Wasps v Gloucester: Teams
Ian McGeechan has made four changes for the meeting with Gloucester at Adams Park.
Last Updated: 24/04/09 2:58pm
Ian McGeechan has made four changes to the side that secured a five-try win over Bristol for their meeting with Gloucester at Adams Park on Saturday.
Suffering from a groin injury, Mark Van Gisbergen is ruled out of Saturday's showdown and Lachlan Mitchell comes in at full-back.
Mitchell will be joined by Tom Voyce who makes his last appearance for Wasps on the wing, in place of the injured Paul Sackey.
In the front-row Phil Vickery returns for the game against his former side, back from injury and is named in place of Pat Barnard.
The final change is seen in the back-row where John Hart will start at number eight, with Joe Worsley moving to six and Serge Betsen to seven, with Tom Rees ruled out after sustaining a shoulder injury at the Memorial Stadium last weekend.
Betsen captain
Changes can also be seen on the bench as Richard Birkett returns in place of Marty Veale, James Haskell, also in his last run out for Wasps, is named in place of Hart and Hugo Ellis comes in for Mitchell.
Betsen will lead the men in black and gold at Adams Park in search of a 10th consecutive home win and vital points, which could yet see his team finish seventh and push for the last Heineken Cup spot.
The game will also mark the last run out for Josh Lewsey, who makes his 262nd and final appearance for club before hanging up his boots.
"We will be looking to build on the momentum we have seen in recent weeks and know that we will need a strong performance against a highly motivated Gloucester side," said McGeechan.
"We have everything to play for and on home turf in front of our supporters we will be looking for a big display to ensure we finish the season on a high.
"There's a lot at stake for both sides and marking the last game for a player of Josh Lewsey's calibre, it is set to be a great afternoon of rugby."
Wasps have won back-to-back matches against Newcastle and Bristol and have won their last nine home games in all competitions since a Sale victory 13-12 at Adams Park in the Premiership on November 23.
Meanwhile, looking to bounce back from the disappointment of Tuesday's defeat at home to Worcester, Gloucester make seven changes for the trip.
Internationals return
Gloucester's already long injury list has been added to this week with the likes of Olivier Azam and James Simpson-Daniel ruled out this weekend in addition to longer term absentees such as Mike Tindall and Iain Balshaw.
As a result the squad features several players from the Gloucester academy including the likes of Charlie Sharples, Henry Trinder, Dan Williams and Dave Lewis who were all named in the England U20 Junior World Cup squad this week.
However, internationals Greg Somerville, Marco Bortolami, Apo Satala, Rory Lawson and Anthony Allen all return to the starting line up.
Gloucester have to win at Adams Park against the reigning champions, ideally with a try-scoring bonus point, to give themselves any chance of making the last four for a third year in a row. But, that will not be enough if Harlequins, Bath and London Irish all get a minimum of two points.
Add to that the fact that Gloucester have now slipped to three straight defeats following the loss to Worcester, and the club has lost the last six away games in all competitions since the 29-10 win at Bristol in the Premiership on December 27.
But the Kingsholm side has won its last four encounters with Wasps in all tournaments and was victorious, 25-17, in the corresponding fixture at Adams Park last season.
Wasps: 15 Lachlan Mitchell, 14 Tom Voyce, 13 Dominic Waldouck, 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Josh Lewsey, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 John Hart, 7 Serge Betsen (capt), 6 Joe Worsley, 5 George Skivington, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements: 16 Joe Ward, 17 Charlie Beech, 18 Richard Birkett, 19 James Haskell, 20 Mark Robinson, 21 Jeremy Staunton, 22 Hugo Ellis.
Gloucester: 15 Olly Morgan, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Anthony Allen, 11 Mark Foster, 10 Carlos Spencer, 9 Rory Lawson, 8 Gareth Delve (capt), 7 Apo Satala, 6 Luke Narraway, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Adam Eustace, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Scott Lawson, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements: 16 Andy Titterell, 17 Nick Wood, 18 Alex Brown, 19 Dan Williams, 20 Dave Lewis, 21 Olly Barkley, 22 Freddie Burns.