Gabriel Oghre and George Kloska return to the starting XV for Bristol Bears’ PREM Rugby clash with Leicester Tigers at Ashton Gate on Friday.
The pair join England and British & Irish Lions loosehead Ellis Genge in the front-row, as director of rugby Pat Lam makes three changes to the side that defeated West Country rivals Exeter Chiefs last weekend.
Pedro Rubiolo and Joe Batley continue their partnership in the second-row, while Georgian international Luka Ivanishvili comes in at number eight alongside centurions Steven Luatua and skipper Fitz Harding.
Luatua is set to make his 164th competitive appearance for the club, with Harding leading the Bears into a mouth-watering clash between two of the Gallagher PREM‘s early-season frontrunners.
In the backline, last weekend’s Player of the Match Harry Randall continues at scrum-half alongside experienced USA international AJ MacGinty, with James Williams and Argentina international Matias Moroni combining in midfield.
The dangerous back three of Gabriel Ibitoye, Louis Rees-Zammit and Tom Jordan is retained, with Rees-Zammit looking to add to his impressive tally of four tries in his opening four Gallagher PREM appearances.
Among the replacements, Academy hooker Tomas Gwilliam provides front-row cover alongside Jake Woolmore, who is set for his 194th competitive appearance for the club, and Lovejoy Chawatama.
Josh Caulfield, Joe Owen and Ben Grondona offer further forward options, while experienced scrum-half Kieran Marmion and versatile back Jack Bates complete the matchday 23.
The Friday night encounter forms the centrepiece of Bristol’s Legends Night celebrations, with the Bears set to wear letters instead of numbers on their shirts in a special tribute to the club’s rich history and heritage.
Tigers team news
Meanwhile, Freddie Steward is set for his 100th PREM start as Leicester Tigers travel to Ashton Gate to face Bristol in an intriguing fixture.
The full-back retains his record of starting in every Gallagher PREM and Investec Champions Cup match this season, and will be coming into the match on a high, having scored the bonus-point-securing try against local rivals Northampton Saints last weekend.
The forwards remain unchanged from the derby against Saints, with Ollie Chessum captaining the side from the second-row.
There are three alterations in the backline. Tom Whiteley, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Orlando Bailey all come back into the side, replacing Jack van Poortvliet, Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Will Wand – all of whom will likely make an appearance from the bench.
Solomone Kata will make the short trip to outside centre to make room for Bailey to start at 12.
Among the substitutes is a return from injury for Elliott Stooke. The second-rower joined from Red Hurricanes over the off-season and is set for his first official Tigers appearance.
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The teams
Prediction: Bristol by 3
Bristol Bears: 15 Tom Jordan, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 James Williams, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Harry Randall, 8 Luka Ivanishvili, 7 Fitz Harding (c), 6 Steven Luatua, 5 Joe Batley, 4 Pedro Rubiolo, 3 George Kloska, 2 Gabriel Oghre, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Tomas Gwilliam, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 Lovejoy Chawatama, 19 Josh Caulfield, 20 Joe Owen, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Jack Bates, 23 Ben Grondona
Leicester Tigers: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Solomone Kata, 12 Orlando Bailey, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Tom Whiteley, 8 Olly Cracknell, 7 Finn Carnduff, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Ollie Chessum (c), 4 Cameron Henderson, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Archie van der Flier
Replacements: 16 Samiuela Moli, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Elliott Stooke, 20 Joaquin Moro, 21 Jack van Poortvliet, 22 Will Wand, 23 Gabriel Hamer-Webb
Venue: Ashton Gate
Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson and Jonathan Cook
TMO: Stuart Terheege
How to watch: Live on TNT Sports 1, UHD and HBO Max