Gallagher Premiership |
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Venue: Twickenham Date: Saturday, 6 April Kick-off: 14:00 BST |
Coverage: Live score updates on BBC local radio and on the BBC Sport website |
Bath meet local rivals Bristol Bears at Twickenham with 60,000 fans set to be at Saturday's game, dubbed 'The Clash'.
Bears-bound lock Dave Attwood starts for Bath, against the club he will rejoin at the end of this season.
Pat Lam's Bristol change seven from the side that lost at La Rochelle in Europe, but make just four changes from their most recent Premiership match.
Forwards Harry Thacker, John Afoa and Dan Thomas all come in after missing 23 March's loss to Worcester Warriors.
Twickenham is hosting Bath's third edition of The Clash after playing Leicester Tigers the previous two times the fixture was staged.
Bath are seventh in the Premiership, three points and two places above Bristol.
Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder told BBC Radio Bristol:
"These West Country derbies are fantastic, wherever they're played, and especially with where both sides are in the season.
"For us, it's really about trying to get a complete performance to match the occasion. There's everything to play for and it's such a massive game for both clubs.
"Bristol will put on an open, flowing game that they've shown all season and they've got massive self-belief."
Bristol head coach Pat Lam told BBC Radio Bristol:
"There's real excitement to be playing at Twickenham. I hear there's going to be 60,000 in the crowd so fair play to Bath for inviting us to come and play in the fixture.
"We're all looking forward to it, but for us it's about making sure the best we can do on the field comes from upstairs through clarity of thought.
"There's five rounds to go and 25 points on offer and we are trying to pick up as many of those points to push towards the top six. It's still there in our grasp so our whole focus in on looking up."
Bath: Homer; Cokanasiga, Joseph, Roberts, McConnochie; Priestland, Fotuali'I; Catt, Dunn, Lahiff, Attwood, Ewels (capt), Ellis, Underhill, Mercer.
Replacements: Batty, Obano, Perenise, Stooke, Reid, Cook, Burns, Clark.
Bristol: Daniels; Morahan, O'Conor, S Piutau (co-capt), Leiua; Sheedy, Randall; Woolmore, Thacker, Afoa, Holmes, Vui, Luatua, Thomas, Crane (co-capt).
Replacements: Fenton-Wells, Lay, Thiede, Lam, Smith, Uren, Madigan, Pisi.
Referee: JP Doyle.
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