Freddie Burns will replace Rhys Priestland at number 10 for Bath ahead of their encounter against Treviso based team Benetton tomorrow.
Priestland, who only manged to play the opening five minutes in Bath’s 17-35 defeat against Scarlets last Friday, has sustained a hamstring injury which is most likely to see him ruled out of most of Wales 6 Nations campaign after having been called up for the squad.
Burns, whose brother Billy plays for Gloucester and who is starting for the Cherry & Whites this evening in their final European Challenge Cup game at home against Pau, is one of Bath’s four changes.
Kahn Fotuali’i comes into replace Chris Cook at scrum-half, Argentine international Lucas Noguera is also brought into the starting line-up by coach Todd Blackadder, whilst James Philips pips Luke Charteris in the second row.
Despite being called up for England’s Six Nations squad at the start of the week, both Zach Mercer and Sam Underhill retain their positions in the back row.
Bath travel away to Treviso to face bottom side Benetton, who have made seven changes to their squad after their 36-0 defeat to Toulon in France last week. The visitors have to secure a bonus point victory tomorrow to be in with any chance of progressing into the quarter-finals of the European Championship Cup.
With the injury to Rhys Priestland, Freddie Burns’s will be Bath’s go to man for what is most likely to be the remander season.
Benetton: McKinley; Benvenuti, Morisi, Sgarbi, Ioane; Allan, Gori; Quaglio, Baravalle, Riccioni, Herbst, Budd, Douglas, Negri, Barbieri.
Replacements: Faiva, De Marchi, Ferrari, Ruzza, Zanni, Steyn, Bronzini, Sperandio.
Bath: Watson; Banahan, Joseph, Tapuai, Brew; Burns, Fotuali’i; Noguera, Dunn, Thomas, Phillips, Stooke, Garvey, Underhill, Mercer.
Replacements: Van Vuuren, Auterac, Lahiff, Charteris, Grant, Allinson, Lewis, Wilson.
