Ben Spencer is back to captain Bath Rugby in their quest for Investec Champions Cup glory – against the side with whom he won the trophy three times.
Investec Champions Cup action will return here to The Rec tomorrow, Saturday 4th April, when Bath Rugby take on Saracens in the Round of 16 | Photo © Richard Briggs
The scrum-half will skipper the Blue, Black & White at The Rec tomorrow, Saturday 4th April, in the Round of 16 as he targets a fourth crown in Europe’s premier club competition.
The teams will do battle only a fortnight after Johann van Graan’s outfit crushed the North Londoners 62-15 in Gallagher PREM Round 11.
But as the Bath head of rugby said after the Friday 20th March encounter, that scoreline will have no bearing on tomorrow’s tie.
Beno Obano and Archie Griffin will prop for the hosts, and Tom Dunn will complete the front row.
Quinn Roux and Charlie Ewels will start in the second row.
Josh Bayliss and Guy Pepper are named on the flanks, with Alfie Barbeary completing the pack.
Finn Russell will be at fly-half, Max Ojomoh and Ollie Lawrence will link up in midfield and Henry Arundell and Joe Cokanasiga will be out wide.
Santi Carreras will complete the starting line-up at full-back.
Kepu Tuipulotu, Francois van Wyk, Thomas du Toit, Ted Hill, Sam Underhill and Miles Reid will be the replacement forwards.
And Bernard van der Linde and Cameron Redpath will provide cover for the backs.
Should van der Linde enter the fray, he will make his European debut for the Blue, Black & White.
Bath starting XV: 1 Beno Obano, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Archie Griffin, 4 Quinn Roux, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Josh Bayliss, 7 Guy Pepper, 8 Alfie Barbeary, 9 Ben Spencer, 10 Finn Russell, 11 Henry Arundell, 12 Max Ojomoh, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 15 Santi Carreras.
Bath replacements: 16 Kepu Tuipulotu, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Bernard van der Linde, 22 Cameron Redpath, 23 Miles Reid.
Saracens followed up their March drubbing at The Rec by losing 21-17 in a PREM Round 12 game played at Tottenham Hotspur FC’s ground.
And the club based in Hendon are looking for a much better outcome tomorrow then they experienced the last time they were in Somerset.
Rhys Carre, who will be at loosehead for Sarries tomorrow, said: “We weren’t at our best last time we played there, far from it.
“But we showed a lot of improvement last week against Northampton which we’ve continued to build on this week.
“Saracens have a proud history in this competition which we want to uphold against tough opposition in Bath.”
British & Irish Lions and England skipper Maro Itoje will captain the visitors tomorrow.
Saracens starting XV: 1 Rhys Carre, 2 Jamie George, 3 Marcus Street, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Hugh Tizard, 6 Theo McFarland, 7 Andy Onyeama-Christie, 8 Tom Willis, 9 Charlie Bracken, 10 Fergus Burke, 11 Tobias Elliott, 12 Owen Farrell, 13 Nick Tompkins, 14 Noah Caluori, 15 Elliot Daly.
Saracens replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Eroni Mawi, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Harry Wilson, 20 Nathan Michelow, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Alex Lozowski, 23 Max Malins.
The game was declared a sell-out on Thursday 2nd April, meaning yet another crowd of 14,509 will be crammed into The Rec. Kick-off will be at 3pm.
Victory for the Blue, Black & White will earn them a home tie in the quarter-finals, which will be played over the weekend of Friday 10th to Sunday 12th April.
Meanwhile, fly-half Sam Harris will leave Bath this summer – to join Exeter Chiefs on a two-year deal. And he says he is thrilled to be heading to Sandy Park.
Harris said: “I’m really excited to be joining Exeter Chiefs. It’s a club with a strong identity, an amazing fan base and a record of competing at the highest level.
“After speaking with the coaches, I felt this was the right environment for a fresh start.
“I enjoy the style of rugby Exeter plays, and I’m looking forward to contributing to the team’s ambitions in the coming seasons.
“I’m excited for this next chapter and can’t wait to get started with the boys.”
Rob Baxter, Exeter’s director of rugby, said: “We’ve had a good look at Sam for a while now. He’s a guy who has had an impressive career trajectory from the Bath Rugby academy into the England U20s and then into the Bath first team.
“He’s had the misfortune of having back-to-back injuries, which are now all just about sorted out. So we’re expecting an awful lot of him in the future.
“Sam is one of those guys who has exceptional talent, so we’re hoping that we can get him a period of being injury-free and help his development into more senior rugby.
“He’s got some real strengths in his game.
“His ball-playing ability as second receiver, having played a lot in the fly-half position, is impressive.
“He’s got very good speed, is very evasive and good in the air.
“He’s one of those guys we think can potentially come through and grow into a very good rugby player, and we hope that’s something we can help him achieve here at Exeter.”
A statement from the Blue, Black & White said: “The club can confirm Sam Harris will depart Bath Rugby at the end of the season.
“Coming from Millfield [School], the 23-year-old has risen through the Bath Rugby academy.
“Since joining the Blue, Black & White, Harris has earned 14 Bath caps, making his professional debut against Gloucester Rugby in September 2022.
“Harris was named Breakthrough Player of the Season for 2022-23.
“He has also represented England at age-grade levels, playing his part in the 2023 U20 World Cup.
“Heading south, the fly-half will join Exeter Chiefs ahead of the 2026-27 season.
“The club thanks Sam for his devotion to the Blue, Black & White.”
