Ben Spencer returns from shoulder surgery to start Bath's Champions Cup clash with Montpellier

Bath captain Ben Spencer will make his long-awaited return from shoulder surgery when he starts against Montpellier in the Champions Cup at the Rec on Saturday, with fellow scrum-half Bernard van der Linde also recovering in time to feature from the bench.

Spencer, who has not played this season after undergoing a shoulder operation in the summer, will partner fly-half Finn Russell in the half-backs — a combination that gives Bath considerable firepower in the pivots as they host last year’s EPCR Challenge Cup winners.

South African scrum-half van der Linde had been absent from last weekend’s heavy Premiership defeat at Northampton but has recovered from the knock that kept him out, providing experienced cover behind Spencer.

Bath name an all-England international front row of Beno Obano, Tom Dunn and Will Stuart, while Will Jeanes, who impressed last weekend, earns his European debut alongside Charlie Ewels in the second row. Ted Hill and Guy Pepper start at flanker, with Arthur Green at number eight.

In the backs, Max Ojomoh and Ollie Lawrence form the midfield partnership outside Spencer and Russell. Charlie Griffin, who scored on his Premiership debut a week ago, is set for his European bow on the left wing, with Joe Cokanasiga on the right and Santi Carreras at full-back.

Bath Rugby XV: Obano; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, Griffin; Russell, Spencer (c); Obano, Dunn, Stuart, Jeanes, Ewels, Hill, Pepper, Green.

Replacements: Frost, Kirk, A. Griffin, Richards, Bayliss, van der Linde, Redpath, Tuipulotu.