Home Rugby The Prem team news: Northampton welcome England lock Alex Coles back from injury

The Prem team news: Northampton welcome England lock Alex Coles back from injury

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Northampton have made six changes as they look to bounce back from a bruising defeat by neighbours Leicester when they welcome Bristol (19:45 BST).

The league leaders, who have not lost at Franklin’s Gardens in more than a year, welcome back England lock Alex Coles who has not featured since the Six Nations due to an ankle injury.

Coles is partnered by Ed Prowse in a new-look second row, with prop Elliot Millar Mills and flanker Henry Pollock also coming into the forward pack. Centre Tom Litchfield and scrum-half Archie McParland are the other two changes.

Bristol’s injury crisis shows no sign of slowing as they saw wing Gabriel Ibitoye ruled out for the remainder of the season following last weekend’s defeat by Saracens.

Louis Rees-Zammit returns from a knock and then sickness that has ruled him out for the past three games to take Ibitoye’s place.

Rich Lane is also back from a hamstring issue to start at full-back while James Williams and Harry Randall start in the centre and at scrum-half.

Northampton: Furbank (c); Freeman, Litchfield, Hutchinson, Hendy; F Smith, McParland; Iyogun, R Smith, Millar Mills; Coles, Prowse, Kemeny, Pollock, Chick

Replacements: Walker, Fischetti, Green, Van der Mescht, Pearson, Graham, Mitchell, Dingwall

Bristol: Lane; Rees-Zammit, Janse van Rensburg, Williams, Ravouvou; Jordan, Randall; Genge, Thacker, Kloska; Dun, Batley, Owen, Harding (c), Grondona

Replacements: Gwilliam, Woolmore, Lahiff, Taylor, Ivanishvili, Marmion, Moroni, Heward

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