Bath welcome Exeter Chiefs to the Rec for a Gallagher Premiership clash shaped by two very different team sheets. Johann van Graan has made seven changes to his starting side, while Exeter hand Tommy Wyatt his first Premiership start since the knee injury that ruled him out of action back in May 2025.
This Bath vs Exeter Chiefs preview looks at both line-ups in detail, the history between the sides, and what each set of selections tells us about the game ahead. Ciaran Donoghue comes in at full-back, with Cameron Redpath and Bernard van der Linde partnering Finn Russell in a reshaped Bath spine. Up front, Tom Dunn, Guy Pepper, Ewan Richards and Quin Roux all start, with Pepper replacing the injured Sam Underhill.
Exeter’s change is smaller in number but significant in story. Wyatt returns on the wing, Olly Woodburn drops to full-back, and Ben Hammersley makes way. The Chiefs arrive having lost 45-24 at home to Gloucester on the opening weekend, a result that puts extra weight on this trip to Bath.
Head-to-Head Historical Analysis
Bath and Exeter have produced some of the Premiership’s sharpest West Country derbies in recent seasons, and this fixture always carries a little extra needle because of it. The sides met as recently as this year’s play-offs, a game we covered in our Bath vs Exeter Chiefs semi-final preview, and that knockout edge has not fully gone away.
Neither club heads into this round with the luxury of easing in gently. Bath have reshaped a large portion of their matchday 23, while Exeter are still digesting a heavy opening-day defeat. That mix of change and recovery is exactly what gives this fixture its interest, even before the historical rivalry is factored in.
What matters most for both coaching staffs is not what happened in previous seasons but how quickly their sides can settle into new combinations under pressure. Bath’s selection suggests confidence in squad depth, built up over a long run of fixtures against the same regional rivals. Exeter’s suggests a need to find fresh energy fast, with one high-profile recall asked to do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Recent Form & Team Dynamics
Bath’s seven changes touch almost every area of the pitch. Donoghue at full-back gives van Graan a different attacking option under the high ball, while Redpath and van der Linde slot in either side of Russell to add ball-carrying threat through midfield. It is a selection built around variety rather than simply resting players, and it points to a side with options across several positions.
The pack sees similar refreshment. Dunn brings experience at hooker, and Richards and Roux add physicality to the second row. Pepper’s inclusion is the most notable individual story up front. He steps into the back row in place of Underhill, whose absence through injury removes one of Bath’s most reliable defensive operators for this round, leaving Pepper to carry that workload against a side chasing a response.
Exeter’s picture is different. One positional reshuffle, built around Wyatt’s long-awaited return, dominates the team news from Sandy Park. Woodburn’s switch to full-back is a tactical adjustment as much as a reaction to Wyatt’s selection, and it changes how the Chiefs will look to counter-attack from deep, particularly when Bath’s own back three is still settling into unfamiliar roles.
The heavier story for Exeter is the manner of that opening defeat. Conceding 45 points at home to Gloucester points to defensive issues that go beyond one afternoon, and head coach Rob Baxter will want a response built on discipline rather than simply attacking ambition. A trip to Bath, with the hosts freshening up their own attacking options, is a difficult place to find that response, especially with a new full-back still bedding in.
Crucial Player Battles
Tommy Wyatt’s return is the story of Exeter’s selection, and it immediately puts him up against a Bath back three that looks unfamiliar on paper. Donoghue’s move to full-back changes the usual defensive patterns out wide, and Wyatt, playing his first Premiership minutes in well over a year, will be targeted early to test his sharpness under pressure. How he copes with that early examination could shape the tempo of the whole game.
The second contest worth watching sits between Finn Russell’s kicking game and Olly Woodburn in his new full-back role. Russell is one of the Premiership’s most varied kickers from hand, mixing contestable kicks with territory-gaining clearances. Woodburn has plenty of experience on the wing, but full-back asks different questions of his positioning and his judgement under the high ball, especially against a fly-half as willing to probe as Russell. Those early exchanges could set the field position battle for the rest of the afternoon.
Early Match Prediction & Scoreline Rationale
Bath to win 29-17.
Two factors point towards a home win. First, Bath’s changes add attacking variety without sacrificing experience, with Russell still the organising presence behind a refreshed midfield and pack. Second, Exeter’s defensive display against Gloucester raises real questions that one positional swap, however welcome, is unlikely to fix in a single week.
Wyatt’s return gives Exeter a genuine reason for optimism, and his pace could trouble Bath if the home side’s new combinations take time to click. But with Pepper, Richards and Roux adding fresh energy up front and Donoghue offering another attacking outlet at the back, Bath should have enough to make home advantage count. Full details of both sides are in the BBC Sport match report and team listings.
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