There’s two games scheduled for Sunday in the Premiership as London Irish host Wasps before Saracens take on Exeter.
London Irish vs Wasps
London Irish have made three changes to the starting line-up which faced Bath last Sunday as they prepare to host Wasps.
Ollie Hoskins starts in the front row alongside captain David Paice and Ben Franks.
Teofilo Paulo returns from injury to feature in the second row with Franco van der Merwe, and Mike Coman makes a start in the back row alongside Blair Cowan and Max Northcote-Green who extended his contract with the men in green together with Johnny Williams earlier this week.
Blair Cowan continues to switch to number eight in place of Ofisa Treviranus who is on international duty with Samoa.
Luke McLean and Fergus Mulchrone extend their centre partnership, with Ben Meehan and Tommy Bell at scrum-half and fly-half respectively. And Alex Lewington, James Marshall and Joe Cokanasiga feature in an exciting back three.
Wasps welcome back Danny Cipriani who is named on the bench and in line to make his first appearance for the club since sustaining a knee injury against Harlequins in mid-September.
There are two changes to Wasps’ starting back-line from last weekend’s bonus point win over Newcastle Falcons, with Joe Simpson named at scrum-half and Gaby Lovobalavu at inside centre. Kyle Eastmond, who made an impressive 40-minute return from injury last Saturday, is following return-to-play protocols after his HIA.
In the pack, Nizaam Carr makes his first Premiership start for Wasps having impressed from the bench against Newcastle Falcons.
The teams:
London Irish: 15 James Marshall, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Fergus Mulchrone, 12 Luke McLean, 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Tommy Bell, 9 Ben Meehan, 8 Blair Cowan, 7 Max Northcote-Green, 6 Mike Coman, 5 Teofilo Paulo, 4 Franco van der Merwe, 3 Ollie Hoskins, 2 David Paice (c), 1 Ben Franks
Replacements: 16 Tom Woolstencroft, 17 Harry Elrington, 18 Petrus Du Plessis, 19 Sebastian De Chaves, 20 Conor Gilsenan, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Greig Tonks, 23 Tom Fowlie
Wasps: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Gaby Lovobalavu, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Jimmy Gopperth, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Thomas Young, 6 James Haskell, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 James Gaskell, 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 2 Ashley Johnson (c), 1 Simon McIntyre
Replacements: 16 Nathan Charles, 17 Ben Harris, 18 Marty Moore, 19 Kearnan Myall, 20 Guy Thompson, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Rob Miller
Venue: Madejski Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant referees: Hamish Smales, Nigel Carrick
TMO: Stuart Terheege
Saracens vs Exeter
Fly-half Max Malins will make his first Premiership start for Saracens, with the England U20 playmaker coming into the side with Owen Farrell and Alex Lozowski away on international duty.
In the backs, Alex Goode starts at full-back with Nathan Earle and Chris Wyles named on the wing. At centre, Marcelo Bosch partners skipper Brad Barritt, whilst in the halves, Max Malins will be partnered by scrum-half Ben Spencer.
Up front, Richard Barrington starts at loosehead prop, and is joined by Schalk Brits (hooker) and Vincent Koch (tighthead prop). At lock, Will Skelton continues in the second-row and is partnered by George Kruis whilst in the back-row, Calum Clark starts at blindside flanker with Schalk Burger packing down on the opposite flank – Jackson Wray returns to the side at number eight.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs make two changes in the pack as Aussie international Greg Holmes comes in at tighthead for Moray Low, while Matt Kvesic replaces Julian Salvi in the back-row. Behind, there is just one change in personnel with Sam Hill giving the nod at inside centre alongside Ian Whitten.
On the bench, Shaun Malton offers back-up to skipper Jack Yeandle at hooker, while Hill’s elevation into the starting line-up means his void is filled by former Saracens winger James Short, who this week became a dad for the first time.
The teams:
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Nathan Earle, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Brad Barritt (c), 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Max Malins, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Calum Clark, 5 George Kruis, 4 Will Skelton, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Richard Barrington
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Hayden Thompson-Stringer, 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Mark Flanagan, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Nick Tompkins, 23 Mike Ellery
Exeter: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Nic White, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Don Armand, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Mitch Lees, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Jack Yeandle (c), 1 Ben Moon
Replacements: 16 Shaun Malton, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Moray Low, 19 Toby Salmon, 20 Sam Skinner, 21 Will Chudley, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 James Short
Venue: Allianz Park
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe, Roy Maybank
TMO: David Sainsbury
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