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Gallagher PremiershipBathWasps

Zach Mercer switches position as Bath make wholesale changes for visit of Wasps

(Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

England No.8 Zach Mercer switches position as Bath Rugby make 12 changes to the side as we prepare for the visit of playoff rivals Wasps at the Rec on Monday. Director of Rugby Stuart Hooper has made a host of changes from the side who claimed the 18-3 win against Northampton Saints on Wednesday evening.

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Beno Obano retains his place in the side after earning a Man of the Match medal last time out and is joined by Tom Dunn and Will Stuart in the front row, while Josh McNally and Charlie Ewels replace Will Spencer and Elliott Stooke respectively.

Mercer moves from No.8 to openside, accompanied by Sam Underhill at blindside with Taulupe Faletau at the back of the pack.

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The Tight Five – Rugby Ruckus – Episode 9

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The Tight Five – Rugby Ruckus – Episode 9

Rhys Priestland and Ben Spencer reignite their partnership at fly half and scrum half respectively as they both return to the starting line-up.

Gabriel Hamer-Webb returns to the fold after impressing last time out against Northampton Saints, as does Ruaridh McConnochie, who replaces Semesa Rokoduguni.

Josh Matavesi is back in midfield, partnered with Jonathan Joseph. Anthony Watson comes back in for Tom de Glanville at full-back.

A notable return sees Max Green on the bench as the scrum half returns from injury.

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BATH RUGBY SIDE TO FACE WASPS
15. Anthony Watson, 14. Ruaridh McConnochie, 13. Jonathan Joseph, 12. Josh Matavesi, 11. Gabriel Hamer-Webb, 10. Rhys Priestland, 9. Ben Spencer; 1. Beno Obano, 2. Tom Dunn, 3. Will Stuart, 4. Josh McNally, 5. Charlie Ewels (C), 6. Zach Mercer, 7. Sam Underhill, 8. Taulupe Faletau

REPLACEMENTS
16. Jack Walker, 17. Lewis Boyce, 18. Christian Judge, 19. Elliott Stooke, 20. Miles Reid, 21. Max Green, 22. Max Clark, 23. Tom de Glanville

WASPS TEAM:
15 Lima Sopoaga, 14 Zach Kibirige, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Marcus Watson, 10 Jacob Umaga
9 Dan Robson, 1 Tom West, 2 Tommy Taylor, 3 Biyi Alo, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 5 James Gaskell, 6 Jack Willis, 7 Thomas Young, 8 Brad Shields

REPLACEMENTS:
16 Gabriel Oghre, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 19 Will Rowlands, 20 Tom Willis, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Jimmy Gopperth, 23 Matteo Minozzi

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Comments on RugbyPass

A
Ardy 8 minutes ago
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales all have the same problem

Not my perception John, I think he is trying to develop a settled team but also needs players with some experience to step in if we get some injuries. As an example, someone said today we are only 2 injuries to THP's away from a nightmare situation. We have double the LHP's to THP's.

None of this is going to convince you. I was hoping Ewen would step in before we employed the nasty little toad who stuffed up Aussie scrummaging and lineouts in 2003, the effects of which we have lived with for 20 years.

8 Go to comments
J
Johnny 30 minutes ago
Let's be real about these All Blacks

Great article! So controversial it will no doubt get suckers to comment and raise clicks and views!!! Its by design that Ben writes such biased and skewed opinioned articles to get the anger and shock affect. Great marketing

31 Go to comments
H
Head high tackle 34 minutes ago
How leviathan Will Skelton and the Wallabies reversed the World Cup fiasco

Are Leinster etc all releasing their players for Ireland?

186 Go to comments
H
Head high tackle 36 minutes ago
How leviathan Will Skelton and the Wallabies reversed the World Cup fiasco

Nick its not shallow and unobservant. We have all watched him play and Ive probably seen all 30 tests he has played, but reality is he has only played 30 tests in 11 seasons and thats not the record of a great player. Yes he has been OS a lot but thats possibly part of the criticisim of him. He has been available for Aus based on the Wallabies selection policy for those whole 11 seasons.

Im more than happy to call him a very good club player but I think his test career shows what his level is. Probably would have played 60-70 tests by now had he stayed in SR but tbh NH rugby is far more suitable for him. He is a bit like Tuipolotu is for NZ. Gets better with maturity, but never quite nailed the test spot down in their younger days. Both are better now than earlier in their careers. Perhaps his best for Aus will prove to be from now thru to the 2027 WC in Aus.

186 Go to comments
D
DC000 42 minutes ago
Let's be real about these All Blacks

SH rugby is dying. To win, the teams have had to rely on the incompetence of the refs.


You had a good run, but hopefully world rugby gets better standards for refs and your slide to irrelevance will be quick and justified.

31 Go to comments
H
Head high tackle 50 minutes ago
How leviathan Will Skelton and the Wallabies reversed the World Cup fiasco

I dont believe Skelton has ever proven himself at test level tho Nick. Yep he played well against a side they scored plenty against but his record v the top sides isnt special. Good quality player but Im not as convinced about him as you seem to be, as you base most of your opinion on his local club stuff not really his test performances. His test record of 30 tests in 10 years explains itself very well. I think he is an honest performer but certainly not a top notch International player.

186 Go to comments
H
Hellhound 1 hour ago
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales all have the same problem

I wonder Jake, who do you think is the best fit for Australia as a coach? Not since Joe Schmidt took over as coach did Australia look any good, however, there is always this debate around not having an Aussie coach by the fans and so called pundits and old players.


Some of them are changing their minds now however, but I would love to see who you would choose. I think Joe Schmidt is an excellent coach, who puts in everything for the team he is coaching. To him, there is no such thing as being biased.

8 Go to comments
H
Hellhound 1 hour ago
Rob Howley: Warren Gatland is 'the best coach in the world'

Except for the 6N he has won nothing. No WC's, no Lions tours not anything. He is ranked even behind Eddie Jones, who has won a WC with SA and have a better victory rate than Gatland. Keep your so called "best coach" in the world. No one but Wales wants him. A very harsh Hell No comes to mind if anyone asks if they would want Gatland as head coach.


Guess the man is wearing blinders. Rob Howley is howling mad describing Gatland as the best. What a load of 💩

3 Go to comments
O
OJohn 1 hour ago
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales all have the same problem

Probably partly true but we in fact have plenty of talent, we just can't get a kiwi coach to put our best team on the field. Just like Deans and just like Rennie. And he keeps changing the team so Australian players can't get settled. Just like Deans and just like Rennie

8 Go to comments
O
OJohn 1 hour ago
David Campese takes back his Joe Schmidt coaching Australia criticism

Which Australian coaches would be acceptable to coach the All Blacks ?

23 Go to comments
O
OJohn 1 hour ago
David Campese takes back his Joe Schmidt coaching Australia criticism

Well we will never develop them either if we keep giving the job to kiwis. Over and over and over. Which suits the Tahs because they know they can control them.

23 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

I've read lots of discussions about it here and on other site and the context I understood was he only just missed the cut (like lots of good players did).


It is easy to construe that he was told he wasn't going to be chosen at his current weight, but I'd say that his weight was just the reason he was given why he wasn't chosen over other players (who went on to be very good themselves).

307 Go to comments
D
David Cooper 1 hour ago
David Campese takes back his Joe Schmidt coaching Australia criticism

The cupboard may be a bit stretched in the elite coaching dept...not to mention trophies.

23 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

I agree that I'm fitting it into a new context that might be original and/or hard for others to follow 👍


Razor has constantly choked on this tour refusing to back unproven players. There is something mentally wrong with this thought process, it's been proven(!!), that I'm happy to fit it under the same umbrella.


Would have been more accurate baloney for me to say Farrell choked, rather than specifically target Ireland in general 😁

307 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

He nailed a forward on this tour (and some more back in the NPC before he left lol)!


I know what you mean and see it too, he will be a late bloomer if he makes it for sure.

307 Go to comments
A
Ardy 2 hours ago
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales all have the same problem

So John, the guys you admire are from my era of the 80's and 90's. This was a time when we had players from the baby boomer era that wanted to be better and a decent coach could make them better ie the ones you mentioned. You have ignored the key ingrediant, the players. For my sins I spent a few years coaching in Subbies around 2007 to 2012 and the players didn't want to train but thought they should be picked. We would start the season with ~30 players and end up mid season with around 10, 8 of which would train.

Young men don't want to play contact sport they just want to watch it. Sadly true but with a few exceptions.

8 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Well that's what I really like about your articles, they are things I have been really interested in for a long time. So long a lot of it is off the cuff shoot first type approach, remember second!

307 Go to comments
O
OJohn 2 hours ago
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales all have the same problem

Bob Dwyer and Alan Jones. And Ewen McKenzie of course. John Connolly wasn't bad but trying to bore Australian rugby supporters to death with kick back was never going to be accepted in Australia for long.


We are better than that and Cheika putting Foley at 12, where he had never played before, to get in Quade Coopers way when he gave Cooper a rare opportunity at 10 just showed what a nasty vindictive Tah coach he was.

8 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

No just because the personal is much better than last year. I've shown no antagonism of Crusader players, you must be confusing me with someone else.


I have critized Razor for picking players he knows occasionally?


I said I'm not surprised because of his style, he's more a grinder player like Cane, not going to show up on peoples radar until you see how bad the other choices are. This year players like Clarke have been on fire and just show a bit more.


Are you one of those posters continually taking it easy on Razor because he doesn't have his Crusaders stars available? Do you think the rugby world is going to up to him suddenly once Mo'unga returns? lol

307 Go to comments
A
Ardy 2 hours ago
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales all have the same problem

John you have been beating this drum for a couple of years, if you get proven right get back to us.

The last recent and decent Aussie coach was Ewen McKenzie, he was undermined and forced out by a couple of slimy Aussie players who were given a free pass when they should have been disciplined.

So our history since McQueen is very checkered and it seems to make little difference whether we have an Aussie coach or a Kiwi coach. The players have been entitled for a long time and we had to hit bottom to get them back into reality and to stop thinking it is all about them.


Cheika was an OK coach but his 'go our and destroy the opposition' tactic worked for a while and then didn't.


Please give me a list of great Aussie coaches that I have missed.

8 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Despite defeat in Paris, the real reason the All Blacks are feeling upbeat Despite defeat in Paris, the real reason the All Blacks are feeling upbeat
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