Team Bath bidding for place in BUCS Rugby Championship trophy decider as they head to old rivals Loughborough for semi-final
A place in the BUCS Rugby Championship final is the prize on offer when Team Bath head to old rivals Loughborough on Wednesday (7pm kick-off, watch live on BUCS TV).
It will be a fourth semi-final of the BUCS Super Rugby era for the Bath Building Society-sponsored men’s 1st XV and they are bidding to make the next step for the first time after narrowly missing out in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
They face a tough test against the newly-crowned league champions but both matches this season were close fought, with Team Bath winning 36-35 at home in November and conceding a late try in a 20-11 away defeat in February.
There are just three changes to the XV that started last week’s quarter-final win over Hartpury, with Louie Hennessey and Austin Emens – who combined for the decisive third try – lining up at outside centre and full-back respectively, while hooker Max Pearce comes into the front row.
The semi-final will be live-streamed on BUCS TV, click here to watch from 6.40pm.
Team Bath starting XV: 1 Ollie Tack, 2 Max Pearce, 3 Archie Griffin, 4 Josh Dingley, 5 Harvey Cuckson, 6 Tom Cowan, 7 Ethan Staddon, 8 Mackenzie Graham; 9 Tom Carr-Smith, 10 Luca Mignot, 11 Alfie Garside (c), 12 Ludo Kolade, 13 Louie Hennessey, 14 Sam Mercer, 15 Austin Emens. Replacements: 16 George Stuttard, 17 Scott Kirk, 18 Archie McNicol, 19 Tom Berry, 20 Tom Williams, 21 Murdoch Lock, 22 Sam Kennaugh, 23 James Beverley.
Loughborough starting XV: 1 Bryn Davies, 2 Joe Plunkett, 3 Jack Bertinet, 4 Alex Wardell, 5 Mario Pichardie, 6 Henri Lavin, 7 Teddy Leatherbarrow, 8 Tobias Munday; 9 Tom Miles, 10 Charlie Titcombe, 11 Charlie Cadogan, 12 Dan Martin, 13 Nathan Pope, 14 Will Sanders, 15 Reece Malone. Replacements: 16 Nathan Langdon, 17 Cal Smyth, 18 Sam Westmacott, 19 George Taylor, 20 Fergus Dick, 21 Ben Smith, 22 Charlie Bracken, 23 Harry Rowson.
