Bath Rugby will rely on promising young tighthead prop Vilikesa Sela as they face Toulon away in Round Two of the 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup this Sunday. The 20-year-old steps into the starting lineup following an Achilles injury to England international Will Stuart.
Johann van Graan, Bath’s head of rugby, confirmed Stuart’s injury earlier this week, prompting Sela’s promotion to the number three jersey. Thomas du Toit provides cover on the bench.
The Bath squad is buoyed by their commanding 40-14 victory over Munster last weekend and aims to build on that momentum in France. Beno Obano and Tom Dunn will join Sela in the front row after showcasing a powerful scrum performance in Round One.
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In the tight five, Quinn Roux retains his place while Ross Molony moves to the second row, replacing Charlie Ewels who drops to the bench. Returning from an ankle injury, Alfie Barbeary starts alongside Ted Hill and Sam Underhill in the back row.
Tom Carr-Smith will make his first European start wearing Bath colours, partnering with captain Finn Russell at fly-half. The midfield pairing remains stable with Cameron Redpath and Max Ojomoh both starting. On the wings, Henry Arundell and Joe Cokanasiga continue, with Santi Carreras slotting in at fullback.
Coming off the bench last week, Francois van Wyk, Kepu Tuipulotu, and Thomas du Toit make up the replacement front row this Sunday. The bench is completed by Charlie Ewels, Miles Reid, and Arthur Green, who is set to debut in European competition. Neil le Roux also awaits his European debut, joined by Louie Hennessey, creating a 6-2 split between forwards and backs on the bench.
The match kicks off at 3:15 PM UK time.
In related news, England winger Will Muir has suffered a calf strain during training as he continues recovery from a pre-season ankle injury sustained at Worcester Warriors.
Team Lineups:
RC Toulon:
15. Mathis Ferte, 14. Gaël Drean, 13. Nacho Brex, 12. Jérémy Sinzelle, 11. Setariki Tuicuvu, 10. Matéo Garcia, 9. Baptiste Serin, 1. Jean-Baptiste Gros, 2. Gianmarco Lucchesi, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. Swan Rebbadj, 5. Brian Alainu’uese, 6. Lewis Ludlam, 7. Charles Ollivon (c), 8. Zach Mercer
Replacements: 16. Teddy Baubigny, 17. Leo Ametlla, 18. Dany Priso, 19. Corentin Mezou, 20. Esteban Abadie, 21. Ben White, 22. Mathieu Smaili, 23. Joe Quere Karaba
Bath Rugby:
- Beno Obano, 2. Tom Dunn, 3. Vilikesa Sela, 4. Quinn Roux, 5. Ross Molony, 6. Ted Hill, 7. Sam Underhill, 8. Alfie Barbeary, 9. Tom Carr-Smith, 10. Finn Russell, 11. Henry Arundell, 12. Cameron Redpath, 13. Max Ojomoh, 14. Joe Cokanasiga, 15. Santi Carreras
Replacements: 16. Kepu Tuipulotu, 17. Francois van Wyk, 18. Thomas du Toit, 19. Charlie Ewels, 20. Miles Reid, 21. Neil le Roux, 22. Louie Hennessey, 23. Arthur Green
Match Officials:
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Saba Abulashvili (Georgia), Saba Makharadze (Georgia)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Citing Commissioner: Eugene Ryan (Ireland)