Bath will go into Saturday’s Premiership semi-final against Exeter without Finn Russell after the fly-half was ruled out again by the calf injury that has kept him out of the past two games. Santiago Carreras replaces Russell in the starting line-up at The Rec, where Bath are trying to take one more step towards a third straight final.
The switch matters because Russell has been central to Bath’s attack all season, and this is the first real knockout test without him since the injury tightened its grip. Carreras is set for his fourth start at 10 for Bath, while the rest of the back line is unchanged for the home tie that will decide who goes to the Premiership final.
Bath’s selection also brings Tom Dunn back into the starting side after he missed the previous two matches following his red card against Newcastle Red Bulls. Quinn Roux comes into the second row, Kepu Tuipulotu and Ted Hill drop to the bench, and Benhard van der Linde joins the matchday 23. It is a team built to preserve the shape that carried Bath to second place, but with one of the season’s defining names missing from the most important position on the field.
That absence sits awkwardly beside Johann van Graan’s assessment after Bath beat Leicester last weekend, when he said Russell was in a great place even though the fly-half still did not make the matchday squad. Van Graan has repeatedly talked up the group’s drive to improve, and Bath’s rise has been steady enough that they have spent every week of the past three seasons inside the play-off places. The coach also knows the job is still unfinished, even for a side that has defended its standards well enough to keep reaching the business end of the campaign.
Exeter arrive with their own change after beating Saracens 32-12 last week to secure third place. Greg Fisilau returns at number eight after recovering from a facial injury and replaces Ethan Roots, who is still going through return-to-play protocols after a head knock last week. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso remains unavailable and is likely to miss the rest of the domestic season after surgery on a facial injury, while Paul Brown-Bampoe and Campbell Ridl keep their places on the wings. Olly Woodburn starts at full-back, and Len Ikitau continues alongside Henry Slade in midfield.
For Bath, the bigger question may not be Saturday’s team sheet but what follows if they get through it. They are one win from another home final, yet Russell’s calf leaves their most delicate issue unresolved: whether he will be fit in time if the defending champions keep moving forward.
