The third week of Prem action gets under way in the East Midlands on Friday when Leicester Tigers host leaders Gloucester for the Slater Cup.

The trophy honours Ed Slater, the former lock who captained both clubs during a playing career that was ended early when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2022.

The match comes as a poignant game for both clubs as they raise awareness for charities and causes related to MND.

All the team news for the five fixtures this weekend can be found below.

You can 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.

Hooker Jamie Blamire has been called on to start his first Prem game of the season as Leicester Tigers make five changes to their XV for the visit of Gloucester.

Blamire replaces Samiuela Moli in the front row with Archie van der Flier replacing the hugely experienced Mako Vunipola, who drops to the bench after last week’s win at Newcastle Red Bulls.

Finn Carnduff is back in the starting pack, while Ollie Hassell-Collins replaces Adam Radwan on the wing and Will Wand comes in for Solomone Kata, who misses out because of a calf injury.

Meanwhile, Gloucester make two changes to the starting XV that thrashed Harlequins 48-0 last week.

Ben Redshaw replaces George Barton at full-back while and Dian Bleuler moves into the front row instead of Val Rapava-Ruskin.

On the bench, the visitors also have fit-again Wales international Max Llewellyn to call on for the first time this season.

Leicester Tigers: Steward; Hamer-Webb, Wand, Bailey, Hassell-Collins; Searle; Van Poortvliet (c); Van der Flier, Blamire, Heyes; Carnduff, Henderson, Wainwright, Reffell, Cracknell.

Replacements: Moli, Vunipola, Hurd, Thompson, Moro, Whiteley, Woodward, Radwan.

Gloucester: Redshaw; Thorley, Joseph, Atkinson, Loader; Atkinson, Englefield; Bleuler, Lake (c), Fasogbon; Kleyn, Clark, Thomas, Morgan, Trenholm.

Replacements: Innard, Bellamy, Knight, Clement, Ludlow, Robson, Llewellyn, Barton.

Prem champions Northampton Saints have made four changes to the side beaten at Bristol last time out.

JJ Van Der Mescht, Callum Chick, Alex Mitchell and James Pater are the players to come in, with Van der Mescht featuring for the first time since coming off the bench during last month’s Prem Rugby Cup defeat at Harlequins.

Ed Prowse drops to the bench as he prepares to make his 50th Saints appearance, while George Hendy is unavailable after failing to recover from a hip pointer injury sustained in the defeat at Ashton Gate.

Bath have lost their last two visits to Franklin’s Gardens due to late Fin Smith penalties, and make 12 changes to the XV who beat Exeter.

Miles Reid will lead the team, as he makes his 150th appearance for his boyhood club.

Beno Obano, Will Stuart, Ted Hill and Ollie Lawrence are among the names on a heavy-hitting list of replacements.

Northampton: Pater; Freeman, Hutchinson, Dingwall (c), Sleightholme; Smith, Mitchell; Iyogun, Langdon, Kundiona; Coles, Van Der Mescht, Kemeny, Pollock, Chick.

Replacements: Smith, Fischetti, Neculai, Lockett, Prowse, Taylor, McParland, Belleau.

Bath: Carreras; Cokanasiga, Ojomoh, Redpath, C. Griffin; Russell, Carr-Smith; Kirk, Tuipulotu, A. Griffin; Jeanes, Molony, Bayliss, Reid (c), Green.

Replacements: Dunn, Obano, Stuart, Ewels, Hill, Davies, Lawrence, Coetzee.

Wing Noah Caluori makes his season debut for Saracens after recovering from wrist surgery during the summer, as the hosts makes wholesale changes for the visit of Bristol with 12 new names on the startsheet.

Owen Farrell also makes his first Prem appearance of 2026-27 at fly-half, while in the forwards captain Maro Itoje is the only player who remains from the defeat to Sale.

Bristol go to the StoneX Stadium still searching for a first-ever league win away at Saracens’ home ground and Pat Lam has similarly shuffled his team with six changes.

Harry Wells makes his Prem debut in the second row and George Taylor comes into the back row.

With Benhard Janse van Rensburg unavailable for a few weeks because of concussion protocols, Max Clark steps into the centre, while Sam Worsley starts at fly-half and Aidan Boshoff comes onto the wing.

Bristol: Jordan; Rees-Zammit, Clark, Williams, Boshoff; Worsley, Randall (c); Woolmore, Oghre, Kloska; Wells, Batley, Taylor, Ivanishvili, Grondona.

Replacements: Gwilliam, Chawatama, Halliwell, Owen, Harding, Marmion, Bates, Ibitoye.

Saracens: Malins; Caluori, Cinti, Va’enuku, J. Bracken; Farrell, C. Bracken; Brantingham George, Clarey; Sodeke, Martin, Itoje (c), Knight, Earl.

Replacements: Clarke, O’Driscoll, Weilbach, Isiekwe, Onyeama-Christie, Williams, Burke, Hall.

Exeter make two changes from their entertaining loss at bath for the visit of Newcastle.

Sam Harris starts at full-back in place of the injured Olly Woodburn while Wales flanker Kane James drops to the bench in favour of fit-again Italy flanker Ross Vintcent.

Australia back-row Tom Hooper is on the bench after returning from international duty earlier in the week as Exeter aim for their first win of the season.

Fiji hooker Zuriel Togiatama makes his Newcastle debut in five changes as the Red Bulls also aim for a first victory.

He is the only change in the forwards as the visitors rotate their backs.

Werner Kok returns on the left wing from a hamstring injury while Sammy Arnold makes a first appearance of the season at inside centre.

Head coach Dan McFarland has also changed his half-backs, with Zack Henry and Simon Benitez Cruz starting after being on the bench last week.

Exeter: Harris; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Butt, Wyatt; Skinner, Varney; Burger, Yeandle, Iosefa-Scott, Wilson, Jenkins (c), Roots, Vintcent, Fisilau

Replacements: Gulley, Goodrick-Clarke, Tchumbadze, Hooper, James, Wolstenholme, Haydon-Wood, Wimbush

Newcastle: Obatoyinbo; Wade, Hearle, Arnold, Kok; Henry, Benitez Cruz; Rakete-Stones, Togiatama, Millar Mills, Usher, Jordan, Hicks, Christie (c), Sotutu.

Replacements: Adejimi, Brocklebank, Harper, Molina, Leatherbarrow, Graham, Elliott, Connon.

Sale Sharks make just one change to the starting XV that won at Saracens last time out with a first Prem start for Fiji powerhouse Elia Canakaviata at number eight in place of the suspended Elvis Vermuelen.

There is also a welcome return to the bench for Ben Curry for the first time in 10 months as he returns following a serious hamstring injury.

But there are big changes for Harlequins following their 48-0 thrashing at Gloucester, which Ugo Monye called one of the worst ever Prem performances.

Head coach Jason Gilmore makes no fewer than eight alterations to the side for their trip to the north west, headlined by the return of England’s Marcus Smith at fly-half for his first Prem start of the season after a finger injury.

Elsewhere in the backline, Luke Northmore comes in at centre and Tyrone Green starts at right-wing.

All three areas of the pack are shuffled with Sam Riley and Simon Kerrod on the front row, Kieran Treadwell at lock and Seb Driscoll and Chandler Cunningham-South in the back row.

Sale: Carpenter; O’Flaherty, Marchant, Lozowski, Reed; Ford, Warr; N Smith, Jibulu, Opoku-Fordjour, van Rhyn (c), Bamber, Lawes, T Curry, Canakaivata.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, McIntyre, Francis, Tshiunza, B Curry, Hanson, Louw, Canakaivata.

Harlequins: Furbank; Green, Northmore, Bradley, Murley (c); M Smith, Porter; Hobson, Riley, Kerrod, Dun, Treadwell, Kenningham, Driscoll, Cunningham-South.

Replacements: Walker, Johnson-Holmes, Streeter, Petti Pagadizabal, Schmid, Friday, Beard, Isgro.

Compiled by BBC Sport England’s Andrew Aloia, Kris Holland, Sophie Hurcom, Adam Lanigan and Brent Pilnick