After a one-week hiatus for the first round of European fixtures, Prem rugby returns with a weekend of mouthwatering derby fixtures.

There is also the prospect of a league try-scoring record being broken on Friday, when Newcastle take on Sale.

All the team news for the five games this weekend can be found here.

You can also listen to coverage of all of the matches on BBC DAB and FM local radio, via BBC Sounds or the BBC Sport website and app.

Gloucester are without captain Dewi Lake and England centre Seb Atkinson for the visit of Bath, with pair picking up head (Lake) and knee (Atkinson) injuries against Bordeaux.

Wing Ben Loader is also unavailable due to a hamstring injury that will keep him out until December, in a blow to the Cherry and Whites who also have Phil Cokanasiga out until January.

It means Ollie Thorley makes his first appearance of the season while teenager Will Knight gets his first Prem start – only the second of his career – in the centre alongside Max Llewellyn.

Bath have made a sweeping eight changes as they look to bounce back from back-to-back defeats in the league and Europe.

Wing Tyler Offiah get his first league start, with Wales centre Louie Hennessey among the backline changes as he makes his return from a shoulder injury.

Kepu Tuipulotu and Archie Griffin join Beno Obano in the front row, while lock Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi comes in among the forward pack.

Gloucester: Barton; Thorley, Joseph, Llewellyn, W. Knight; C. Atkinson, Englefield; Rapava Ruskin, Blake, C. Knight; Kleyn, Clark, Thomas, Morgan (c), Clement.

Replacements: Innard, Bleuler, Fasogbon, Trenholm, Ludlow, Robson, M. Knight, Redshaw.

Bath: Carreras; Hennessey, Lawrence, Redpath, Offiah; Russell, Spencer (c); Obano, Tuipulotu, Griffin; Opoku-Gyamfi, Ewels, Bayliss, Pepper, Reid.

Replacements: Frost, Kirk, Verden, Molony, Hill, Carr-Smith, Donoghue, Green.

Christian Wade starts on the wing for Newcastle as he closes in on the Prem’s all-time try-scoring record.

Wade scored his 100th Prem try in their last outing against Exeter, meaning he is one off equalling Chris Ashton’s record of 101 or two from breaking it.

Centre Will Rigg returns from an injury that has kept him out since early September, while full-back Josh Hodge similarly makes his first Prem start after recovering from a broken hand.

Meanwhile Sale start with brothers Tom and Ben Curry in their back row for the first time since June 2025 as they make four changes to their line-up.

Tom Curry has played just three games since February – including one for England A this summer – but returns days before head coach Steve Borthwick is due to name his England squad for this autumn.

Ben Curry makes his first league start of the campaign after missing almost all of last season with a hamstring issue. Christ Tshiunza joins them in the back row and Tom O’Flaherty starts on the wing.

Newcastle: Hodge; Wade, Harris, Rigg, Kok; Connon, Benitez Cruz; Rakete-Stones, McGuigan, Millar Mills; Usher, Jordan, Hicks, Christie (c), Sotutu.

Replacements: Togiatama, West, Moreno, Tuima, Leatherbarrow, Graham, Elliott, Henry.

Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, Marchant, Ma’asi-White, O’Flaherty; Ford, Hanson; Smith, Cowan-Dickie, Francis; Van Rhyn (c), Bamber, Tshiunza, B. Curry, T. Curry.

Replacements: Jibulu, McIntyre, Opoku-Fordjour, Canakaivata, Dugdale, Lozowski, Louw, Reed.

Leicester Tigers make five changes for the visit of their East Midlands rivals, with Solomone Kata returning at inside centre and Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Jack van Poortvliet also coming into the backline.

In the forward pack, Joe Heyes joins Archie van der Flier and Jamie Blamire who retain their places in the front row.

Aaron Wainwright comes back into the starting line-up in the back row, with Finn Carnduff moving to openside flanker, and Olly Cracknell at number eight.

Samoa hooker Richie Asiata could make his debut from the bench, having joined Tigers last week.

The side’s last met in June’s Prem semi-final as Northampton went on to be crowned English champions for a third time and Saints lock Alex Coles is in line for his 150th appearance in Green, Black and Gold.

Saints are without a victory in Leicester since January 2023, and make nine changes from their Champions Cup win over Cardiff with Emmanuel Iyogun, Curtis Langdon, Ed Prowse, Josh Kemeny, Tom Pearson and Henry Pollock joining Coles in the forward pack.

Fly-half Fin Smith and centre Fraser Dingwall also come in for the visitors.

Leicester: Steward; Radwan, Wand, Kata, Hamer-Webb; Searle, Van Poortvliet; Van der Flier, Blamire, Heyes; Henderson, Chessum (c), Wainwright, Carnduff, Cracknell.

Replacements: Asiata, Haffar, Hurd, Thompson, Moro, Whiteley, Bailey, Pearson

Northampton: Pater; Freeman, Hutchinson, Dingwall (c), Hendy; F Smith, Mitchell; Iyogun, Langdon, Kundiona; Coles, Prowse, Kemeny, Pearson, Pollock.

Replacements: R Smith, Fischetti, Neculai, Van der Mescht, Lockett, Chick, McParland, Sleightholme.

England prop Ellis Genge returns to the Bears side for the first time since the opening round of the Prem for the visit of Exeter.

Genge has recovered from the wrist injury he suffered against Sale.

Only three players remain from the side that started in South Africa for the 49-12 Champions Cup loss at Stormers – Matias Moroni, Tomas Gwilliam and Pedro Rubiolo.

Exeter are boosted by the return of Olly Woodburn to their depleted backs division.

The veteran starts at full-back as Ben Hammersley comes in for the injured Tommy Wyatt on the wing.

Sam Wolstenholme makes his first league start for the Chiefs against his former club with Stephen Varney dropping to the bench, while Nika Abuladze is fit to start in the front row.

Bristol: Jordan; Rees-Zammit, Moroni, Williams, Ibitoye; MacGinty, Randall; Genge, Gwilliam, Chawatama, Rubiolo, Batley, Luatua, Harding (c), Grondona

Replacements: Moody, Woolmore, Halliwell, Caulfield, Owen, Marmion, Bates, Ivanishvili

Exeter: Woodburn; Wimbush, Slade, Butt, Hammersley; Skinner, Wolstenholme; Abuladze, Yeandle, Iosefa-Scott, Hooper, Jenkins (c), E Roots, Vintcent, Fisilau

Replacements: Max Norey, Burger, J Roots, Wilson, James, Varney, Haydon-Wood, Harris

Marcus Smith will make his 200th appearance for Harlequins in their clash with Saracens at the Stoop.

The 27-year-old fly-half becomes the second-youngest player to reach a double century of appearances for the London side.

Meanwhile England prop Fin Baxter makes his first start after 10 months out with injury while Will Porter comes in at scrum-half to partner Smith.

Saracens make nine changes from the side that lost 45-36 at Connacht in the European Champions Cup.

Skipper Maro Itoje keeps his place as contract talks over his future at the club continue and moves to lock to partner George Martin.

Scottish fly-half Fergus Burke returns to partner Tomos Williams in the half-backs while Nick Tompkins moves to outside centre as Lucio Cinti returns inside him.

Harlequins: Furbank; Isgro, Northmore, Bradley, Murley (c); Smith, Porter; Baxter, Riley, Streeter, Dun, Treadwell, Kenningham, Driscoll, Schmid.

Replacements: Staples, Hobson, Delgado, Williams, Browne, Evans, Friday, David.

Saracens: Malins; Bracken, Cinti, Tompkins, Segun; Burke, Williams; Carre, Dan, Street, Itoje (c), Martin, Michelow, Onyeama-Christie, Earl.

Replacements: George, O’Driscoll, Clarey, Tizard, Isiekwe, Gonzalez, James, Hall.