PREM Cup: Vunipola debuts for Leicester, Green back for Quins

The Gallagher PREM Cup gets underway this weekend with some teams using the competition primarily as a development tool for academy and fringe players and others as first-team prep for when the league season begins later this month.

The team sheets make for interesting reading due to this mix and match approach,with old warhorses rubbing shoulders with youngsters and club stalwarts lining up alongside summer recruits.

One of the most eye-catching moves of the summer was Mako Vunipola’s return to the PREM from France after signing for Leicester.

The Tigers have wasted no time in handing Vunipola his debut, with the former Saracens, England and Lions loose-head named in their starting front row for the trip to Harlequins on Saturday.

Home supporters, meanwhile, will be delighted to see the return to fitness of Tyrone Green. Green, who was dogged by hamstring problems last season, starts at full-back, while James Dun makes his club debut in the second row after joining from Bristol.

Alfie Barbeary dons the Saracens No.8 shirt for the first time, with Max Malins leading the team out from fly-half against a callow Northampton team.

Malins last played fly-half in April 2021, while on loan at Bristol, with his last outing at 10 in black way back in 2018/19.

AJ MacGinty starts for Bristol, having only played four games last season, as Pat Lam fields a blend of youth and experience for the clash against Gloucester at Ashton Gate.

Lewis Ludlow is back as Gloucester captain for that match, which features a debut for Joe Joyce against his former club.

Bath have gone down the development route for Sunday’s trip to the CorpAcq Stadium, where centre Declan Treacey will make his first team debut.

Sale Sharks on the other hand have fielded what is arguably the strongest line-up of the weekend, with England internationals Courtney Lawes, Alex Lozowski and Joe Marchant all named to start.

SATURDAY 5 SEPTEMBER

Harlequins v Leicester Tigers – Twickenham Stoop, 3pm

Harlequins: 15 Tyrone Green, 14 Nick David, 13 Oscar Beard, 12 Bryn Bradley, 11 Theo Povey, 10 Connor Slevin, 9 Will Porter; 1 Will Hobson, 2 Jack Walker, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 4 James Dun, 5 Harry Browne, 6 Jack Kenningham, 7 Seb Driscoll (c), 8 Lucas Schmid.
Replacements: 16 Ashton Graham, 17 Jamie Miller, 18 Sitiveni Vasuturaga, 19 Jonny Green, 20 Leo Dickinson, 21 Stuart Townsend, 22 Josh Bellamy, 23 Sean Kerr.

Leicester Tigers: 15 George Pearson, 14 Will Wand, 13 Charlie Myall, 12 Joseph Woodward, 11 Kesena Izu, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Tom Whiteley; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Charlie Clare (c), 3 Joel Sclavi, 4 James Thompson, 5 Cameron Henderson, 6 Finn Carnduff, 7 Samuel Williams, 8 George Marsh.
Replacements: 16 Sam Moli, 17 Tarek Haffar, 18 Ale Loman, 19 Osian Thomas, 20 Josh Manz, 21 Charlie Bemand, 22 Ryan Crowley, 23 Wilf McCarthy.

Saracens v Northampton Saints – StoneX Stadium, 3pm

Saracens: 15 Jack Bracken, 14 Tobias Elliott, 13 Angus Hall, 12 Olly Hartley, 11 Rotimi Segun, 10 Max Malins (c), 9 Charlie Bracken; 1 Phil Brantingham, 2 Eoghan Clarke, 3 Marcus Street, 4 Olamide Sodeke, 5 Hugh Tizard, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 7 Nathan Michelow, 8 Alfie Barbeary.
Replacements: 16 James Hadfield, 17 Alex O’Driscoll, 18 Corne Weilbach, 19 Totoa Auvaa, 20 Toby Knight, 21 Tom James, 22 Finn Keylock, 23 Sione Va’enuku.

Northampton Saints: 15 James Pater, 14 Thomas Rowe, 13 Will Catley, 12 Toby Thame, 11 James Martin, 10 Hugh Shields, 9 Jonny Weimann; 1 Oliver Scola, 2 Robbie Smith, 3 Ion Neculai, 4 Tom Lockett, 5 Chunya Munga (c), 6 Archie Benson, 7 Josh Taylor, 8 Charlie Ulcoq.
Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Lefty Zigiriadis, 18 Sonny Tonga’uiha, 19 James Bennett, 20 Callum Chick, 21 Fergus Mainey, 22 Sonny Goode, 23 Freddie St John.

Bristol Bears v Gloucester Rugby – Ashton Gate, 3.05pm

Bristol Bears: 15 Noah Heward, 14 Ollie Harris, 13 Victor Worsnip, 12 James Williams, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Harry Randall; 1 Max Lahiff, 2 Harry Thacker, 3 Jimmy Halliwell, 4 George Taylor, 5 Joe Batley, 6 Paddy Pearce, 7 Kenzie Jenkins, 8 Fitz Harding (c).
Replacements: 16 Thomas Gwilliam, 17 Andrew Turner, 18 Sam Scott, 19 Noah Williams, 20 Ben Rogers, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Sam Worsley, 23 Max Clark.

Gloucester Rugby: 15 Ben Redshaw, 14 Ollie Thorley, 13 Phil Cokanasiga, 12 Max Knight, 11 Ben Loader, 10 Charlie Atkinson, 9 Dan Robson; 1 Val Rapava Ruskin, 2 Jack Innard, 3 Afo Fasogbon, 4 Joe Joyce, 5 Jack Mann, 6 Jack Clement, 7 Lewis Ludlow (c), 8 Will Trenholm.
Replacements: 16 Seb Blake, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Ciaran Knight, 19 Harry Taylor, 20 Jack Gilbert, 21 Caolan Englefield, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Junior Denny.

SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER

Sale Sharks v Bath Rugby – CorpAcq Stadium, 3pm

Sale Sharks: 15 Joe Carpenter, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 11 Arron Reed, 10 Alex Lozowski, 9 Gus Warr; 1 Bevan Rodd, 2 Nathan Jibulu, 3 Tye Raymont, 4 Ernst van Rhyn (c), 5 Ben Bamber, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Sam Dugdale, 8 Jacques Vermeulen.
Replacements: 16 Alfie Longstaff, 17 Ralph McEachran, 18 Patreece Bell, 19 Christ Tshiunza, 20 Tristan Woodman, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Ollie Davies, 23 Marius Louw.

Bath Rugby: 15 Jack Woods, 14 Tyler Offiah, 13 Charlie Griffin, 12 Declan Treacey, 11 Sam Winters, 10 Ciaran Donoghue, 9 Ieuan Davies; 1 Scott Kirk, 2 Kepueli Tuipulotu, 3 Kieran Verden, 4 Will Jeanes, 5 Ewan Richards (c), 6 Jack Bennett, 7 George Timmins, 8 Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi.
Replacements: 16 Jasper Spandler, 17 Ioan Emmanuel, 18 Alfie Griffin, 19 James Maloney, 20 Alex Ridgway, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 James Linegar, 23 Jack Harrison.