Gloucester Rugby resume their Gallagher Premiership campaign on Saturday, with Wasps the visitors to Kingsholm. Looking to cement a place in the top four of the table, the Cherry and Whites make just one change as Franco Marais starts at hooker.

The other changes to the matchday squad are amongst the replacements, where Henry Walker comes in for James Hanson who picked up an injury in training this week. However, there are welcome returns after long term injury absences for Val Rapava Ruskin and Ruan Dreyer.

Jake Polledri is back from Six Nations duty with Italy, Ben Vellacott gets the nod at scrum-half and Charlie Sharples also returns after injury.

It’s yet another important round of fixtures in the Gallagher Premiership, with Gloucester Rugby looking to maintain, or even increase, the gap between themselves and the other teams pushing hard for a play-off spot.

Speaking at the club’s midweek media session, Head Coach Johan Ackermann admitted that he’d have settled for a spot in the top four at this stage of the season had he been offered it before the season started.

“It’s a position where you’re in charge of your own destiny, but it’s a competition where everyone is so close together that every club has a lot to play for.

“Last time out at Harlequins was one of our most complete performances as a group, but it was far from perfect, there are still areas for improvement. The challenge is for us to keep level headed and put in another good performance.

“Wasps will be formidable up front and they have star players at the back that can break you. They can threaten you all over the park, they can test you physically and with their kicking game. So, like every week, we have to reset and can’t take anything for granted.”

Gloucester Rugby:

Jason Woodward; 14. Tom Marshall, 13. Billy Twelvetrees, 12. Mark Atkinson, 11. Ollie Thorley; 10. Danny Cipriani, 9. Willi Heinz (capt); 1. Josh Hohneck, 2. Franco Marais, 3. Fraser Balmain; 4. Ed Slater, 5. Franco Mostert; 6. Ruan Ackermann, 7. Jaco Kriel, 8. Ben Morgan

Replacements:

Henry Walker, 17. Val Rapava Ruskin, 18. Ruan Dreyer, 19. Freddie Clarke, 20. Jake Polledri, 21. Ben Vellacott, 22. Matt Banahan, 23. Charlie Sharples

Unavailable for selection:

Callum Braley, Lloyd Evans, Todd Gleave, James Hanson, Tom Hudson, Ciaran Knight, Henry Trinder, Owen Williams

Gloucester Rugby make one change to starting line-up for visit of Wasps

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