Bath have suffered a setback prior to their Investec Champions Cup encounter with La Rochelle, as England scrum-half Ben Spencer has been removed from the starting lineup. Spencer was initially appointed to don the number nine shirt for Friday’s tournament opener at the Recreation Ground. Nevertheless, Bath issued an announcement on Friday just over two […]
Bath have suffered a setback prior to their Investec Champions Cup encounter with La Rochelle, as England scrum-half Ben Spencer has been removed from the starting lineup.
Spencer was initially appointed to don the number nine shirt for Friday’s tournament opener at the Recreation Ground.
Nevertheless, Bath issued an announcement on Friday just over two hours before kickoff, stating that scrum-half Spencer would not be participating this evening for Johann van Graan’s well-performing squad.
Spencer out
The update indicated that Louis Schreuder would step into the starting lineup, with Tom Carr-Smith now taking his position on the bench for this challenging match.
Severe wind and rain are anticipated to affect the match as the United Kingdom prepares for harsh weather, prompting both teams to likely keep their strategies straightforward.
Spencer is not the only England player absent from the Champions Cup opener, as centre Ollie Lawrence was not included in the club’s initial announcement on Thursday.
Lawrence’s absence means Will Butt retains the number 12 jersey, with Scotland international Cameron Redpath making his return to the starting lineup at outside centre tonight.
Will Muir, Joe Cokanasiga, and Tom de Glanville also keep their places in the backline while Finn Russell will be eager to navigate the challenging conditions from fly-half.
Maintaining his forward pack from last week, Van Graan has named Thomas du Toit at loosehead prop, Tom Dunn as hooker, and Will Stuart at tighthead.
Quinn Roux and Charlie Ewels will pair up as the second-row duo, while Ted Hill is selected as the blindside flanker alongside last weekend’s try-scorers, Guy Pepper (openside) and Miles Reid (number eight), who round out the starting forwards.
The teams
Bath: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Cameron Redpath, 12 Will Butt, 11 Will Muir, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Miles Reid, 7 Guy Pepper, 6 Ted Hill, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Quinn Roux, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Archie Griffin, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Max Ojomoh, 23 Jaco Coetzee
La Rochelle: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 UJ Seuteni, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Ihaia West, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Grégory Alldritt (c), 7 Matthias Haddad, 6 Oscar Jegou, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Thomas Lavault, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Reda Wardi
Replacements: 16 Quentin Lespiaucq, 17 Louis Penverne, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Kane Douglas, 20 Levani Botia, 21 Thomas Berjon, 22 Hugo Reus, 23 Teddy Thomas
Venue: Recreation Ground
Kick-off: 20:00 GMT
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Ben Breakspear (IRFU), Gwyn Morris (IRFU)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
