Bath Set to Clash with Sale Sharks in Thrilling Premiership Semi-Final

On Saturday afternoon, the second Premiership semi-final will take place as Bath host the Sale Sharks at the Recreation Ground, with a spot in the final up for grabs.

Bath’s Lineup

Bath’s head of rugby, Johann van Graan, has made one change to the side that secured a convincing victory over Northampton in Round 18, with prop Beno Obano replacing the starting loosehead jersey. The rest of the Bath front-row features hooker Tom Dunn and Thomas du Toit.

The second-row pairing of Quinn Roux and Charlie Ewels, who have impressed in recent weeks, retain their places. In the back-row, Ted Hill and Sam Underhill start at blindside and openside, respectively, with Alfie Barbeary taking the number eight position, swapping places with Josh Bayliss.

Bath’s experienced half-back partnership of captain Ben Spencer and Scotland’s Finn Russell will orchestrate the attack, with the backline remaining unchanged from the previous match. This includes the wing duo of Will Muir and Joe Cokanasiga, the midfield pairing of Cameron Redpath and Ollie Lawrence, and full-back Matt Gallagher.

Sale Sharks’ Lineup

On the Sale Sharks side, England back-row Tom Curry makes his return to the matchday squad, joining Luke James as a new inclusion this season. However, Manu Tuilagi and Luke Cowan-Dickie are both ruled out due to injury.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson has made two changes to his starting XV, with Sam James replacing the injured Tuilagi in the centres. The Sharks’ all-homegrown front-row features props Bevan Rodd and James Harper, alongside hooker Tommy Taylor. The second-row is occupied by Cobus Wiese and Hyron Andrews, while the back-row consists of Sam Dugdale, captain Ben Curry, and Jean-Luc du Preez.

The half-back pairing of scrum-half Gus Warr and fly-half George Ford will orchestrate the Sale attack, with Rob du Preez and Sam James in the centres. The back three is completed by wingers Tom O’Flaherty and Tom Roebuck, as well as full-back Joe Carpenter.

This highly anticipated semi-final clash between Bath and Sale Sharks promises an enthralling encounter as both teams vie for a spot in the Premiership final.

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