World Cup stars bolster Leicester ranks for derby clash

David Skippers
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Leicester Tigers' Jonny May

There are five games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in the Premiership, with Exeter Chiefs, Northampton Saints, Worcester Warriors, Bristol Bears and Harlequins all hosting their respective matches.

Exeter Chiefs v Wasps

Ahead of kick-off, Exeter Chiefs director of Rugby Baxter has made a number of alterations to his winning formula.

Skipper Jack Yeandle is ruled out with a broken arm sustained in the Glasgow victory and is replaced by Luke Cowan-Dickie in the front-row.

Other changes to the pack see Ben Moon, Jannes Kirsten, Don Armand and Matt Kvesic all start, while behind Gareth Steenson, Sam Hill and Phil Dollman also get the nod from the outset.

Meanwhile, Wasps have made five changes to the starting line-up to take on Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park on Saturday.

Zurabi Zhvania, Tom Cruse, Charlie Matthews, Nizaam Carr and Jimmy Gopperth all return to the starting line-up as Dai Young’s men chase their second win of the league season.

Club captain Joe Launchbury, who signed a new deal with this week, misses out with a calf injury (3-4 weeks) while Malakai Fekitoa is absent with a knee knock. Brad Shields is still recovering from a groin problem and should return to action next week.

Simon McIntyre and Thibaud Flament (concussion) also miss out while Sione Vailanu and Sam Wolstenholme only returned to training on Thursday. Juan de Jongh is out for two weeks with a groin issue.

Jacob Umaga, who also signed a new first-team contract this week, keeps his place at fly-half after last weekend’s man-of-the-match performance in the win over Agen.

Jack Owlett has earned a place on the bench against his former club and could make his Premiership debut, as could Academy graduate and centre Sam Spink who is added to the matchday 23.

The teams:

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Tom O’Flaherty, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Nic White, 8 Matt Kvesic, 7 Don Armand, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Jannes Kirsten, 4 Dave Dennis (c), 3 Harry Williams, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ben Moon
Replacements: 16 Elvis Taione, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Marcus Street, 19 Sean Lonsdale, 20 Sam Simmonds, 21 Jack Maunder, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 Tom Hendrickson

Wasps: 15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Zach Kibirige, 13 Michael Le Bourgeois, 12 Jimmy Gopperth, 11 Marcus Watson, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Dan Robson (c), 8 Tom Willis, 7 Nizaam Carr, 6 Jack Willis, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Charlie Matthews, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Tom Cruse, 1 Zurabi Zhvania
Replacements: 16 Tommy Taylor, 17 Ben Harris, 18 Jack Owlett, 19 Tim Cardall, 20 Ashley Johnson, 21 Will Porter, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Sam Spink

Venue: Sandy Park
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant referees: Simon McConnell, John Meredith
Television match official: Geoffrey Warren

Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers

Northampton Saints will lock horns with rivals Leicester Tigers in front of over 15,000 supporters this weekend, with director of rugby Chris Boyd readying his side for the 244th East Midlands derby.

The hosts have won five of their last six meetings with Tigers in all competitions, and will be hoping another victory on Saturday might return them to top-spot in the Premiership standings.

Saints will have a partisan crowd behind them at Franklin’s Gardens, with the ground completely sold out for the clash, and are unbeaten in their last three league matches on home soil.

However, Courtney Lawes, Owen Franks and Dan Biggar have all been ruled out of the game after failing late fitness tests.

Api Ratuniyarawa comes into the second-row in place of Lawes, with Alex Coles taking his spot amongst the replacements.

Ehren Painter will start at tighthead prop instead of Franks, with Paul Hill coming onto the bench.

And James Grayson will wear the 10 jersey for Saints in a straight swap for the injured Biggar.

That means new signing Matt Proctor starts for the second time in Northampton colours alongside Scotland’s Rory Hutchinson in the midfield.

Amongst the replacements Jamie Gibson is poised to make another appearance against his former side, while the likes of Ahsee Tuala and Fraser Dingwall will hope to make an impact if they are introduced off the bench.

Meanwhile, Leicester Tigers include all six of the club’s England Rugby World Cup squad in the starting XV for Saturday’s derby.

Jonny May makes his first appearance since the World Cup final as Tigers make the short journey to Franklin’s Gardens and international colleagues Dan Cole, Ellis Genge, Ben Youngs, George Ford and Manu Tuilagi are all named in Geordan Murphy’s team.

Jaco Taute plays in the Premiership for the first time, starting at centre alongside Tuilagi, and there is also a recall for Jonah Holmes, Tom Youngs, Calum Green and Sione Kalamafoni after sitting out the European win over Cardiff Blues last weekend.

Sam Lewis and Jordan Coghlan, who both started against the Blues in the Challenge Cup, are included among the replacements this week but Hanro Liebenberg, Tommy Reffell, Will Spencer, Ifereimi Boladau, Jordan Taufua and Tatafu Polota-Nau are all ruled out.

The teams:

Northampton Saints: 15 George Furbank, 14 Tom Collins, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 James Grayson, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison (cc), 7 Lewis Ludlam, 6 Tom Wood, 5 Api Ratuniyarawa, 4 Alex Moon, 3 Ehren Painter, 2 Mikey Haywood, 1 Alex Waller (cc)
Replacements: 16 Michael van Vuuren, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Jamie Gibson, 21 James Mitchell, 22 Fraser Dingwall, 23 Ahsee Tuala

Leicester Tigers: 15 George Worth, 14 Jonny May, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Jaco Taute, 11 Jonah Holmes, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Guy Thompson, 6 Harry Wells, 5 Calum Green, 4 Tomás Lavanini, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Jake Kerr, 17 Facundo Gigena, 18 Nephi Leatigaga, 19 Sam Lewis, 20 Jordan Coghlan, 21 Ben White, 22 Noel Reid, 23 Andy Forsyth

Venue: Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant referees: Andrew Jackson, Wayne Falla
Television match official: Rowan Kitt

Worcester Warriors v Sale Sharks

Worcester tighthead prop Nick Schonert will make his first Premiership appearance of the season against Sale Sharks at Sixways on Saturday.

Schonert suffered a medial knee ligament injury in the Premiership Rugby Cup match at Bath in September.

He was initially expected to be out of action for three months but made an early return to action in last week’s European Challenge Cup match at Castres when he came off the bench in the second half.

Schonert will start against Sale as the only change to the pack that was on duty when Warriors defeated Harlequins in their last Premiership match three weeks ago.

There are four changes to the back division that played at The Stoop with Chris Pennell, Duncan Weir and Francois Hougaard, who missed the Harlequins win through injury, fit again. Perry Humphreys starts in place of Ed Fidow on the wing.

Hooker Niall Annett will become Warriors’ sixth captain of the season. Club captain GJ van Velze is again named among the replacements along with Jono Lance and Ryan Mills who have captained Warriors in recent weeks.

For Sale, director of rugby Steve Diamond has made two changes to the matchday 23 that defeated La Rochelle in the Champions Cup last weekend.

Sam James makes his return to the squad after sustaining an injury during the Sharks’ 41-7 win at London Irish in the second round of the Premiership. The experienced centre replaces his younger brother Luke on the bench for this weekend’s fixture.

The only other change comes in the forwards, as Valery Morozov starts his first match of the season for Sale since returning from the Rugby World Cup. The Russian loosehead swaps places with Ross Harrison in the front-row with the Sharks’ most capped player moving to the replacements bench for the trip to Worcester.

The teams:

Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Perry Humphreys, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Melani Nanai, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Cornell du Preez, 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Ted Hill, 5 Graham Kitchener, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Niall Annett (c), 1 Ethan Waller
Replacements: 16 Matt Moulds, 17 Callum Black, 18 Richard Palframan, 19 Michael Fatialofa, 20 GJ van Velze, 21 Michael Heaney, 22 Jono Lance, 23 Ryan Mills

Sale Sharks: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Denny Solomona, 13 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 12 Rob du Preez, 11 Chris Ashton, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jono Ross (c), 7 Ben Curry, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Jean-Luc du Preez, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Valery Morozov
Replacements: 16 Rob Webber, 17 Ross Harrison, 18 WillGriff John, 19 James Phillips, 20 Matt Postlethwaite, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Sam James, 23 Marland Yarde

Venue: Sixways
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant referees: Adam Leal, Philip Watters
Television match official: Graham Hughes

Bristol Bears v London Irish

Toby Fricker makes his first Premiership start as top-of-the-table Bristol Bears host London Irish on Sunday.

The winger is rewarded for two tries in successive Challenge Cup fixtures with selection against the Exiles, while Andy Uren returns from a head injury to start.

Charles Piutau (ankle), John Afoa (calf), and Nathan Hughes (finger) return to the starting line-up for the Ashton Gate clash.

Bristol are boosted by the return of Alapati Leiua to the 23-man squad following a knee injury, while Luke Hamilton could make his Premiership debut for the Bears from the replacement bench.

Both sides head into the contest on the back of wins in Round Four, with the Exiles beating Leicester Tigers and Bristol grabbing a victory over Exeter Chiefs.

In the London Irish front-row, Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi, Saia Fainga’a and Ollie Hoskins combine, with Ruan Botha and Franco van der Merwe in the second-row. Van der Merwe captains the side from the five jersey.

Matt Rogerson and Blair Cowan start from either flanker position, as Albert Tuisue wears the number eight.

Ben Meehan and Stephen Myler start from scrum-half and fly-half respectively, with Terrence Hepetema and Tom Stephenson partnering in the centres.

Curtis Rona and Waisake Naholo start on the wings, as Paddy Jackson completes the line-up from full-back.

Adam Coleman is named in the replacements and, should he be required, is set to make his first appearance for the club.

The teams:

Bristol Bears: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 Siale Piutau, 11 Toby Fricker, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 Steven Luatua (c), 5 Chris Vui, 4 Joe Joyce, 3 John Afoa, 2 Harry Thacker, 1 Jake Woolmore
Replacements: 16 Will Capon, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Max Lahiff, 19 Ed Holmes, 20 Luke Hamilton, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Alapati Leiua

London Irish: 15 Paddy Jackson, 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Tom Stephenson, 12 Terrence Hepetema, 11 Curtis Rona, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Ben Meehan, 8 Albert Tuisue, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Matt Rogerson, 5 Franco van der Merwe (c), 4 Ruan Botha, 3 Ollie Hoskins, 2 Saia Fainga’a, 1 Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu’u, 17 Harry Elrington, 18 Lovejoy Chawatama, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Steve Mafi, 21 TJ Ioane, 22 Nick Phipps, 23 Tom Parton

Venue: Ashton Gate
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant referees: Christophe Ridley, Paul Dix
Television match official: Stuart Terheege

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Harlequins v Gloucester

Harlequins have included Rugby World Cup finalist Kyle Sinckler in their 23-man squad that will take on Gloucester at the Twickenham Stoop.

Alex Dombrandt returns from injury at number eight with Tom Lawday switching to blindside flanker and captain Chris Robshaw starting at seven, with Will Evans being rotated out of the squad after a string of impressive performances.

Ross Chisholm moves to full-back allowing the young, pacey wingers Cadan Murley and Gabriel Ibitoye to start at 11 and 14 respectively, with Mike Brown unavailable due to injury.

The front-row remains unchanged; Elia Elia starting at hooker with Joe Marler and Will Collier alongside, building on a strong performance at The Stoop last Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Cherry and Whites retain just four players from the starting line-up in Montpellier last weekend.

Three of those starting once again are in the backs, with Louis Rees-Zammit, Chris Harris and Ollie Thorley keeping their spots. Meanwhile, in the pack, only Alex Craig is retained.

As such, there are returns for Tom Marshall, Mark Atkinson, Danny Cipriani and Joe Simpson to the backline.

In the pack, Val Rapava Ruskin, Franco Marais and Jamal Ford-Robinson form a new front-row and there’s a first start of the season for Rugby World Cup winner Franco Mostert alongside Alex Craig in the second-row. Finally, Ruan Ackermann, Lewis Ludlow and Ben Morgan will make up a new-look back-row with Morgan captaining the side.

The teams:

Harlequins: 15 Ross Chisholm, 14 Cadan Murley, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 James Lang, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 Alex Dombrandt, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Lawday, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Matt Symons, 3 Will Collier, 2 Elia Elia, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Jack Musk, 17 Nick Auterac, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Tevita Cavubati, 20 Semi Kunatani, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Francis Saili, 23 Travis Ismaiel

Gloucester: 15 Tom Marshall, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Mark Atkinson, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Ben Morgan (c), 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Alex Craig, 3 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Val Rapava-Ruskin
Replacements: 16 Corné Fourie, 17 Josh Hohneck, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Freddie Clarke, 20 Jake Polledri, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Billy Twelvetrees, 23 Matt Banahan

Venue: Twickenham Stoop
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant referees: Dean Richards, Jonathan Healy
Television match official: Sean Davey

Bristol