Gloucester Rugby host Bath Rugby at Kingsholm on Friday night in Round Four of the 2026/27 Gallagher PREM

Gloucester Rugby’s hopes of ending a nine-game losing run to Bath Rugby in all competitions have been bolstered by news that club captain Dewi Lake and full-back George Barton are both fit for the West Country derby.

Wales captain Lake suffered a head knock in Friday night’s 36-36 draw with European champions Bordeaux-Begles and was removed to undergo a Head Injury Assessment, but head coach George Skivington has confirmed the hooker is on track to play his first derby game, with Gloucester having not beaten Bath since Johann van Graan's arrival in 2022.

Skivington said: “Dewi has passed all his tests; he's one of the ones we have to make a final call on tomorrow, really.

“We got a couple of bumps and bruises. Obviously, Benny Loader is out with his hamstring. He's the most significant injury. The rest is really just bumps and bangs.”

Expanding on Loader’s injury, with the winger having missed much of last season after back-to-back hamstring strains, Skivington said: “We don't know exactly when he will be back, but it's not as significant as the ones he's had before, so it's minor in terms of hamstrings, but obviously he's a speed athlete.

“He's not going to play again before, certainly before the autumn break.”

That rules Loader out of the PREM ties with Bath and Northampton Saints, last season's top two in the table, but Skivington said that he hopes that by the time the league resumes in the first week of December, with the Cherry and Whites hosting Newcastle Red Bulls, he will be close to a return.

For now there are ready-made replacements lining up for his spot on the wing. Skivington said: “We’ve got Ollie Thorley and Junior Denny. We’ve got some good talent sort of coming back into the fold, which is good.

“Josh Hathaway is nearly fit. Josh will be fit for the PRC, so he's not a million miles away. He's been out with a hamstring probably for four or five months now. Quite a long time.”

Last weekend George Barton played through the pain as he had his ankle strapped up during the course of the match, but he and fellow full back option Ben Redshaw, who missed the European tie after injuring his shoulder against Leicester, are both in the selection mix for this weekend’s clash at Kingsholm.

In the front row, tighthead prop Afo Fasogbon is also likely to feature against Bath, having missed the Bordeaux game after taking a knock at Welford Road.

Skivington said: "Afo took a bang, he could have been pushed out there this week [against Bordeaux] but he needed a day or two extra."