PREM Rugby: Team News for Round 13

George Martin is set to make his long-awaited return from injury for Leicester Tigers, adding a major boost to their forward options.

He will come up against a Newcastle Red Bulls side featuring Josh Hodge, who makes his first appearance since returning to the club.

Across the league, there are plenty of other compelling selection calls.

Bristol Bears are boosted by the return of Joe Batley from a thumb injury, starting in the second row alongside James Dun.

Joe Owen shifts into the back row with Steven Luatua unavailable, while Benjamin Grondona continues at number eight after Viliame Mata’s season-ending injury. The front row is unchanged, and Kieran Marmion comes in at scrum-half to partner Tom Jordan.

In the backs, Rich Lane returns at ful back with Louis Rees-Zammit injured, while Kalaveti Ravouvou and Gabriel Ibitoye start on the wings.

Gloucester make several changes after their defeat to Leicester Tigers. Seb Blake starts at hooker, with Danny Eite joining Arthur Clark in the second row.

Caolan Englefield keeps his place at scrum-half with Tomos Williams injured, and Seb Atkinson captains the side from midfield alongside Max Llewellyn.

15. Rich Lane, 14. Kalaveti Ravouvou, 13. Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12. James Williams, 11. Gabriel Ibitoye, 10. Tom Jordan, 9. Kieran Marmion; 1. Ellis Genge, 2. Gabriel Oghre, 3. George Kloska, 4. James Dun, 5. Joe Batley, 6. Joe Owen, 7. Fitz Harding ©, 8. Benjamin Grondona.

16. Harry Thacker, 17. Jake Woolmore, 18. Max Lahiff, 19. Steele Barker, 20. Luka Ivanishvili, 21. Harry Randall, 22. Matias Moroni, 23. Noah Heward.

15. George Barton, 14. Josiah Edwards-Giraud, 13. Max Llewellyn, 12. Seb Atkinson ©, 11. Ollie Thorley, 10. Charlie Atkinson, 9. Caolan Englefield; 1. Dian Bleuler, 2. Seb Blake, 3. Afo Fasogbon, 4. Danny Eite, 5. Arthur Clark ©, 6. Deian Gwynne, 7. Lewis Ludlow, 8. Jack Clement.

16. Jack Innard, 17. Val Rapava Ruskin, 18. Ciaran Knight, 19. Matías Alemanno, 20. Will Trenholm, 21. Mikey Austin, 22. Will Joseph, 23. Ben Loader.

Ollie Chessum returns to lead Leicester Tigers and reaches a personal milestone with his 50th Premiership start, anchoring the second row.

Jamie Blamire also hits a landmark with his 20th appearance for the club, while Cameron Henderson is back from injury and Hamish Watson continues his run in the back row.

Nicky Smith and Joe Heyes come into the front row, and there is a welcome return to the squad for George Martin after a long absence. In the backs, Billy Searle partners Jack van Poortvliet, with Adam Radwan set to face his former side on the wing.

For Newcastle Red Bulls, Josh Hodge starts at fullback as part of a reshuffled lineup. Ben Healy is handed his first start at fly-half, linking up with James Elliott.

Tom Christie takes on the captaincy in the absence of injured skipper George McGuigan, while Ollie Fletcher comes in at hooker and Micky Rewcastle earns his first PREM Rugby start. The only other change sees Adam Scott return in the second row.

15. Freddie Steward, 14. Adam Radwan, 13. Will Wand, 12. Rhys Beeckmans, 11. Elliott Obatoyinbo, 10. Billy Searle, 9. Jack van Poortvliet; 1. Nicky Smith, 2. Jamie Blamire, 3. Joe Heyes, 4. Cameron Henderson, 5. Ollie Chessum ©, 6. Hanro Liebenberg, 7. Hamish Watson, 8. Joaquin Moro.

16. Charlie Clare, 17. Tarek Haffar, 18. Will Hurd, 19. George Martin, 20. Olly Cracknell, 21. Tom Whiteley, 22. Izaia Perese, 23. Ollie Hassell-Collins.

15. Josh Hodge, 14. Christian Wade, 13. Alex Hearle, 12. Rhys Beeckmans, 11. Elliott Obatoyinbo, 10. Ben Healy, 9. James Elliott; 1. Micky Rewcastle, 2. Ollie Fletcher, 3. Richard Palframan, 4. Jamie Hodgson, 5. Adam Scott, 6. Tom Gordon, 7. Tom Christie ©, 8. Ollie Leatherbarrow.

16. Samson Adejimi, 17. Adam Brocklebank, 18. Murray McCallum, 19. Freddie Clarke, 20. Reuben Parsons, 21. Simón Benítez Cruz, 22. Brett Connon, 23. Fergus Lee-Warner.

There are changes across the board for Northampton Saints as they look to extend their six-game winning run at Sandy Park.

Alex Mitchell, Fraser Dingwall and George Hendy all come into the backs, while Fin Smith keeps his place at fly-half and George Furbank captains the side from fullback.

Up front, Emmanuel Iyogun and Craig Wright join Cleopas Kundiona in a reshaped front row, with Ed Prowse partnering Tom Lockett in the second row.

The back row sees Josh Kemeny alongside Sam Graham and Callum Chick, while a strong bench includes Henry Pollock and Tommy Freeman.

Ethan Roots is set for a return for Exeter Chiefs, starting among the replacements as they prepare for a key top-four clash.

The front row remains unchanged, with Scott Sio, Jack Yeandle and Jimmy Roots continuing together. Dafydd Jenkins captains the side from the second row alongside Andrea Zambonin, while Tom Hooper, Ross Vintcent and Greg Fisilau form a dynamic back row.

In the backs, Stephen Varney and Harvey Skinner continue their half-back partnership, with Henry Slade in midfield and a back three of Campbell Ridl, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Olly Woodburn.

15. George Furbank ©, 14. George Hendy, 13. Tom Litchfield, 12. Fraser Dingwall, 11. Ollie Sleightholme, 10. Fin Smith, 9. Alex Mitchell; 1. Emmanuel Iyogun, 2. Craig Wright, 3. Cleopas Kundiona, 4. Ed Prowse, 5. Tom Lockett, 6. Josh Kemeny, 7. Sam Graham, 8. Callum Chick.

16. Robbie Smith, 17. Tom West, 18. Elliot Millar Mills, 19. JJ Van Der Mescht, 20. Henry Pollock, 21. Archie McParland, 22. James Pater, 23. Tommy Freeman.

15. Olly Woodburn, 14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13. Henry Slade, 12. Will Rigg, 11. Campbell Ridl, 10. Harvey Skinner, 9. Stephen Varney; 1. Scott Sio, 2. Jack Yeandle, 3. Jimmy Roots, 4. Dafydd Jenkins ©, 5. Andrea Zambonin, 6. Tom Hooper, 7. Ross Vintcent, 8. Greg Fisilau.

16. Joseph Dweba, 17. Ethan Burger, 18. Bachuki Tchumbadze, 19. Rusi Tuima, 20. Ethan Roots, 21. Tom Cairns, 22. Will Haydon-Wood, 23. Paul Brown-Bampoe.

A third straight outing at The Rec sees Bath Rugby stick with a strong home-grown core, particularly in the front row where academy products Scott Kirk, Tom Dunn and Vilikesa Sela all start.

Ewan Richards comes into the second row alongside Charlie Ewels, while the back row features Ted Hill, Guy Pepper and Alfie Barbeary.

Ben Spencer leads from scrum-half with Finn Russell outside him, and the midfield pairing of Max Ojomoh and Ollie Lawrence continues. Out wide, Henry Arundell and Joe Cokanasiga start on the wings, with Santi Carreras at fullback.

Harlequins arrive with a reshuffled pack and a few notable returns. George Turner starts at hooker between Will Hobson and Joe Jones, while Chandler Cunningham-South links up with Kieran Treadwell in the second row.

Alex Dombrandt captains from number eight in a powerful back row that includes Guido Petti and Jack Kenningham.

Lucas Friday returns at scrum-half alongside Jarrod Evans, with Marcus Smith named at fullback behind a backline featuring Bryn Bradley and Luke Northmore in midfield.

15. Santi Carreras, 14. Joe Cokanasiga, 13. Ollie Lawrence, 12. Max Ojomoh, 11. Henry Arundell, 10. Finn Russell, 9. Ben Spencer; 1. Scott Kirk, 2. Tom Dunn, 3. Vilikesa Sela, 4. Ewan Richards, 5. Charlie Ewels, 6. Ted Hill, 7. Guy Pepper, 8. Alfie Barbeary.

16. Dan Frost, 17. Francois van Wyk, 18. Thomas du Toit, 19. Ross Molony, 20. Josh Bayliss, 21. Tom Carr-Smith, 22. Louie Hennessey, 23. Miles Reid.

15. Marcus Smith, 14. Nick David, 13. Luke Northmore, 12. Bryn Bradley, 11. Cadan Murley, 10. Jarrod Evans, 9. Lucas Friday; 1. Will Hobson, 2. George Turner, 3. Joe Jones, 4. Chandler Cunningham-South, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Guido Petti Pagadizábal, 7. Jack Kenningham, 8. Alex Dombrandt ©.

16. Jack Walker, 17. Ethan Clarke, 18. Ollie Streeter, 19. Elliot Williams, 20. Zach Carr, 21. Will Evans, 22. Stu Townsend, 23. Sean Kerr.

Asher Opoku-Fordjour switches to loosehead as Alex Sanderson makes three changes to his Sale Sharks side for the visit of Saracens.

Rob du Preez also moves to fullback in a reshaped back three, while Jos Gilmore is rewarded for his impact from the bench with a first Premiership start in the back row, replacing Dan du Preez.

Ethan Caine continues at hooker alongside Opoku-Fordjour and James Harper in the front row, with Ernst van Rhyn and Ben Bamber again paired in the second row. The back row is completed by Jacques Vermeulen and Sam Dugdale.

Gus Warr and George Ford continue at half-back, with Rekeiti Ma’asi-White and Marius Louw in midfield. Injuries in the back three see further changes, with Tom O’Flaherty shifting wing and Tom Roebuck coming in on the opposite side.

The bench includes a 6-2 split, with Alfie Longstaff among the replacements.

There is a blend of continuity and change for Saracens as they look to respond after their European defeat.

The front row remains intact with Jamie George between Rhys Carre and Marcus Street, while Maro Itoje captains from the second row alongside Hugh Tizard. Ben Earl returns to the back row, joining Theo McFarland and Tom Willis.

Charlie Bracken and Fergus Burke continue their half-back partnership, with Olly Hartley coming into the midfield alongside Nick Tompkins.

Max Malins starts at fullback in place of the injured Elliot Daly, flanked by Rotimi Segun and Noah Caluori.

Sale Sharks Starting XV:

15. Rob du Preez, 14. Tom O’Flaherty, 13. Marius Louw, 12. Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 11. Tom Roebuck, 10. George Ford, 9. Gus Warr; 1. Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 2. Ethan Caine, 3. James Harper, 4. Ernst van Rhyn ©, 5. Ben Bamber, 6. Jacques Vermeulen, 7. Jos Gilmore, 8. Sam Dugdale.

16. Alfie Longstaff, 17. Ralph McEachran, 18. Tye Raymont, 19. Dylan Hodkinson, 20. Reuben Logan, 21. Dom Hanson, 22. Joe Bedlow, 23. Tristan Woodman.

15 Max Malins, 14. Noah Caluori, 13. Nick Tompkins, 12. Olly Hartley, 11. Rotimi Segun, 10. Fergus Burke, 9. Charlie Bracken; 1. Rhys Carre, 2. Jamie George, 3. Marcus Street, 4. Maro Itoje ©, 5. Hugh Tizard, 6. Theo McFarland, 7. Ben Earl, 8. Tom Willis.

16. Theo Dan, 17. Eroni Mawi, 18. Marco Riccioni, 19. Harry Wilson, 20. Nathan Michelow, 21. Ivan Van Zyl, 22. Owen Farrell, 23. Angus Hall.