if he comes off the bench, while Josh Macleod has recovered from the hamstring injury he picked up in Glasgow in October. Kieran Hardy, Angus O’Brien and Jonathan Davies cover the backline.

Injuries have ruled out Wales internationals Johnny Williams, Liam Williams, Rhys Patchell, James Davies and Johnny McNicholl, who failed a late fitness test on a rib issue.

The players who tested positive for Covid-19 a couple of weeks ago are currently going through return-to-play conditioning programmes in accordance with public health guidelines and were unavailable for selection.

The teams:

Bath: 15 Anthony Watson, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Ruaridh McConnochie, 10 Josh Matavesi, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Mike Williams, 5 Charlie Ewels (c), 4 Josh McNally, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Beno Obano
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Christian Judge, 19 Elliott Stooke, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Zach Mercer, 22 Will Chudley, 23 Semesa Rokoduguni

Scarlets: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Ryan Conbeer, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Steff Hughes (c), 11 Steff Evans, 10 Dan Jones, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Blade Thomson, 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements: 16 Marc Jones, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Javan Sebastian, 19 Morgan Jones, 20 Josh Macleod, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Angus O’Brien, 23 Jonathan Davies

Venue: Recreation Ground
Kick-off: 15:15 GMT
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)
Assistant Referees: Christophe Ridley (England), Sara Cox (England)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)

Toulon v Sale Sharks

Toulon will look to feast on any possible negative fallout from the goings on at Sale this past week when they kick off their European campaign against the Sharks.

In team news there is All Black quality in their midfield where Ma’a Nonu and Isaia Toeava combine while internationals Ramiro Moyano and Gabin Villière provide the sparkle on the wings.

There’s two French internationals in the halves as Baptiste Serin and Louis Carbonel start together while up front Eben Etzebeth and Brian Alainu’uese are the locks in a team skippered by number eight Sergio Parisse.

Meanwhile, the Sharks’ coaching set-up make three changes to the squad that beat London Irish last Sunday, with newly-appointed head coach Paul Deacon stating that preparations have continued as normal during his first week in charge at the club.

Bevan Rodd’s inclusion as the starting loosehead prop is the only change to Sale’s pack this week, with Akker van der Merwe and Will-Griff John remaining in the front-row for the trip to France. James Phillips and Matt Postlethwaite pair up in the second-row with Cobus Wiese, Jono Ross and Jean-Luc du Preez in the back-row at six, seven and eight respectively.

Will Cliff will wear the number nine shirt as Sale get their first taste of European action this season, the experienced Premiership scrum-half teams up with USA international AJ MacGinty who starts at fly-half.

Sam Hill returns to the 23 of the first time this season. Hill is named at inside centre with Robert du Preez providing a further distribution option outside him in the 13 shirt. Marland Yarde, Simon Hammersley and Luke James combine again in the back three to complete the starting XV.

Ross Harrison is included in the Sale squad for the first since time since picking up an ankle injury versus Northampton Saints last season and provides a welcome boost to the Sharks’ front-row options ahead of their European campaign. Faf de Klerk, Sam James and Denny Solomona are other notable inclusions on the replacements bench.

The teams:

Toulon: 15 Duncan Paia’aua, 14 Ramiro Moyano, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Gabin Villière, 10 Louis Carbonel, 9 Baptiste Serin, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Raphael Lakafia, 6 Swan Rebbadj, 5 Brian Alainu’uese, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Emerick Setiano, 2 Anthony Etrillard, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Bruce Devaux, 18 Luka Tchelidze, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Facundo Isa, 21 Simon Moretti, 22 Anthony Meric, 23 Masivesi Dakuwaqa

Sale Sharks: 15 Luke James, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 Rob du Preez, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Simon Hammersley, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Will Cliff, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Jono Ross (c), 6 Cobus Wiese, 5 James Phillips, 4 Matthew Postlethwaite, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Bevan Rodd
Replacements: 16 Curtis Langdon, 17 Ross Harrison, 18 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 19 Sam Dugdale, 20 Ewan Ashman, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Sam James, 23 Denny Solomona

Venue: Stade Felix-Mayol
Kick-off: 16:15 local (15:15 GMT)
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Thomas Charabas (France), Vincent Blasco Baqué (France)
TMO: Pierre Brousset (France)

Dragons v Wasps

Wales international back-row Aaron Wainwright and centre Nick Tompkins return to the starting line-up as the Dragons face Wasps in the Champions Cup at Rodney Parade.

Fellow internationals Elliot Dee, Leon Brown and Jonah Holmes are also named among the replacements as the region return to the top tier of European competition for the first time in almost a decade.

Director of Dragons rugby Dean Ryan makes a total of five changes to the side that defeated Glasgow Warriors last weekend for the huge Round One encounter on home soil.

Star centre Tompkins is the only change in a backline that will see scrum-half and captain Rhodri Williams make his 50th appearance for the region.

Two changes to the front-row see hooker Richard Hibbard and Lloyd Fairbrother called up to pack down with Brok Harris.

Lock Joe Maksymiw is named in the second-row alongside Ben Carter.

The final change is the call-up for Wainwright who slots into the blindside jersey, with Harrison Keddie moving to openside.

Exciting young prop Josh Reynolds is among the new faces on the bench and could make his first appearance of the season.

For Wasps, Lee Blackett has made eight changes to the starting XV that played Newcastle Falcons last time out.

Wasps’ international quartet of Dan Robson, Will Rowlands, Jack Willis and club-captain Joe Launchbury return to the starting line-up.

Charlie Atkinson starts at fly-half for his European debut, with Jacob Umaga sidelined with a knock picked up against the Falcons.

There are also Wasps European debuts for Alfie Barbeary at number eight and Paolo Odogwu at outside centre.

There is an all-new front-row with Tom West, Tom Cruse and Kieran Brookes packing down against Dragons.

Amongst the replacements Zurabi Zhvania could make his first Wasps appearance since February.

The teams:

Dragons: 15 Josh Lewis, 14 Jared Rosser, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Ashton Hewitt, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Rhodri Williams (c), 8 Ollie Griffiths, 7 Harrison Keddie, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Joe Maksymiw, 4 Ben Carter, 3 Lloyd Fairbrother, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Brok Harris
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Joshua Reynolds, 18 Leon Brown, 19 Matthew Screech, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Jack Dixon, 23 Jonah Holmes

Wasps: 15 Lima Sopoaga, 14 Zach Kibirige, 13 Paulo Odogwu, 12 Jimmy Gopperth, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Charlie Atkinson, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Alfie Barbeary, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Jack Willis, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Tom Cruse, 1 Tom West
Replacements: 16 Gabriel Oghre, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 19 Tim Cardall, 20 Ben Morris, 21 Will Porter, 22 Michael Le Bourgeois, 23 Matteo Minozzi

Venue: Rodney Parade
Kick-off: 17:30 GMT
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Gwyn Morris (Wales)
TMO: Nigel Owens (Wales)

Montpellier v Leinster

Montpellier have made three changes to their XV to face four-time winners Leinster in their Champions Cup opener at GGL Stadium.

Englishman Alex Lozowski starts at fly-half ahead of youngster Louis Foursans, who drops to the bench, and he is joined at half-back by Benoit Paillaugue, with Cobus Reinach not even in the squad.

Up front, there is no place for Fulgence Ouedraogo as Nico Janse van Rensburg takes his place at blindside flanker.

There is plenty of experience and power among the replacements with Bismarck du Plessis, Louis Picamoles and Caleb Timu all looking to make an impact off the bench.

For Leinster, Jimmy O’Brien has recovered from a back injury to take his place at full-back, with the former Newbridge College player making his European debut.

Hugo Keenan, fresh from his involvement with Ireland during the Autumn Nations Cup, starts on the right wing with Dave Kearney, who already has four tries to his name this season, selected on the left.

In the centre, Ciarán Frawley makes his first start in Europe after a number of impressive performances for the team already this season and he will be partnered by Robbie Henshaw, who makes his 50th appearance in Leinster colours.

The half-back pairing sees Luke McGrath at scrum-half and Ross Byrne selected in the number 10 jersey.

In the pack, Peter Dooley, James Tracy, and Michael Bent are selected in the front-row, with Devin Toner and Scott Fardy behind them in the second-row.

Rhys Ruddock captains the side from blindside flanker, with Josh van der Flier on the openside. Caelan Doris completes the pack from number eight.

Amongst the replacements for Leinster are a number of players returning from international duty, including Johnny Sexton and James Ryan, who have recovered from their respective injuries to take their place on the bench.

The teams:

Montpellier: 15 Vincent Rattez, 14 Gabriel N’gandebe, 13 Yvan Reilhac, 12 Arthur Vincent (c), 11 Vincent Martin, 10 Alex Lozowski, 9 Benoit Paillaugue, 8 Jacques du Plessis, 7 Yacouba Camara, 6 Nico Janse van Rensburg, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Bastien Chalureau, 3 Mohamed Haouas, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Grégory Fichten
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Enzo Forletta, 18 Titi Lamositele, 19 Louis Picamoles, 20 Caleb Timu, 21 Louis Foursans, 22 Paul Vallée, 23 Axel Bevia

Leinster: 15 Jimmy O’Brien, 14 Hugo Keenan, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Ciaran Frawley, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Rhys Ruddock (c), 5 Scott Fardy, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Michael Bent, 2 James Tracy, 1 Peter Dooley
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 James Ryan, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Johnny Sexton, 23 Dan Leavy

Venue: GGL Stadium
Kick-off: 18:30 local (17:30 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees: Tual Trainini (France), Cedric Marchat (France)
TMO: Eric Briquet-Campin (France)

Edinburgh v La Rochelle

Head coach Richard Cockerill named 11 Scotland players from the recent Autumn Nations Cup campaign in the Edinburgh squad to face Top 14 leaders La Rochelle in the Champions Cup at Murrayfield.

The match marks a return to the top-flight of European cup competition for the capital side, who secured their return with last season’s first-place finish in Conference B of the PRO14.

The club will start nine of the returning international 11 in the Pool A opener, with back three trio Blair Kinghorn (full-back), Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe (both wing), and newly-capped fly-half Jaco van der Walt, returning to the backline.

Re-joining the pack are the Scotland quintet of hooker and co-captain Stuart McInally, tighthead prop WP Nel, lock Ben Toolis and back-row forwards Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson.

The starting changes are completed by the return from injury of 22-times capped centre Mark Bennett (leg) and number eight Viliame Mata, who is promoted from the bench after beginning his return from a long injury layoff last weekend.

The result is a largely new-look side, with the four remaining starters retained from last weekend’s league loss to Ulster: centre Chris Dean, scrum-half and co-captain Henry Pyrgos, loosehead prop Pierre Schoeman and lock Andrew Davidson.

The remaining two players returning from Scotland camp are named on the bench, where Rory Sutherland and Simon Berghan await the chance to enter the fray at loosehead and tighthead prop respectively.

An appearance this Saturday for Davidson and replacements Nathan Chamberlain and Mike Willemse would also mark their competition debut, Davidson and Willemse adding to their Challenge Cup efforts last season.

Meanwhile, French high-fliers La Rochelle will be looking to replicate their impressive domestic form on the European stage and name a strong side for the trip to Scotland.

France international Grégory Alldritt captains the side from number eight, alongside flankers Wiaan Liebenberg and Kevin Gourdon, while there is significant size in the shape of Will Skelton in the second-row and Uini Atonio at tighthead prop.

In the backline it’s a classy half-back combination as Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Jules Plisson link up while Levani Botia, Geoffrey Doumayrou and Dillyn Leyds provide star quality wider out.

The teams:

Edinburgh: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Chris Dean, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Andrew Davidson, 4 Ben Toolis, 3 WP Nel, 2 Stuart McInally (c), 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Mike Willemse, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Andries Ferreira, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 Nic Groom, 22 Nathan Chamberlain, 23 James Johnstone

La Rochelle: 15 Jérémy Sinzelle, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 Geoffrey Doumayrou, 12 Levani Botia, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Jules Plisson, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Grégory Alldritt (c), 7 Kevin Gourdon, 6 Wiaan Liebenberg, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Thomas Lavault, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Pierre Bourgarit, 1 Reda Wardi
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Léo Aouf, 18 Arthur Joly, 19 Mathieu Tanguy, 20 Remi Bourdeau, 21 Thomas Berjon, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Martin Alonso Munoz

Venue: Murrayfield
Kick-off: 20:00 GMT
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees: Sam Grove-White (Scotland), Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)