Ikitau returns and Bath make major changes in Prem

There were 54 tries scored across the last round of Prem matches, with Saracens and Leicester both hitting double figures and scoring 147 points combined.

Saracens' demolition of Sale and Bristol's win against Gloucester mean both remain mathematically in the race for a top four spot, although 13 points do separate sixth from third with five rounds to play.

There is another week-long break to follow this weekend's games, with Bath and Exeter heading into crucial European Cup semi-finals as the only Prem teams still challenging on two fronts.

You can 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.

Newcastle are searching for a second win this season and have made six changes for the visit of Bristol.

Brett Connon starts at fly-half, props Murray McCallum and Adam Brocklebank come in and there's a new look second-row pairing with Finn Baker making his first league start alongside Freddie Clarke.

The Bears have named three changes of their own for the trip north, with Noah Heward, Matias Moroni and Harry Randall all switching from the bench to the starting XV as they look to back up the win over Gloucester.

Wing Louis Rees-Zammit and flanker Santiago Grondona remain unavailable because of injury and are expected to return in time for the visit of Saracens on 2 May.

Newcastle: Hodge; Wade, Hearle, Beeckmans, Obatoyinbo; Connon, Elliott; Brocklebank, Fletcher, McCallum; Hodgson, Baker, Clarke, Christie (c), Parsons.

Replacements: Adejimi, Rewcastle, Palframan, Hawkins, Mafi, Stuart, Healy, Bolam.

Bristol: Lane; Heward, Moroni, Janse van Rensburg, Ibitoye; Jordan, Randall; Genge, Oghre, Kloska; Dun, Batley, Owen, Harding (c), Grondona.

Replacements: Thacker, Woolmore, Lahiff, Taylor, Cripps, Wolstenholme, Williams, Ravouvou.

Marcus Smith reverts to his favoured stand-off slot from full-back with Jarrod Evans joining the lengthy Harlequins injury list because of a shoulder problem.

It's all change in the back three for the hosts with Jamie Benson wearing the No 15 jersey and Hayden Hyde and Cameron Anderson on the wings.

Veteran Joe Launchbury comes into the second row.

Sale blood two 20-year-olds in the front row with prop Ralph McEachran and Alfie Longstaff both making their first league starts.

Director of rugby Alex Sanderson makes four personnel changes in all after last week's crushing home defeat by Saracens with wing Arron Reed and flanker Tristan Woodman also added to the starting line-up.

Harlequins: Benson, Anderson, Northmore, Bradley, Hyde; Smith, Friday; Hobson, Turner, Jones, Cunningham-South, Launchbury, Petti, Kenningham, Dombrandt (c).

Replacements: Riley, Clarke, Streeter, Treadwell, Carr, Evans, Grant, Kerr.

Sale: O'Flaherty; Roebuck, R du Preez, Ma'asi-White, Reed; Ford, Warr; McEachran, Longstaff, Opoku-Fordjour, van Rhyn (c), Bamber, Vermeulen, Woodman, Dugdale.

Replacements: Caine, Onasanya, Harper, Andrews, Kelly, Hanson, Louw, Davies.

Saracens have named an unchanged starting XV from the team that thrashed Sale a week ago, with lock Nick Isiekwe and centre Lucio Cinti both coming onto the bench - another win is a must to keep up any Sarries hopes of sneaking into the top four.

Geoff Parling has named three changes for Leicester as they chase a sixth consecutive Prem win stretching back to January.

Flanker Hanro Liebenberg is the only change to the Tigers' pack while Ollie-Hassell Collins comes onto the wing and Izaia Perese starts in the centre.

Saracens: Malins; Caluori, Tompkins, Hartley, Segun; Burke, Bracken; Carre, George, Street; Itoje, Tizzard, McFarland, Earl, Willis.

Replacements: Dan, Mawi, Riccioni, Isiekwe, Michelow, Van Zyl, Farrell, Cinti.

Leicester: Steward; Hamer-Webb, Perese, Bailey, Hassell-Collins; Searle, Van Poortvliet; Smith, Blamire, Heyes; Henderson, Chessum (c), Liebenberg, Moro, Cracknell.

Replacements: Clare, Van der Flier, Hurd, Martin, Williams, Whiteley, Wand, Radwan.

Northampton host Bath in a top-of-the-table clash and their third meeting this season, with both sides having one win each so far (Saints in the Prem, Bath in the Champions Cup).

Just a point separates the sides at the moment and Phil Dowson has made three tweaks to his team, with Tommy Freeman returning to the wing alongside Ollie Sleightholme as George Furbank misses out through concussion protocols.

Prop Luke Green returns from injury while Henry Pollock steps up from the bench to the back row.

With a Champions Cup semi-final away to Bordeaux on 3 May looming, Bath have, by contrast, made 13 changes for their trip to Franklin's Gardens with almost all of their first-choice players rested.

Fly-half Ciaran Donoghue makes a first appearance of the season having recovered from a long-term knee injury, while teenage full-back Sam Winters is in line for his Prem debut among those on the bench.

Northampton: Hendy; Freeman, Litchfield, Dingwall (c), Sleightholme; F Smith, Mitchell; Iyogun, Wright, Green; Lockett, Prowse, Kemeny, Graham, Pollock.

Replacements: R Smith, Fischetti, Kundiona, Van der Mescht, Munga, Chick, McParland, Hutchinson.

Bath: De Glanville; Hennessey, Harris, Butt, Muir; Donoghue, Van der Linde; Kirk, Frost, Verden; Richards, Molony, Bayliss, Reid (c), Green.

Replacements: Tuipulotu, Van Wyk, Griffin, Opoku-Gyamfu, Hill, Carr-Smith, Winters, Underhill.

Gloucester and Exeter each make eight changes as the Chiefs return to Kingsholm in the league for the first time since their record 79-17 loss a year ago.

Former Exeter hooker Jack Innard comes in as Gloucester make five forward changes after last week's loss at Bristol.

Captain Tomos Williams is back from injury to start at scrum-half while Ben Loader and Will Joseph come in on the wings.

Exeter welcome back Australia star Len Ikitau after three months out with a shoulder injury as the Chiefs change up the side that lost to Northampton last week.

The centre comes in for Will Rigg alongside Henry Slade in midfield, while Campbell Ridl switches to full-back after Olly Woodburn's hamstring injury with Paul Brown-Bampoe coming in on the wing.

Rob Baxter makes six changes in his pack - only back-rowers Ross Vintcent and Greg Fisilau keep their places from last week as Jospeh Dweba and Josh Iosefa-Scott return to the front row.

Gloucester: Barton; Joseph, Llewellyn, S Atkinson, Loader; C Atkinson, Williams (c); Rapava Ruskin, Innard, Fasogbon, Clark, Alemanno, Thomas, Ludlow, Trenholm.

Replacements: Knowles, Bleuler, Laulala, Eite, Clement, Venter, Englefield, Thorley.

Exeter: Ridl; Brown-Bampoe, Slade (c), Ikitau, Feyi-Waboso; Skinner, Varney; Goodrick-Clarke, Dweba, Iosefa-Scott, Tuima, Pearson, E Roots, Vintcent, Fisilau.

Replacements: Norey, Burger, J Roots, Tshiunza, Hooper, Worley Brady, Cairns, Hammersley.

Compiled by BBC Sport England's Sophie Hurcom, Brent Pilnick and Neil Squires.