Lake captains Gloucester on debut as Kleyn and Morgan start Premiership opener at Exeter

Wales hooker Dewi Lake will captain Gloucester on his club debut this Saturday when the Cherry & Whites travel to Exeter Chiefs’ Sandy Park for their Gallagher Premiership season opener.

Lake is one of three high-profile summer signings handed immediate starts by head coach George Skivington. Springbok lock Jean Kleyn and British & Irish Lions flanker Jac Morgan are also named in the XV, giving Gloucester a formidably refreshed pack for the trip to Devon.

Lake packs down between Val Rapava-Ruskin and Afo Fasogbon in the front row, while former Munster man Kleyn partners Arthur Clark in the second row. Morgan completes a new-look back row alongside Freddie Thomas and Will Trenholm.

Behind the scrum, Caolan Englefield and Charlie Atkinson form the half-back partnership, with Seb Atkinson and Phil Cokanasiga combining in midfield. Ben Loader, Will Joseph and Ben Redshaw make up the back three.

Skivington has stressed the importance of a fast start in what is a more condensed Premiership calendar. “A good start is really important,” the Gloucester head coach said. “There aren’t as many games in the PREM now and the blocks are compact. You want to get off to a good start and feel good heading into those breaks in the season. It’s a different challenge to what it used to be, but an exciting one.”

Exeter represent a significant early test. The Chiefs pushed hard at the top end of the table last season and came close to claiming the title. “The West Country games are always really exciting,” Skivington acknowledged. “Exeter had a really good season last year and were very close to winning the league. We know it’ll be tough to go down to Sandy Park and play against them, but we’ve had a good pre-season, the group’s really tight and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can put on the field.”

Among the replacements, Jack Innard, Dian Bleuler and Ciaran Knight provide front-row cover, while Lewis Ludlow, Dan Robson, Jack Clement and George Barton are also included. Junior Denny retains his place in the matchday 23 after impressing on his Gloucester debut earlier this month.