Bath vs Gloucester Cup clash spiced up by star's long-awaited return

England international Will Muir has been thrown straight into Bath’s starting line-up for Gloucester’s visit to The Rec in the PREM Rugby Cup this Saturday.

Muir’s recovery from a shoulder injury has taken longer than expected and the muscular winger has been out of action since scoring two tries in the Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Bordeaux-Bègles last May.

Bath have chosen a strong-looking team on paper, with experienced figures like Muir and ex-Ireland lock duo Quinn Roux and Ross Molony rubbing shoulders with youngsters like Jack Woods and debutant loose-head Jacob Yates.

Woods has a good opportunity to show he can be a credible back-up option to Tom de Glanville at full-back following Santi Carreras’s season-ending injury.

While one international returns after a long absence in blue, black and white, Gloucester have handed out-of-favour ex-Ireland fly-half Ross Byrne his first start at 10 since the start of January.

Byrne played as a replacement in the first two rounds of this season’s Cup, but has not had any game time in the last two months.

Up front, Eliot Salt is set for his Gloucester Rugby debut at tight-head after his summer move from Coventry.

In addition, four more potential debutants are named on the bench, with on-loan prop Joe Cowell and Luca Woodyatt, Zac Jones, and Krystof Wood set for their first appearances.

After the first two rounds of the Cup, Gloucester are second in Pool A, three behind leaders Sale Sharks and one point ahead of Bath in third.

Bath Rugby: 1 Jacob Yates (debut), 2 Jasper Spandler, 3 Kieran Verden, 4 Quinn Roux, 5 Ross Molony, 6 Ewan Richards (c), 7 George Timmins, 8 Arthur Green, 9 Tom Carr-Smith, 10 Ciaran Donoghue, 11 Will Muir, 12 Jack Harrison, 13 Charlie Griffin, 14 Tyler Offiah, 15 Jack Woods
Replacements: 16 Max Pearce, 17 Claudius Wheeler, 18 Marcos Camerlinckx, 19 Connor Treacey, 20 Jaco Coetzee, 21 Ieuan Davies, 22 Will Roue, 23 Austin Emens.

Gloucester Rugby: 1 Harrison Bellamy, 2 Kealan Freeman-Price, 3 Eliot Salt (debut), 4 Joe Joyce, 5 Jack Mann, 6 Harry Taylor (C), 7 James Venter, 8 Deian Gwynne; 9 Mikey Austin, 10 Ross Byrne, 11 Junior Denny, 12 Max Knight, 13 Josiah Edwards-Giraud, 14 Ben Redshaw, 15 Josh Hathaway
Replacements: 16 George Knowles, 17  Joe Cowell (debut), 18 Harry Wright, 19 Jack Gilbert, 20 Caio James, 21 Luca Woodyatt (debut), Zac Jones (debut), Krystof Wood (debut).