Spencer returns but Bath missing Ojomoh & Cokanasiga
First-choice scrum-half Ben Spencer has recovered from injury to take his place in Bath's starting line-up as the English champions travel to holders Bordeaux-Begles in Sunday's highly anticipated Champions Cup semi-final. Spencer has been suffering with a shoulder injury and hasn't played since 10 April's last-eight win over Northampton. After South African Bernard van der Linde had ankle surgery to leave Tom Carr-Smith as the only senior specialist, Bath called teenager Isaac Mears into the senior squad to plug a potential hole at nine.
Bath do have absentees elsewhere in their backline however. Centre Max Ojomoh and wing Joe Cokanasiga, rated as "touch and go" by boss Johann van Graan earlier in the week, have failed to recover from knee and leg knocks respectively. With midfielder Cameron Redpath also out, Louie Hennessey, who impressed on the wing against Northampton at the weekend, starts at 13, while Ollie Lawrence shifts to inside centre.
Will Muir keeps his place on wing in the absence of Cokanasiga, with Henry Arundell switching to his less-accustomed right wing. Santi Carreras completes the back three. Arundell will be in direct competition with the prolific Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who has scored 28 tries in 26 games for club and country this season, including four against England in the final round of the Six Nations.
Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 and online Damien Penaud, France's all-time leading try-scorer continues in an outside centre role that he has reprised in recent weeks for Bordeaux-Begles. The 29-year-old wing, who was left out of France's squad for the Six Nations, played in midfield at the start of his career. Matthieu Jalibert and Finn Russell will face off in a duel of play-making fly-halves.
The battle in the front row is also set to be key. Bordeaux-Begles' first-choice loose-head prop Jefferson Poirot is banned for the match, giving Bath's South Africa international Thomas du Toit the chance to target the less-experienced Matis Perchaud. 'Every team has weaknesses' - Obano says Bath up to Bordeaux challenge The hosts do have 23 stone-plus Ben Tameifuna on the bench to supplement their set-piece in the second half.