Ellis Genge to go head-to-head with England teammate in Bristol return

England loosehead prop Ellis Genge will make his first appearance since the World Cup bronze final when he runs out for Bristol Bears tomorrow night in a West Country derby against Bath at the Rec.

The 28-year-old has been rested since the World Cup, but comes straight back into the starting XV to try and arrest a three-match losing streak. He will go head-to-head with Bath tighthead Will Stuart, who helped form England’s starting front row against Argentina the last time Genge played.

The loosehead’s England front row partner, tighthead Kyle Sinckler, will start on the bench having made his return to action last week.

WATCH as departing coach Jacques Nienaber drops a hint that he might return to the Springbok fold in the not too distant future

WATCH as departing coach Jacques Nienaber drops a hint that he might return to the Springbok fold in the not too distant future

Elsewhere in the squad, lock Ed Holmes will make his 100th appearance for the Bears.

Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam, said: “We know what this fixture means to the people of Bristol, so we’re excited to represent them in what is always an entertaining West Country derby.

“Bath have had a great start to the season, and we know the challenge we will face on Friday night at The Rec. Our success there in recent seasons has been built on mindset and teamwork which is what we need to bring.”

Bath XV: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Will Muir, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben Spencer ©, 1 Beno Obano, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Fergus Lee-Warner, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Miles Reid, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Jaco Coetzee
Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 GJ van Velze, 20 Alfie Barbeary, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Orlando Bailey, 23 Max Ojomoh

Bristol Bears XV: 15 Rich Lane, 14 Piers O’Conor, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Harry Randall (c); 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Gabriel Oghre, 3 Max Lahiff, 4 Ed Holmes, 5 Joe Batley, 6 James Dun, 7 Harry Thacker, 8 Magnus Bradbury.
Replacements: 16 Will Capon, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Josh Caulfield, 20 Dan Thomas, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 James Williams, 23 Max Malins.