All change as Vickery returns

Phil Vickery returns today for Gloucester's Powergen Cup trip to neighbours Bristol, where the England tight-head prop suffered a shoulder injury in a Premiership match three weeks ago.

Vickery is one of 11 changes following last weekend's 23-7 win over Ospreys. The wing Marcel Garvey and the Samoan centre Terry Fanolua make their first starts of the campaign, but the England centre Mike Tindall is rested ahead of Saturday's Premiership visit to his former club, Bath. Bristol have recalled several experienced players - including Brian Lima, Jason Strange, Gareth Llewellyn and Matt Salter - after fielding fringe performers in the 25-10 defeat at Bath last weekend.

In today's other Group A contest, Matt Perry will skipper Bath against the Ospreys. The South African wing Frikkie Welsh returns after a rib injury and the scrum-half Andy Williams faces his former team. Ospreys' back-row pillar Ryan Jones is likely to return from injury, but fellow Lions Shane Williams and Gavin Henson stay sidelined.

In Group B, Saracens meet London Irish at Vicarage Road in a match which will see the losers eliminated. "We were disappointed with our performance last weekend," the Saracens head coach, Mike Ford, said of the 37-20 drubbing by Cardiff Blues.

Harlequins took a two-point lead in National League One yesterday with a 36-18 win at Coventry. Second-placed Bedford saw off Earth Titans 24-16, but London Welsh are at the foot of the table after losing 28-24 at home to Otley.