The fierce rivalry between Bristol Bears and Bath Rugby promises another thrilling encounter this Friday at Ashton Gate Stadium, as both teams battle for pride and pivotal points in Round 17 of the 2025/26 Gallagher Premiership.
Last season, Bristol secured a league double over Bath but fell short in a dramatic play-off semi-final at the Recreation Ground, paving the way for Bath’s first league title in nearly three decades. This season, Bath have already vanquished a youthful Bristol side three times, including a commanding 40-15 league win in October and two victories in the Premiership Rugby Cup.
Friday’s match is crucial — Bristol need a win to keep their play-off hopes alive, while Bath, managed by Johann van Graan, aim to consolidate their position to secure a home semi-final, with Leicester Tigers close behind in the table.
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Match Details:
- Date & Time: Friday, May 29 at 7:45pm
- Venue: Ashton Gate Stadium
- Broadcast: Live on TNT Sports 2 and streaming on HBO Max, with coverage starting at 7:00pm
If you’re unable to watch live, highlights will be available shortly after the game on the Premiership Rugby website. For continuous updates, follow live blogs from BristolLive and SomersetLive offering pre-match build-up, team news, in-game commentary, reaction, stats, and post-match analysis. Additionally, BBC Radio Bristol will provide live audio commentary.
Team Line-Ups:
Bristol Bears:
15 Noah Heward, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 11 Kalaveti Ravouvou, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Harry Randall; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Harry Thacker, 3 George Kloska, 4 James Dun, 5 Joe Batley, 6 Joe Owen, 7 Fitz Harding (captain), 8 Santiago Grondona
Replacements: Tomas Gwilliam, Jake Woolmore, Max Lahiff, Jimmy Halliwell, George Taylor, Kieran Marmion, Tom Jordan, Jack Bates
Bath Rugby:
15 Santi Carreras, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Max Ojomoh, 11 Henry Arundell, 10 Ciaran Donoghue, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Beno Obano, 2 Kepueli Tuipulotu, 3 Thomas du Toit, 4 Ted Hill, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Ethan Staddon, 7 Guy Pepper, 8 Sam Underhill
Replacements: Dan Frost, Francois van Wyk, Vilikesa Sela, Ewan Richards, Josh Bayliss, Tom Carr-Smith, Cameron Redpath, Alfie Barbeary
Match Officials:
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Dan Jones, Jonathan Healy
TMO: Andrew Jackson
Don’t miss out on this high-stakes derby showdown — tune in or follow live to experience all the action from Ashton Gate.