TEAM NEWS: SHARKS v BATH
New signings Courtney Lawes, Joe Marchant and Alex Lozowski will all start in a Sharks shirt for the first time as Alex Sanderson picks a strong team to kick off the new campaign with the visit of Bath in round one of the PREM Rugby Cup.
Fellow summer recruits Christ Tshiunza and Xavier Roe will start the first game of the new season on the bench as Sharks look to get off to a winning start in 2026/27.
Elsewhere there are plenty of familiar names including England stars Bevan Rodd, Tom Roebuck and Joe Carpenter and Scotland internationals Gus Warr and Arron Reed.
And you can make sure you’re there to welcome the boys home – tickets for the season opener start from just £5 and you can get yours here!
The Sharks Director of Rugby is targeting a fast start to the new season and he’s picked a front row offering plenty of dynamism and physicality. England prop Rodd returns at loosehead after missing the end of last season, and he’s joined by Nathan Jibulu and Tye Raymont.
In the second row, skipper Ernst van Rhyn teams up with the towering Ben Bamber and in the back row, Lawes starts in the number six shirt alongside Sam Dugdale and Jacques Vermeulen.
Warr and former Saracen Lozowski will be the starting half-backs and they’ll have Rekeiti Ma’asi-White and Marchant, who will play his first game back in English rugby since signing from Stade Francais, outside them in the centres.
Alex has picked a familiar back three with Reed teaming up with Roebuck and Carpenter.
Alfie Longstaff, who recently signed a new long-term deal with the club, is the replacement hooker with Ralph McEachran and Patreece Bell the props in reserve.
Tshiunza, who reached the PREM final with Exeter last season, and Tristan Woodman are the other forwards on the bench with scrum-half Roe, Ollie Davies and Marius Louw making up the rest of the replacements.
Starting XV:
15. Joe Carpenter, 14. Tom Roebuck, 13. Joe Marchant, 12. Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 11. Arron Reed, 10. Alex Lozowski, 9. Gus Warr; 1. Bevan Rodd, 2. Nathan Jibulu, 3. Tye Raymont, 4. Ernst van Rhyn (c), 5. Ben Bamber, 6. Courtney Lawes, 7. Sam Dugdale, 8. Jacques Vermeulen.
16. Alfie Longstaff, 17. Ralph McEachran, 18. Patreece Bell, 19. Christ Tshiunza, 20. Tristan Woodman, 21. Xavier Roe, 22. Ollie Davies, 23. Marius Louw.
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