TOMMY Wyatt is ready to march back into Premiership action as Exeter Chiefs prepare to return to the scene of their greatest triumph last season – with an all-Westcountry showdown against Bath in the famous Roman city.

The 26-year-old has been named in the starting XV for Friday night’s trip to the Recreation Ground, marking his first Gallagher PREM appearance since May 2025 after almost 16 months battling a second serious knee injury.

Wyatt suffered a second anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury but has fought his way back to fitness, featuring in Chiefs’ pre-season friendlies before being handed his long-awaited competitive return.

His comeback comes at a crucial time for director of rugby Rob Baxter, whose troops were brought crashing back down to earth by Gloucester last weekend, suffering a 45-24 defeat at Sandy Park.

Now the Chiefs must regroup, sharpen their swords and prepare for battle in Bath, where they famously stormed the fortress last season by defeating their rivals in the semi-finals.

The Rec holds special memories for the Devonians, but the visitors will need to summon a similar performance if they are to emerge victorious under the Friday night floodlights.

Indeed, Baxter knows his side must respond immediately after their opening-day disappointment.

“There are a lot of reasons for Bath to feel they have something to prove on Friday night, but I’d like to think we feel we have things to prove too,” he said. “We feel we underperformed last weekend, so we’ve got to show the type of team we want to be.”

Wyatt’s return is one of three changes to the starting backline – with centre Will Butt preparing to face his former club for the first time as a Chief.

Butt partners England international Henry Slade in midfield, while Wyatt replaces Ben Hammersley on the left wing. Olly Woodburn moves to full-back, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso retaining his place on the right.

The forward pack remains unchanged, with Ethan Burger and Josh Iosefa-Scott packing down either side of hooker Jack Yeandle. Captain Dafydd Jenkins partners Harry Wilson in the second-row, while Ethan Roots, Kane James and Greg Fisilau complete the back-row.

Stephen Varney and Harvey Skinner continue at scrum-half and fly-half as the Chiefs look to bring greater control and precision to their attack.

Georgian international Bachuki Tchumbadze returns to the matchday squad on the bench, while Sam Wolstenholme is also included after missing the Gloucester defeat through illness.

Baxter knows his side face a formidable challenge but insists they must remain focused and ready for the fight.

“Bath away is one of the biggest challenges in the Prem,” he said. “Making sure we’ve got a focus on just staying in the moment, sticking to our processes, is going to be more important this week than ever. We’ve got to turn up and stay in the fight.”

The match kicks off at 7.45pm on Friday and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports.

Chiefs: O Woodburn; I Feyi-Waboso, H Slade, W Butt, T Wyatt; H Skinner, S Varney; E Burger, J Yeandle, J Iosefa-Scott; D Jenkins (capt), H Wilson; E Roots, K James, G Fisilau. Replacements: L Gulley, W Goodrick-Clarke, B Tchumbadze, O Beckerleg, F Worley-Brady, S Wolstenholme, W Haydon-Wood, Z Wimbush.