Bristol and Leicester Name Sides for Friday Night Ashton Gate Clash

Bristol Bears and Leicester Tigers have named their teams for Friday's PREM Rugby fixture at Ashton Gate, which kicks off at 7:45 p.m. GMT and will be shown live on TNT Sports 1. The announcement, published on Thursday, sets up an intriguing clash between two sides with plenty of international experience in their ranks. Bristol hand Louis Rees-Zammit a start on the wing, with Tom Jordan at full-back, Gabriel Ibitoye on the other wing and AJ MacGinty at fly-half alongside Harry Randall at scrum-half. Fitz Harding captains the side from flanker, with Ellis Genge packing down at loosehead prop and Steven Luatua and Luka Ivanishvili completing the back row. Leicester counter with Freddie Steward at full-back, Adam Radwan on the wing and Ollie Chessum captaining the side from the second row. Billy Searle starts at fly-half with Harry Whiteley at scrum-half, while George Heyes packs down at tighthead and Mako Vunipola provides experience from the bench. Van Poortvliet is also among the replacements for the Tigers. With both teams naming strong sides, Friday night under the lights at Ashton Gate promises a physical, high-tempo contest to open the weekend's Premiership action.