Hazell makes testimonial promise

Hazell arrived at Kingsholm in 1997 from Gloucester Old Boys

Andy Hazell has promised that his and Lee Mears' joint testimonial this Saturday will be a proper game.

Gloucester play Bath at Kingsholm just three weeks before they meet again in the opening round of the Premiership.

"A few people think it'll be a jolly, but I can tell you 100% it won't be," Hazell told BBC Gloucestershire.

"There's a lot of new signings playing who are going to want to put their marker down and there's a lot of people at Bath feeling the same."

He added: "How I'd like it to be is a really tough physical game and Lee's the same. We spoke to the coaches and that's how it's going to be."

The derby element to the game should also ensure that it has a competitive edge.

Off the field there is a mutual respect between Hazell and Mears having both been in the game for a long time, but the old rivalry reared its head when it came to deciding a venue.

"We just got talking and said 'why don't we do a joint testimonial game', so we both decided to go for it, put it to the coaches and they were okay with it," Hazell added.

"I chose to have it at Kingsholm. I didn't want to go down to Bath to be perfectly honest, but Lee was willing to come here!"

Teams:

Gloucester: Voyce; Sharples, May, Spencer, Vainikolo; Burns, Lewis; Dickinson, S. Lawson, Doran-Jones; Attwood, Brown; Buxton, Hazell, Delve (c).
Replacements: Dawidiuk, Capdevielle, Eustace, Williams, R. Lawson, Tindall, Simpson-Daniel, Wood, Bortolami.

Bath: Cuthbert; Maddock, Carraro, Williams, Crane; Little, Bernard; Barnes, Mears (c), Bell; Hobson, Grewcock; Beattie, Ovens, Cracknell.
Replacements: Hawkins, Jarvis, Hooper, Skirving, Baxter, Davis, Stephenson, Dixon, Flatman, Salvi, Faamatuainu, Claassens, Hape, Cheeseman.