PREM: Round 4 Team News - Maro Itoje returns to Saracens as Wallabies duo make Exeter debuts

PREM Rugby fans are set for another scintillating quintet of clashes across the weekend, and we have all the team news sorted ahead of the five upcoming fixtures in Round 4. Here's a breakdown of all you need to know, in the weekend which marks the Saracens return of none other than British & Irish Lions and England captain Maro Itoje.

Despite derby weekend being last weekend, we are set for another West Country clash, as Gloucester host Bristol in a mouthwatering opener to Round Four. Both sides enter the contest with contrasting momentum — Bristol buoyed by a narrow but hard-fought win over Exeter, while Gloucester will be eager to respond after falling to Bath in their previous outing.

For the hosts, George Skivington makes several changes as the Cherry & Whites look to reassert themselves at home. Afo Fasogbon returns to the front row, joining Ciaran Knight and Seb Blake, while Matías Alemanno and Freddie Thomas form a robust lock pairing. With captain Tomos Williams unavailable, Caolan Englefield steps in at scrum-half to partner Ross Byrne, and Max Llewellyn replaces the injured Seb Atkinson in midfield. Gloucester’s back three of Ollie Thorley, Ben Loader, and Charlie Atkinson will look to ignite their attacking spark under the Kingsholm floodlights.

Bristol, meanwhile, welcome back a talismanic figure in Steven Luatua, who makes his 156th appearance for the club to lead a pack that also includes Jake Woolmore starting for the unavailable Ellis Genge. In the backs, Argentine international Matías Moroni debuts at outside centre, adding defensive grit and experience. Young fly-half Sam Worsley retains his place after his composed showing against Exeter, while Max Pepper steps into the wing role.

GLOUCESTER RUGBY STARTING XV
15 Charlie Atkinson, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Will Joseph, 12 Max Llewellyn, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Caolan Englefield, 1 Ciaran Knight, 2 Seb Blake, 3 Afo Fasogbon, 4 Freddie Thomas, 5 Matias Alemanno, 6 Josh Basham, 7 James Venter, 8 Hugh Bokenham

REPLACEMENTS
16 Jack Innard, 17 Archie McArthur, 18 Kirill Gotovtsev, 19 Cam Jordan, 20 Jack Mann, 21 Harry Taylor, 22 Mikey Austin, 23 Josiah Edwards-Giraud

BRISTOL BEARS STARTING XV
15 Benjamin Elizalde, 14 Max Pepper, 13 Matías Moroni, 12 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 11 Kalaveti Ravouvou, 10 Sam Worsley, 9 Kieran Marmion, 1 Jake Woolmore, 2 Gabriel Oghre, 3 George Kloska, 4 Pedro Rubiolo, 5 Joe Batley, 6 Steven Luatua, 7 Fitz Harding (c), 8 Viliame Mata

REPLACEMENTS
16 Harry Thacker, 17 Sam Grahamslaw, 18 Lovejoy Chawatama, 19 James Dun, 20 Joe Owen, 21 Benjamin Grondona, 22 Oscar Lennon, 23 Toby Fricker

Friday night lights return to Kingston Park as Newcastle Red Bulls host unbeaten Northampton Saints in Round Four of the Gallagher Prem. The Red Bulls are still seeking their first win of the season but will be hoping the energy of a home crowd can lift them against one of the league’s early pace-setters.

Head coach Alan Dickens makes several key changes as his side look to rediscover form and consistency. Brett Connon returns at fly-half with Boeta Chamberlain shifting to full-back in place of the injured Ethan Grayson, while Argentina’s Simón Benítez Cruz earns his first start at scrum-half after impressing from the bench last week. Liam Williams and Oli Spencer are recalled to a reshaped backline, with Williams’ experience set to be vital in both defence and counterattack. Dickens also names debutant Stefan Coetzee on the bench, joined by England U19 prospect Rhys Beeckmans for what could be his Premiership bow.

Northampton, meanwhile, head north full of confidence after a gritty derby victory over Leicester Tigers kept them perfect for the campaign. Phil Dowson makes three changes to the starting XV, with Callum Chick captaining Saints against his former club. Italian prop Danilo Fischetti earns his first start for Northampton, while Sam Graham joins Josh Kemeny in the back row. In the backs, Tommy Freeman shifts to full-back in place of the injured George Hendy, with Tom Litchfield starting on the wing.

NEWCASTLE RED BULLS STARTING XV
15 Boeta Chamberlain, 14 Oli Spencer, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Max Clark, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz, 1 Adam Brocklebank, 2 George McGuigan (c), 3 Richard Palframan, 4 Jamie Hodgson, 5 Freddie Clarke, 6 Fergus Lee-Warner, 7 Tom Gordon, 8 Amanaki Mafi

REPLACEMENTS
16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Murray McCallum, 18 Luan de Bruin, 19 Oscar Usher, 20 Freddie Lockwood, 21 James Elliott, 22 Rhys Beeckmans, 23 Stefan Coetzee

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS STARTING XV
15 Tommy Freeman, 14 Edoardo Todaro, 13 Rory Hutchinson, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Tom Litchfield, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 1 Danilo Fischetti, 2 Robbie Smith, 3 Trevor Davison, 4 Alex Coles, 5 JJ Van Der Mescht, 6 Josh Kemeny, 7 Sam Graham, 8 Callum Chick (c)

REPLACEMENTS
16 Craig Wright, 17 Emmanuel Iyogun, 18 Luke Green, 19 Tom Lockett, 20 Ed Prowse, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Archie McParland, 23 Anthony Belleau

Leicester Tigers welcome Bath Rugby to Welford Road in Round Four of the Gallagher Prem, with James O’Connor set to make his first home start for the club. The Australian fly-half comes off the bench in last weekend’s win at Northampton and pairs with Tom Whiteley at half-back in a refreshed Tigers side.

Joe Heyes, Cam Henderson and Olly Cracknell return to the pack, while Solomone Kata lines up at outside centre alongside Joseph Woodward. Captain Ollie Chessum leads a forward unit keen to continue building momentum at home. Head coach Geoff Parling emphasized the focus on improving their game while containing a Bath side in strong form.

Bath bring plenty of experience and milestones to the Rec, with Tom Dunn making his 250th club appearance named among the replacements. Dan Frost makes his first start in the front row, while Quinn Roux returns from injury to partner Ross Molony in the engine room. Alfie Barbeary starts at number eight alongside flankers Ethan Staddon and Sam Underhill. Finn Russell and Ben Spencer lead the half-backs, with Santi Carreras starting at fullback for only his second appearance.

LEICESTER TIGERS STARTING XV
15 Freddie Steward, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Solomone Kata, 12 Joseph Woodward, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Tom Whiteley, 1 Nicky Smith, 2 Jamie Blamire, 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Cameron Henderson, 5 Ollie Chessum (c), 6 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Tommy Reffell, 8 Olly Cracknell

REPLACEMENTS
16 Charlie Clare, 17 Ale Loman, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Emeka Ilione, 21 Ollie Allan, 22 Billy Searle, 23 Will Wand

BATH RUGBY STARTING XV
15 Santi Carreras, 14 Tom de Glanville, 13 Louie Hennessey, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Henry Arundell, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben Spencer (c), 1 Beno Obano, 2 Dan Frost, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Quinn Roux, 5 Ross Molony, 6 Ethan Staddon, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Alfie Barbeary

REPLACEMENTS
16 Tom Dunn, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Ewan Richards, 20 Miles Reid, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Will Butt, 23 Arthur Green

Maro Itoje will reach a milestone 200th appearance for Saracens when they host Sale Sharks in Round Four of the Gallagher Premiership. The England and British & Irish Lions captain leads an altered Sarries side seeking a strong response after their London derby defeat to Harlequins.

Six changes have been made to the starting XV, including a reshaped front row with Eroni Mawi and Jamie George joining Marco Riccioni. Itoje partners Hugh Tizard in the second row, while Juan Martin Gonzalez returns at blindside flanker. Charlie Bracken makes his first Premiership start at scrum-half, pairing with Fergus Burke at fly-half. Noah Caluori also makes his Premiership debut on the right wing. Max Malins continues at full-back with Lucio Cinti on the left.

Sale Sharks make just one change to the side that defeated Newcastle Red Bulls, with Tom O’Flaherty replacing Joe Carpenter at full-back. Flanker Tristan Woodman and Marius Louw earn their second Premiership starts, while George Ford and Gus Warr continue to lead the half-backs. The back row is completed by Ernst van Rhyn, Sam Dugdale, and Woodman, with Reed and Roebuck on the wings and Rob du Preez and Louw in midfield.

SARACENS STARTING XV
15 Max Malins, 14 Noah Caluori, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Lucio Cinti, 10 Fergus Burke, 9 Charlie Bracken, 1 Eroni Mawi, 2 Jamie George, 3 Marco Riccioni, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Hugh Tizard, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Tom Willis

REPLACEMENTS
16 Theo Dan, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Marcus Street, 19 Harry Wilson, 20 Nick Isiekwe, 21 Andy Onyeama-Christie, 22 Gareth Simpson, 23 Jack Bracken

SALE SHARKS STARTING XV
15 Tom O’Flaherty, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Rob du Preez, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Arron Reed, 10 George Ford, 9 Gus Warr, 1 Bevan Rodd, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 4 Ben Bamber, 5 Hyron Andrews, 6 Ernst van Rhyn (c), 7 Tristan Woodman, 8 Sam Dugdale

REPLACEMENTS
16 Nathan Jibulu, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 James Harper, 19 Tom Burrow, 20 Ethan Caine, 21 Raffi Quirke, 22 Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 23 Luke James

Exeter Chiefs welcome Harlequins to Sandy Park for Round Four of the Gallagher Premiership, with Australia internationals Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper set to make their Exeter debuts. Centre Ikitau links up with Henry Slade in the midfield, while Josh Hodge returns at full-back after a two-game suspension. Hooper starts at flanker, joining Ethan Roots at openside and Greg Fisilau at number eight in the back row. Wingers Paul Brown-Bampoe and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso complete an exciting Chiefs backline.

Harlequins make one change to their forward pack with Stephan Lewies returning alongside Fin Baxter, Jack Walker, and Harry Williams. The back row remains the same after a strong derby performance, with Jack Kenningham, Will Evans, and Chandler Cunningham-South starting. Marcus Smith and Will Porter continue at half-back, while Luke Northmore partners Jamie Benson in the centres. Cadan Murley captains the side from left wing, with Rodrigo Isgró and Tyrone Green completing the back three.

EXETER CHIEFS STARTING XV
15 Josh Hodge, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Paul Brown-Bampoe, 10 Harvey Skinner, 9 Stephen Varney, 1 Will Goodrick-Clarke, 2 Joseph Dweba, 3 Josh Iosefa-Scott, 4 Dafydd Jenkins (c), 5 Rusi Tuima, 6 Tom Hooper, 7 Ethan Roots, 8 Greg Fisilau

REPLACEMENTS
16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Sio, 18 Bachuki Tchumbadze, 19 Andrea Zambonin, 20 Lewis Pearson, 21 James Elliott, 22 Charlie Chapman, 23 Ben Hammersley