High-scoring encounters have become the norm when these West Country rivals meet. Tune in to see if today's Gallagher Premiership clash will produce more of the same
Bath v Gloucester live stream: How to watch from anywhere
The absence of relegation from the Gallagher Premiership this season has taken some of the edge off this evening’s West Country basement battle at the Rec (7.45pm).
Bath and Gloucester lie tenth and 12th respectively but cannot go down following the decision to scrap relegation due to the pandemic.
Related link: RFU scraps relegation for this season
No one is suggesting the players will go less hard because of it. It simply means the result is of less consequence. Not that anyone in either camp will be calling it that way, and rightly so. Bath-Gloucester is one of the great rugby rivalries and both sides are looking to turn a corner and head north in the table.
Semi-finalists last season, Bath have been desperately disappointing this season, with one criticism being a lopsided division of labour; a recent stat showed that Bath’s backs were making only 36% of the team’s carries – the lowest ratio in the Premiership.
However, last week brought a 27-22 victory at Sale – their first win in 2021 – and hopes of rosier times ahead. They make two tweaks to that starting XV for today’s round ten game.
England hooker Tom Dunn scores Bath’s second try during their surprise win at Sale (Getty Images)
Josh Bayliss moves to the second row in place of Josh McNally, who picked up a minor leg injury during training. And Taulupe Faletau, who had a terrific game as Wales beat Scotland, returns to club action in the Six Nations fallow week to play at blindside. Tom Ellis and Jonathan Joseph return on the bench.
Gloucester also have a returning hero as Louis Rees-Zammit lines up on the wing less than a week after his two-try Man of the Match display for Wales at Murrayfield. Scotland’s Chris Harris and Italy’s Stephen Varney also return from Test duty, while second-row Ed Slater is back after suspension.
Related content: Louis Rees-Zammit stuns the Scots
Argentina wing Santiago Carreras, scorer of two interception tries in last Friday’s agonising 18-17 defeat by leaders Bristol, is missing with a groin injury.
Billy Twelvetrees makes a break during Gloucester’s narrow defeat by Bristol at Kingsholm (Getty Images)
Gloucester are much better than their bottom-placed position suggests, having been on the wrong end of several close results. Nevertheless, the simple fact is they have won just once in the Premiership since September – against Wasps in round two this campaign.
DoR George Skivington said: “Bath haven’t had the start they would have wanted, similar to us. I expect them to be fully charged up, so it should be a good match.
“They’ve got threats all over the park and have a well-organised set-piece. They’ve got a good back-line and Rhys Priestland runs it well, so it’s about how you stop it.” Ex-Wales fly-half Priestland is to join Cardiff Blues next season, it was announced this week.
Recent meetings have produced a flurry of points, with at least 50 accumulated in four of their last five matches. That includes a belter at the Rec last September, when Bath trailed 20-3 after an hour but won 31-20 with a remarkable four-try blitz. Hooker Tom Dunn, who made 34 tackles at Sale last week, scored two tries that day.
Watch highlights of that dramatic Bath-Gloucester match here…
Bath: Tom de Glanville; Semesa Rokodoguni, Max Clark, Josh Matavesi, Will Muir; Rhys Priestland, Ben Spencer (capt); Juan Schoeman, Tom Dunn, Christian Judge, Josh Bayliss, Mike Williams, Taulupe Faletau, Miles Reid, Zach Mercer.
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Tom Ellis, 20 Ethan Staddon, 21 Will Chudley, 22 Tian Schoeman, 23 Jonathan Joseph.
Gloucester: Jason Woodward; Louis Rees-Zammit, Chris Harris, Tom Seabrook, Ollie Thorley; Billy Twelvetrees, Willi Heinz; Val Rapava-Ruskin, Henry Walker, Fraser Balmain, Ed Slater, Alex Craig, Jordy Reid, Lewis Ludlow (capt), Ruan Ackermann.
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Alex Seville, 18 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 19 Ollie Atkins, 20 Freddie Clarke, 21 Stephen Varney, 22 George Barton, 23 Henry Trinder.
Wayne Barnes is the referee for this local derby. Here’s how to find a reliable live stream for Bath v Gloucester wherever you are…
How to watch Bath v Gloucester from outside your country
If you’re abroad but still want to watch your local Premiership coverage, like Bath v Gloucester, you can do so by using a VPN – Virtual Private Network.
VPNs allow you to get around any geo-blocking by changing your IP address, so you appear in a different location and can watch the same legal Premiership live stream you would at home.
Our friends at TechRadar have tested hundreds of VPN and recommend ExpressVPN. It’s easy to use, has strong security features and allows you to watch on several devices at once, including smart TVs and phones, iPads, tablets, PCs and Macs.
Plus, ExpressVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan and get three months free.
Bath v Gloucester live stream: How to watch from the UK
Bath v Gloucester, which kicks off at 7.45pm today, will be shown live on BT Sport 2 in the UK. If you don’t have a BT contract but want to watch the match, don’t worry because you can still easily watch it online.
That’s because BT Sport has a contract-free monthly pass that allows you to get instant access to all four of their sport channels for just £25.
If you’re from the UK but are overseas when Bath v Gloucester takes place, you can get your normal live stream but you’ll need a VPN – see the information above.
Bath v Gloucester live stream: How to watch from Europe
If you’re in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, you can watch Bath v Gloucester (kick-off 8.45pm) through the live and on-demand streaming service DAZN.
Bath v Gloucester live stream: How to watch from the USA
If you live in the States, the official broadcaster of Premiership matches is NBC, with matches streamed on Peacock Premium, which is available for $4.99 a month.
Bath v Gloucester will kick off at 2.45pm EST and 11.45am on the West Coast.
Bath v Gloucester live stream: How to watch from Australia
For those in Australia, Fox Sports have the rights to show Premiership matches and you can watch Bath v Gloucester at 6.45am (AEST).
If you don’t want a long-term contract, you can also stream games live and on-demand through Kayo Sports. A basic package is $25 a month and premium is $35 a month – and they’re offering a FREE 14-day trial to new customers.
Bath v Gloucester live stream: How to watch from New Zealand
It’s little wonder that Sky Sport NZ, with ten sports channels, including one dedicated to rugby, is the rights holder for Premiership matches in New Zealand.
If you want to tune in to Bath v Gloucester from the Land of the Long White Cloud, the match kicks off at 8.45am on Sky Sport NZ 1.
It costs $31.99 a month to add Sky Sport to your Sky Starter pack ($25.99), but if you sign up for 12 months before 30 June you’ll get your first month free. Plus, you’ll get Sky Go, which allows you to watch live rugby wherever you are.
Bath v Gloucester live stream: How to watch from South Africa
If you want to keep track of the many South Africans playing in the Premiership, SuperSport shows games in South Africa. Bath v Gloucester kicks off at 9.45pm on SuperSport Variety 1.
There are various DStv packages giving access to SuperSport. They range from Access, which has the Blitz and Variety 4 channels, to Premium, which includes all 18 sports channels.
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