PREM Rugby: Team News for Round 7 - International stars return to league action

Here's all the team news for Round 7 of Gallagher PREM Rugby.

Leicester Tigers host Gloucester Rugby at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Friday evening for Round Seven of the Gallagher Premiership, with the sides contesting the Slater Cup for the seventh time. The trophy honours former Leicester and Gloucester captain Ed Slater, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2022, and fundraising for the 4Ed charity will be part of the evening’s proceedings.

Tigers head coach Geoff Parling has welcomed back experienced reinforcements to the matchday squad. Australia centre Izaia Perese starts after returning from injury, making the only change to Leicester’s starting XV from last week’s fixture against Leinster.

On the bench, England internationals Ollie Chessum and Jack van Poortvliet, alongside prop Tarek Haffar and hooker Charlie Clare, provide depth and experience. Scrum-half Tom Whiteley is set to make his 50th senior appearance, while van Poortvliet could reach 100 if called off the bench. Unfortunately, Will Wand is sidelined for around four weeks with an injury, but Parling praised the players returning from the sidelines and their expected impact.

Leicester’s pack combines youth and experience, with Nicky Smith, Jamie Blamire, Joe Heyes, Cameron Henderson, and Harry Wells forming a strong forward platform. The back row is captained by Tommy Reffell, alongside James Thompson and Joaquin Moro. In the backs, Freddie Steward, Adam Radwan, Perese, Solomone Kata, and Ollie Hassell-Collins provide pace and attacking threat, with Billy Searle and Whiteley orchestrating at half-back.

Gloucester return to Premiership action with a near-full-strength squad after a recent suspension. Nepo Laulala rejoins the front row alongside Val Rapava Ruskin and Seb Blake. The second row features Freddie Thomas and Vice-Captain Arthur Clark, with Josh Basham, Lewis Ludlow, and Jack Clement completing the forwards. In the backs, Tomos Williams (captain) combines with Ross Byrne, while Seb Atkinson and Will Butler form the midfield partnership. The back three of Ollie Thorley, Rob Russell, and Charlie Atkinson provides pace and finishing ability.

LEICESTER TIGERS STARTING XV
15 Freddie Steward, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Izaia Perese, 12 Solomone Kata, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Tom Whiteley, 1 Nicky Smith, 2 Jamie Blamire, 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Cameron Henderson, 5 Harry Wells, 6 James Thompson, 7 Tommy Reffell (C), 8 Joaquin Moro

REPLACEMENTS
16 Charlie Clare, 17 Tarek Haffar, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Sam Williams, 21 Jack van Poortvliet, 22 Orlando Bailey, 23 Joseph Woodward

GLOUCESTER RUGBY STARTING XV
15 Charlie Atkinson, 14 Rob Russell, 13 Will Butler, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Tomos Williams (C), 1 Val Rapava Ruskin, 2 Seb Blake, 3 Nepo Laulala, 4 Freddie Thomas, 5 Arthur Clark, 6 Josh Basham, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 8 Jack Clement

REPLACEMENTS
16 Jack Innard, 17 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 18 Afo Fasogbon, 19 Cam Jordan, 20 Harry Taylor, 21 Mikey Austin, 22 Will Knight, 23 Josh Hathaway

Northampton Saints will aim to maintain their strong start to the Gallagher Premiership as they host Sale Sharks at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday. Phil Dowson has made just three changes to his starting XV, bringing in Edoardo Todaro, Toby Thame, and Emmanuel Iyogun.

Todaro partners last week’s hat-trick hero George Hendy on the wings, while club captain George Furbank continues at fullback. Thame steps into the midfield alongside Fraser Dingwall, and the half-back combination of Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith remains unchanged.

Front-row changes see Iyogun join Craig Wright and Trevor Davison, while Alex Coles and JJ Van Der Mescht continue in the engine room. The back row of Josh Kemeny, Tom Pearson, and Henry Pollock is unchanged. Saints will also have a strong bench with Tommy Freeman making his first appearance since October, joined by Danilo Fischetti, Cleopas Kundiona, and Ollie Sleightholme.

Sale Sharks arrive with British & Irish Lions Tom Curry and Luke Cowan-Dickie back in the line-up after their Champions Cup win in Clermont. Ernst van Rhyn leads the forwards at openside, with Jacques Vermeulen and Curry completing a powerful back row. Rob du Preez and Raffi Quirke continue as the half-back pairing, while Joe Bedlow and Marius Louw operate in midfield. Arron Reed, Tom O’Flaherty, and Alex Wills form an experienced back three. Sale’s bench is packed with forward options and talented backs ready to impact the game.

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS STARTING XV
15 George Furbank (C), 14 George Hendy, 13 Toby Thame, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Edoardo Todaro, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 1 Emmanuel Iyogun, 2 Craig Wright, 3 Trevor Davison, 4 Alex Coles, 5 JJ Van Der Mescht, 6 Josh Kemeny, 7 Tom Pearson, 8 Henry Pollock

REPLACEMENTS
16 Robbie Smith, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Cleopas Kundiona, 19 Chunya Munga, 20 Callum Chick, 21 Tom James, 22 Tommy Freeman, 23 Ollie Sleightholme

SALE SHARKS STARTING XV
15 Arron Reed, 14 Tom O’Flaherty, 13 Joe Bedlow, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Alex Wills, 10 Rob du Preez, 9 Raffi Quirke, 1 Si McIntyre, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 WillGriff John, 4 Tom Burrow, 5 Ben Bamber, 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 7 Ernst van Rhyn (C), 8 Tom Curry

REPLACEMENTS
16 Nathan Jibulu, 17 Tumy Onasanya, 18 James Harper, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Dan du Preez, 21 Gus Warr, 22 Ollie Davies, 23 Tristan Woodman

Saracens host Exeter Chiefs at StoneX Stadium on Saturday (15:00) in the final home fixture of 2025, with both sides bracing for a fierce contest. The Men in Black are looking to reignite their Gallagher Premiership campaign following a demanding European block, and Director of Rugby Mark McCall has named a side featuring 11 changes from last week’s narrow defeat in Durban

Rhys Carre and Marcus Street anchor a new front row either side of Theo Dan, while Nick Isiekwe pairs with Hugh Tizard in the second row. The back row sees Juan Martín González, Ben Earl, and Tom Willis bring experience and power, with Willis marking his 50th appearance for the club.

Ivan van Zyl and Owen Farrell reunite at half-back, and Nick Tompkins partners Lucio Cinti in the centre. Max Malins and Noah Caluori provide pace on the wings, with Elliot Daly retained at full-back. Jamie George returns to the bench, adding leadership and finishing power for the Men in Black.

Exeter Chiefs welcome their international stars back for the trip to North London. Campbell Ridl makes his league debut alongside Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Olly Woodburn, Len Ikitau, and Henry Slade in a back line designed for pace and creativity.

The forwards include a strong front row of Will Goodrick-Clarke, Jack Yeandle, and Bachuki Tchumbadze, with Dafydd Jenkins captaining the engine room alongside Andrea Zambonin and a back row of Tom Hooper, Ethan Roots, and Greg Fisilau. Stephen Varney and Harvey Skinner link up at half-back, rounding out a potent starting XV.

SARACENS STARTING XV
15 Elliot Daly, 14 Noah Caluori, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Max Malins, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ivan van Zyl (c), 1 Rhys Carre, 2 Theo Dan, 3 Marcus Street, 4 Nick Isiekwe, 5 Hugh Tizard, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Tom Willis

REPLACEMENTS
16 Jamie George, 17 Eroni Mawi, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Harry Wilson, 20 Andy Onyeama-Christie, 21 Charlie Bracken, 22 Fergus Burke, 23 Rotimi Segun

EXETER CHIEFS STARTING XV
15 Olly Woodburn, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Campbell Ridl, 10 Harvey Skinner, 9 Stephen Varney, 1 Will Goodrick-Clarke, 2 Jack Yeandle, 3 Bachuki Tchumbadze, 4 Dafydd Jenkins (c), 5 Andrea Zambonin, 6 Tom Hooper, 7 Ethan Roots, 8 Greg Fisilau

REPLACEMENTS
16 Julian Heaven, 17 Scott Sio, 18 Jimmy Roots, 19 Lewis Pearson, 20 Kane James, 21 Charlie Chapman, 22 Will Haydon-Wood, 23 Will Rigg

Harlequins have made three changes to the starting XV as they welcome Bristol Bears to Allianz Stadium for Big Game 17 on Saturday. Harry Williams returns at tighthead, Jack Walker starts at hooker, and Kieran Treadwell comes into the engine room.

Chandler Cunningham-South starts at number 8, with Zach Carr at blindside and Jack Kenningham at openside. Will Porter and Marcus Smith continue at half-back, with Luke Northmore and Oscar Beard in the centres. Cadan Murley leads the side at left wing, Cassius Cleaves starts on the right, and Nick David is at full-back. The replacements include Sam Riley, Will Hobson, Pedro Delgado, Joe Launchbury, Will Evans, Lucas Friday, Ben Waghorn, and Rodrigo Isgró.

Bristol Bears name Louis Rees-Zammit at full-back, joining Aidan Boshoff and Kalaveti Ravouvou in the back three. Tom Jordan and Kieran Marmion start at half-back, with James Williams and Benhard Janse van Rensburg in the centres. Fitz Harding captains the side from number 8, supported by Joe Owen and Santiago Grondona in the back row.

The front row comprises Ellis Genge, Gabriel Oghre, and Lovejoy Chawatama, with Pedro Rubiolo and Joe Batley in the second row. The replacements are Harry Thacker, Jake Woolmore, George Kloska, George Taylor, Benjamin Grondona, Harry Randall, Sam Worsley, and Noah Heward.

HARLEQUINS STARTING XV
15 Nick David, 14 Cassius Cleaves, 13 Oscar Beard, 12 Luke Northmore, 11 Cadan Murley, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Will Porter, 1 Fin Baxter, 2 Jack Walker, 3 Harry Williams, 4 Guido Petti Pagadizábal, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 6 Zach Carr, 7 Jack Kenningham, 8 Chandler Cunningham-South

REPLACEMENTS
16 Sam Riley, 17 Will Hobson, 18 Pedro Delgado, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Will Evans, 21 Lucas Friday, 22 Ben Waghorn, 23 Rodrigo Isgró

BRISTOL BEARS STARTING XV
15 Louis Rees-Zammit, 14 Aidan Boshoff, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 James Williams, 11 Kalaveti Ravouvou, 10 Tom Jordan, 9 Kieran Marmion, 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Gabriel Oghre, 3 Lovejoy Chawatama, 4 Pedro Rubiolo, 5 Joe Batley, 6 Joe Owen, 7 Santiago Grondona, 8 Fitz Harding

REPLACEMENTS
16 Harry Thacker, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 George Kloska, 19 George Taylor, 20 Benjamin Grondona, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Sam Worsley, 23 Noah Heward

Newcastle Red Bulls welcome Bath Rugby to Kingston Park on Sunday (21 December, KO 13:00) as Adam Brocklebank marks his 100th Gallagher PREM appearance. Brocklebank starts at loosehead in a side showing eight changes from last weekend’s Challenge Cup win over the Lions. Simón Benítez Cruz starts at scrum-half, with Sammy Arnold and Oli Spencer returning to the line-up.

George McGuigan captains the side from hooker, Seb de Chaves replaces Jamie Hodgson in the second row, and Amanaki Mafi comes in at number 8. Murray McCallum also returns in the front row. The replacements include Ollie Fletcher, Connor Hancock, Richard Palframan, Finn Baker, Tom Gordon, James Elliott, Boeta Chamberlain, and Max Clark.

Bath Rugby head to Tyneside with ten changes to their starting XV for the return of Gallagher PREM action. Francois van Wyk starts at loosehead, Dan Frost at hooker, and Archie Griffin at tighthead. Ewan Richards and Ross Molony form the second row, with Josh Bayliss on the openside, Ethan Staddon at blindside, and Miles Reid captaining from number 8.

Tom Carr-Smith and Santi Carreras combine at half-back, with Will Butt and Chris Harris in the centres. Louie Hennessey and Joe Cokanasiga complete the back three, with Tom de Glanville at full-back. The replacements include Tom Dunn, Beno Obano, Thomas du Toit, Ted Hill, Sam Underhill, Ben Spencer, Cameron Redpath, and Alfie Barbeary.

NEWCASTLE RED BULLS STARTING XV
15 Ethan Grayson, 14 Oli Spencer, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Sammy Arnold, 11 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz, 1 Adam Brocklebank, 2 George McGuigan, 3 Murray McCallum, 4 Oscar Usher, 5 Seb de Chaves, 6 Ollie Leatherbarrow, 7 Tom Christie, 8 Amanaki Mafi

REPLACEMENTS
16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Connor Hancock, 18 Richard Palframan, 19 Finn Baker, 20 Tom Gordon, 21 James Elliott, 22 Boeta Chamberlain, 23 Max Clark

BATH RUGBY STARTING XV
15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Will Butt, 11 Louie Hennessey, 10 Santi Carreras, 9 Tom Carr-Smith, 1 Francois van Wyk, 2 Dan Frost, 3 Archie Griffin, 4 Ewan Richards, 5 Ross Molony, 6 Josh Bayliss, 7 Ethan Staddon, 8 Miles Reid

REPLACEMENTS
16 Tom Dunn, 17 Beno Obano, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Cameron Redpath, 23 Alfie Barbeary