Prop Vilikesa Sela comes back into the Bath Rugby starting XV for what is undoubtedly the club’s biggest match of the season so far – the Investec Champions Cup quarter-final against Northampton Saints on Friday 10th April (8pm).
Bath Rugby will face Northampton Saints here at The Rec on Friday 10th April in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals | Photo © Richard Briggs
The Saints top the Gallagher PREM table and the Blue, Black & White lie in second place, one point adrift, so the match at The Rec brings together the best two sides in England.
And not only will Bath be chasing a place in the Champions Cup semi-finals, they will be targeting revenge over the Midlanders for their 41-21 home defeat in PREM Round 8 on Saturday 27th December.
Sela will line up at tighthead against Northampton. His fellow prop will be Beno Obano and they will be joined in the front row by hooker Tom Dunn.
Quinn Roux and Charlie Ewels will be in the second row.
Flanker Sam Underhill will make his return to the starting XV. His fellow flanker will be Guy Pepper.
The Bath pack will be completed by Miles Reid at number 8.
The half-back partnership will see Ben Spencer captain from scrum-half and Finn Russell turn out at fly-half.
Cameron Redpath and Ollie Lawrence will be together in midfield, Will Muir will play on the left wing and Henry Arundell will wear the number 14 shirt.
Tom de Glanville will operate as full-back.
Kepu Tuipulotu, Francois van Wyk, Thomas du Toit, Ross Molony, Ted Hill, Alfie Barbeary, Bernard van der Linde and Santi Carreras will be the hosts’ replacements.
Bath starting XV: 1 Beno Obano, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Vilikesa Sela, 4 Quinn Roux, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Miles Reid, 9 Ben Spencer, 10 Finn Russell, 11 Will Muir, 12 Cameron Redpath, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 14 Henry Arundell, 15 Tom de Glanville.
Bath replacements: 16 Kepu Tuipulotu, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Ted Hill, 21 Bernard van der Linde, 22 Santi Carreras, 23 Alfie Barbeary.
Northampton head coach Phil Dowson acknowledges that Bath will be determined to avoid a repeat of their festive thrashing.
He said: “It’s a completely different game and psychological remit but we’ll try to replicate the things that went well that day.
“You take elements from it – but equally they’ll be speaking about that, so they’ll be bringing the intensity to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Northampton’s England centre Fraser Dingwall added: “They’ve got huge amounts of power, not only up front but among the backs.
“They go forward and have power, so you can’t sit back and wait.
“It’s a one-off, there’s no return leg, so that’s what’s cool about this game.
“The ability to take on a side that you play regularly adds a bit more to it.”
Black, Green & Gold wing Ollie Sleightholme will make his 100th appearance for the club when he takes the field against Bath.
Wing Tommy Freeman, who scored a hat-trick of tries in the Christmas success at The Rec, will also be in the Saints’ starting XV.
Northampton starting XV: 1 Danilo Fischetti, 2 Curtis Langdon, 3 Cleopas Kundiona, 4 Tom Lockett, 5 JJ van der Mescht, 6 Josh Kemeny, 7 Tom Pearson, 8 Henry Pollock, 9 Archie McParland, 10 Fin Smith, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 13 Rory Hutchinson, 14 Tommy Freeman, 15 George Furbank.
Northampton replacements: 16 Craig Wright, 17 Emmanuel Iyogun, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Ed Prowse, 20 Callum Chick, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Tom Litchfield, 23 George Hendy.
The Saints will be playing in the quarter-finals for the third year running, having seen off Vodacom Bulls and Castres Olympique at this stage in 2024 and 2025 respectively. They also got the better of Castres in this season’s Round of 16.
The winners of the Bath versus Northampton match could find themselves playing their semi-final at the 30,500-capacity Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
The semi-finalists with the highest rankings from the pool stage of the tournament will earn home-country advantage.
Should top-ranked Union Bordeaux Bègles win their last-four clash with eighth-ranked Stade Toulousain, they will host Bath (fourth) or Northampton (fifth) at the 42,100-capacity Stade Atlantique Bordeaux Métropole in Bordeaux.
But if Toulouse overcome Bordeaux, they will play Bath or Northampton at Stadium MK.
The semis will be staged on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd May.
The other sides chasing a place in the last four are Sale Sharks, Glasgow Warriors, Leinster Rugby and RC Toulon.
And the other potential semi-final venues are the Aviva Stadium in Dublin and Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.
Meanwhile, young scrum-half Neil le Roux has left the Blue, Black & White.
A statement from Bath on Tuesday 7th April said: “The club can announce the departure of Neil le Roux.
“Hailing from the Western Cape, South Africa, le Roux linked up with Bath Rugby to see out a period of rehabilitation with Bath’s medical team.
“The now-21-year-old signed his first Bath contract during the 2023-24 season, going on to make 16 appearances in Blue, Black & White.
“Le Roux, a former U20 Springbok, made his professional debut in February 2025 against Ampthill during the PREM Rugby Cup campaign, also crossing for his first try in club colours.
“The young scrum-half leaves the club after being part of Bath’s treble-winning season of 2024-25.
“The club thanks Neil for everything he has contributed to the Blue, Black & White.”
The University of Bath’s men’s 1st XV are through to the final of the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Super Rugby Milk Championship thanks to a 33-20 home win over Durham University in the semis on Wednesday 8th April.
In the final – to be played at Rodney Parade, Newport, on Wednesday 22nd April – they will face Loughborough University, who beat the University of Exeter 58-48 in the last four.
While Bath will be hoping for a trophy double, having won the Super Rugby title last month, Loughborough will be out for revenge after finishing runners-up in the league.
Tickets for the big game in Gwent are available here.
Avon missed out on a place in the Davis Access Bath & District Combination Vase semis when they were beaten 24-22 by Hicks Field visitors Melksham in the quarter-finals on 8th April.
“Another close encounter but this time we can’t get it done,” said an Avon spokesman.
In the last four, Melksham will travel to the winners of the Bradford-on-Avon versus Oldfield Old Boys tie.
Oldfield and Bradford will meet at the Broom Ground on Wednesday 15th April.
The other semi will pit Westbury against visitors Corsham on Wednesday 29th April.
The Davis Access Bath & District Combination Cup semi-finals will see Trowbridge host Midsomer Norton on a date to be confirmed and Keynsham entertain Chippenham on 22nd April.
City interest in the Cup ended when the University of Bath were thumped 43-20 by Trowbridge in the last eight on Thursday 2nd April.
Both finals will be played at The Rec on Wednesday 6th May.
The Combination’s inaugural women’s representative match will take place on 29th April – against the Devon county side at Chippenham RFC (8pm).
