The returning Ellis Genge joins Kyle Sinckler in all-England prop pair as Bristol Bears get their Premiership campaign underway against Bath on Saturday evening.
Bristol were set to host the first televised game for the second year in a row, with the Bears having lost to Saracens in the first game of last year’s season, but it has been postponed from Friday to Saturday following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
It is the second time in four seasons that the Bears and Bath will raise the curtain of the Premiership, with Bristol hammering their Westcountry rivals the last time the pair faced each other on the opening day.
That season Bristol went on to finish third, before following it up with a top-of-the-table finish in 2020/21, a campaign ultimately ended at the semi-final stage after a sensational comeback by eventual champions Harlequins.
A disappointing 10th-placed finished followed last season, but the Bears come into the new campaign with renewed vigour, and have reportedly been boosted by their talismanic new signing Genge.
Magnus Bradbury, AJ MacGinty and Sam Lewis are all set for competitive debuts, with the former earning a start and the latter duo picked on the bench.
Jake Heenan gets the nod at skipper from openside flanker, with usual captain Steven Luatua currently on the sidelines after he pulled a muscle in pre-season training.
Another new skipper comes in the form of Ben Spencer, who will make his first appearance as the new club captain of Bath for a mouth-watering clash.
Bath, like Bristol, will be desperate to start the newly-refreshed campaign well after they finished bottom of the pile last year, and have named four debutants to deliver that boost.
Tighthead prop Aranos Coetzee and flanker Chris Cloete will make their bow for the club, while Piers Francis and Matt Gallagher line-up at fly-half and wing respectively.
There could be two further debuts from the bench, with Niall Annett and Louis Schreuder named, while Dave Attwood returns after a three-year spell at the Bears to make his 159th appearance for the club.
Ahead of the game, new coach Johann van Graan said: “The opening game in the Premiership is something you relish as a sportsman. I’m looking forward to seeing the players perform.
“We have spoken about the pride of the jersey, and we want to make our supporters proud, and we want everyone associated with Bath Rugby to be proud of each other.”
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