Smith out injured as Saints make changes for Gloucester

After a blockbuster weekend of Prem derby games, this weekend brings one final round before the league takes a four-week pause for the autumn internationals.

Will Gloucester go into the break still top of the table? Will Harlequins and Newcastle back up their first wins of the season? Or will it be another round where all the home teams come out on top, like last weekend?

All the team news for the five games this weekend can be found here.

You can also listen to coverage of all of the matches on BBC DAB and FM local radio, via BBC Sounds or the BBC Sport website and app.

Third-placed Bristol have made three changes to their starting XV for the visit of second-placed Leicester as both sides aim to go into the break holding their strong positions in the table.

Gabriel Oghre and George Kloska return to the front row to link up with Ellis Genge, while Luka Ivanishvili rotates back in at number eight for a game where the Bears will be wearing letters on their shirts, rather than numbers, in a throwback to the club's history to mark their "Legends Night".

Leicester similarly have made a trio of changes, however, by contrast, all to their backline.

Tom Whiteley, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Orlando Bailey come in for Jack van Poortvliet, Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Will Wand, who drop to the bench, while full-back Freddie Steward makes his 100th Prem start.

Bristol: Jordan; Rees-Zammit. Moroni, Williams, Ibitoye; MacGinty, Randall; Genge, Oghre, Kloska; Rubiolo, Batley, Luatua, Harding (c), Ivanishvili.

Replacements: Gwilliam, Woolmore, Chawatama, Caulfield, Owen, Marmion, Bates, Grondona.

Leicester: Steward; Radwan, Kata, Bailey, Hassell-Collins; Searle, Whiteley; Van der Flier; Blamire, Heyes; Henderson, Chessum (c), Wainwright, Carnduff, Cracknell.

Replacements: Moli, Vunipola, Hurd, Stooke, Moro, Van Poortvliet, Wand, Hamer-Webb.

Exeter boss Rob Baxter has made five changes from the 20-7 defeat to Bristol Bears, including the return of England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso from injury, as the Chiefs face the Prem's bottom club, Harlequins.

Harry Wilson, Lewis Pearson, Stephen Varney, and Will Haydon-Wood all return to the starting XV, but both Dafydd Jenkins and Tom Hooper are out after picking up injuries against Bristol.

Harlequins are seeking their first back-to-back wins of the Prem season after they beat Saracens 33-15 on Sunday.

Head coach Jason Gilmore opts for three changes, with hooker Jack Walker coming back into the starting XV, Simon Kerrod slotting in at tight-head prop, and Nick David making his first start of the campaign on the wing.

Exeter: Haydon-Wood; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Butt, Woodburn; Skinner, Varney; Abuladze, Yeandle (c), Iosefa-Scott, Pearson, Wilson, Roots, Vintcent, Fisilau.

Replacements: Norey, Goodrick-Clarke, Tchumbadze, Bailey, James, Wolstenholme, Hammersley, Wimbush.

Harlequins: Furbank; David, Northmore, Bradley, Murley (c); Smith, Porter; Baxter, Walker, Kerrod, Dun, Treadwell, Kenningham, Driscoll, Schmid.

Replacements: Riley, Hobson, Streeter, Williams, Browne, Evans, Friday, Isgro.

Former England fly-half Owen Farrell captains Saracens on his return to the side as they host Newcastle Red Bulls following a damaging 33-15 defeat by London rivals Harlequins at The Stoop on Sunday.

Sarries' director of rugby Brendan Venter makes 10 changes from the side, which were convincingly beaten by Quins, as Elliot Daly return at full-back and Tobias Elliot replaces Jack Bracken who drops to the bench. Tom James starts at scrum-half with 35-year-old Farrell leading the side at 10.

Alex O'Driscoll comes in at loosehead prop, and there is a return to the side for former Bath man Alfie Barbeary at number eight.

Ben Earl is on the bench, where he is joined by veteran hooker Jamie George and the returning winger Noah Caluori, who is back from injury in a 5-3 split.

As for Newcastle Red Bulls, coach Dan McFarland decides to keep his side much more settled.

There are just three alterations from the starting XV which beat Sale 17-3 last Friday. Alex Hearle comes in at outside centre while Cam Jordan and Sam Graham replace Rusi Tuima and Hoskins Sotutu, who both miss out through injury.

Saracens: Daly; Elliott, Tompkins, Va'enuku, Segun; Farrell (capt), James; O'Driscoll, Dan, Street, Isiekwe, Tizard, Michelow, Knight, Barbeary.

Replacements: George, Brantingham, Clarey, Martin, Earl, Bracken, Malins, Caluori.

Newcastle RB: Hodge; Wade, Hearle, Rigg, Kok; Connon, Benitez Cruz; Rakete-Stones, McGuigan, Millar Mills, Usher, Jordan, Hicks, Christie (capt), Graham.

Replacements: Adejimi, West, Moreno, Baker, Leatherbarrow, Elliott, Henry, Harris.

Bath director of rugby Johann van Graan was left unhappy with his side's defeat by Gloucester in the West Country derby last Friday and has made seven changes to his starting XV.

Argentina full-back Santi Carreras has been ruled out for the season with a serious knee injury and is replaced by Tom De Glanville, while Joe Cokanasiga and Henry Arundell return on the wings.

Guy Pepper also misses out with an ankle injury as Ted Hill comes in from the bench in a reshuffled back row.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson names four alterations from the starters that lost at Newcastle as Alex Lozowski comes in at inside centre and Gus Warr returns at scrum-half after missing the previous match with a calf strain.

Nathan Jibulu replaces Luke Cowan-Dickie at hooker while the powerful Asher Opoku-Fordjour comes in at tight-head, brothers Tom and Ben Curry continue to partner each other in the back row, while Courtney Lawes misses out on the 23 through illness.

Bath: De Glanville; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, Arundell; Russell, Spencer (c); Obano, Frost, Griffin, Jeanes, Ewels, Hill, Reid, Bayliss.

Replacements: Dunn, Wheeler, Stuart, Opoku-Gyamfi, Richards, Van Der Linde, Hennessey, Coetzee.

Sale Sharks: Carpenter; Roebuck, Marchant, Lozowski, O'Flaherty; Ford, Warr; Smith, Jibulu, Opoku-Fordjour, Van Rhyn (c), Bamber, Tshiunza, B. Curry, T. Curry.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, McIntyre, Francis, Burrow, Dugdale, Hanson, Ma'asi-White, Canakaivata.

Prem champions Northampton make three changes to the side who were beaten 28-7 at local rivals Leicester, with Fin Smith absent after sustaining a calf injury at Welford Road.

Anthony Belleau steps in for Smith at fly-half, and joins Alex Mitchell in the half-back berths.

Ollie Sleightolme also comes into the starting line-up, featuring alongside George Hendy on the wing, while Callum Chick is the other addition to the XV.

For the visitors, Seb Atkinson returns to the fold and starts as captain after a minor injury kept him out of last weekend's derby win over Bath.

Afo Fasogbon comes into the front row, joining Val Rapava Ruskin and Seb Blake, while club captain Dewi Lake is named among the replacements.

Northampton: Pater; Sleightholme, Freeman, Dingwall (c), Hendy; Belleau, Mitchell; Iyogun, Langdon, Kundiona; Coles, Prowse, Kemeny, Pearson, Chick.

Replacements: Smith, Fischetti, Neculai, Van Der Mescht, Lockett, Pollock, Weimann, Hutchinson.

Gloucester: Barton; Joseph, Llewellyn, S Atkinson (c), Knight; C Atkinson, Englefield; Rapava Ruskin; Blake, Fasogun; Kleyn, Clark, Thomas, Gwynne, Clement.

Replacements: Lake, Bleuler, Knight, Trenholm, Morgan, Ludlow, Robson, Redshaw