Rugby Union News

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Gallagher Premiership
Venue: Ricoh Arena Date: Sunday, 23 December Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Coverage: BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; live text coverage on the BBC Sport website


Wasps give starts to forwards Brad Shields and Jake Cooper-Woolley for Sunday's Premiership visit of Bath.

Shields (ankle) and Cooper-Woolley (rib) have both overcome knocks to make the starting XV for the hosts.

Freddie Burns returns at fly-half for visitors Bath, who will be captained by scrum-half Will Chudley.

Todd Blackadder's side remain without Wales' Taulupe Faletau, whose comeback from a broken arm has been delayed until at least January.

More than 30,000 spectators are expected to attend the match, which would be the largest Premiership attendance of the season so far at a team's usual home ground.

Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson is also back among the replacements for the first time since injuring his ankle in October.

Wasps: Le Roux; Neal, Daly, Le Bourgeois, Bassett; Searle, Hampson; Harris, Johnson (capt), Cooper-Woolley, Rowlands, Myall, Shields, Young, Carr.

Replacements: Cruse, Zhvania, Brookes, Matthews, Hughes, Robson, Sopoaga, Campagnaro.

Bath: Wilson; Rokoduguni, Wright, Roberts, McConnochie; Burns, Chudley (capt); Catt, Dunn, Thomas, Attwood, Stooke, Ellis, Underhill, Louw.

Replacements: Batty, Van Rooyen, Lahiff, Garvey, Mercer, Green. Clark, Vuna.