Bath vs Gloucester Prediction: Hosts to take derby spoils

The latest instalment of the West Country derby takes place at The Recreation Ground on Sunday afternoon, as title-chasing Bath host struggling Gloucester. 

This is the oldest rivalry in Premiership history and it is a meeting that Bath have had the bragging rights of late, having won the last two matches, 33-24 and 45-27.  

Gloucester recorded a narrow four-point victory over their rivals in a 21-17 success back in October 2022, but this season has been a struggle for the Cherry and Whites and more disappointment could be coming their way on Sunday. 

Team News 

Having rested a number of key players for the defeat to Leicester Tigers last time out, Bath director of rugby Johann van Graan has recalled several of those individuals, including scrum-half Ben Spencer and fly-half Finn Russell. 

Joe Cokanasiga and Will Muir, who makes his 50th appearance for the club, are back on the wings, Ollie Lawrence and Cameron Redpath are the centres and Tom de Glanville shifts to full-back in place of Sam Harris. 

Beno Obano and Tom Dunn return to a front row that is completed by Will Stuart, while Elliott Stooke and Charlie Ewels return to form their familiar partnership in the second row. GJ van Velze, Miles Reid and Jaco Coetzee are in the back row. 

Gloucester have handed a start at prop to Argentina international Mayco Vivas, who made his return from injury from the bench against Harlequins last week, and he joins George McGuigan and Fraser Balmain in the front row. 

Scrum-half Caolan Englefield makes his first Premiership start, with Adam Hastings at fly-half, while Seb Atkinson and Chris Harris are partnered in the centres. 

After his try-scoring cameo against Harlequins last time out, Jonny May replaces Louis Rees-Zammit on the wing, with Ollie Thorley on the opposite flank and Santi Carreras at full-back. 

Match Odds 

Bath are the firm 1/4 favourites to pick up the win on home soil, with the tie priced at 25/1 and Gloucester a 3/1 chance to claim the spoils. 

In the Handicap 3-Way market, Bath are 20/21 at -11, with the tie 25/1 at -11 and Gloucester 5/6 at +11. 

Bath Win By 1-12 Points Inclusive @ 2/1 

With two huge Champions Cup games against Racing 92 and Toulouse coming up for Bath after this fixture, they will be eager to get back to winning ways and give themselves a confidence boost heading into European action. 

Van Graan has recalled the big guns for this derby clash with the return of both Spencer and Russell in the half-backs providing more creativity in attack, while the pace and power of Lawrence and Redpath in the centres will cause problems. 

Throw in Cokanasiga and Muir on the wings and Bath look to have every chance of getting back to the form that has seen them chalk up 263 points this season against a struggling Gloucester. 

The Cherry and Whites have lost eight consecutive Premiership matches and they sit second-bottom of the table, with only winless Newcastle Falcons below them in the standings. 

With 312 points conceded, Gloucester have struggled to keep teams out and, therefore, it would be easy to back the visitors to get anything thumping. However, seven of Bath's 10 Premiership matches this season have been settled by a margin of one to 12 points and that is where we are going again. 

Two of the last three meetings have been decided by 1-12 points and it would be a big surprise should Gloucester not put in an improved performance with bragging rights on the line. 

In the end, Bath's quality should see them through, but don't expect this to be a runaway victory, especially as they look to keep something in the tank for the upcoming European action.