Tony McWhirter
1999 Ulster European Cup winner on BBC Sportsound

Ulster are struggling to generate any good, front foot, fast ball and you have to give credit to the way Bath are defending, they are making it difficult for Doak to get front foot and the ball in hand.

Fionn Russell, you can tell he is full of confidence, he is moving this Bath pack around and putting them on the front foot.

Ulster are just on the ropes in the last few minutes, possession has dried up and Bath are in the ascendancy.

Loose-head prop Beno Obano giving Tom O'Toole at bit of a torrid time at scrum-time.

Bath break loose and charge down the field. Eventually the ball is lost forward and Ulster escape with a scrum.

Ulster back on the front foot swinging the ball right then left inside the Bath half.

Nick Timoney forces a pass out to the left wing and it goes forward.

Still scoreless.

Finn Russell misses with a relatively straightforward kick left of the posts.

A fair swirling wind around the Rec today.

Tony McWhirter
1999 Ulster European Cup winner on BBC Sportsound

Decent scramble from Ulster, but the look of fear when Henderson and O'Toole find themselves in that one on one position with Fionn Russell.

Ulster need to get off the line, they are waiting for Bath to come to them, but they have to take the fight to the men in red.

Sustained pressure from Bath. Over a dozen phases within the Ulster 22.

They come away with a penalty. To the relief of Ulster, they go for posts.

Some good territory gains for Ulster on the back of some poor Bath lineouts. Three out of four now lost for the hosts.

Lovely hands from Ulster.

Nick Timoney with a nice offload and full-back Stewart Moore ghosts through the Bath defence, but tries an overly-ambitious pass approaching the hosts' 22 out wide right beyond the grasp of Rob Baloucoune.

Tony McWhirter
1999 Ulster European Cup winner on BBC Sportsound

Serious intent so far from Bath, Ulster will be asked questions defensively today.

Bath look up for this in the early stages, driving hard through the Ulster guts.

But the visitors do well to repel the home side on the edge of their own 22 and win a scrum from a knock-on.

Ulster receive the ball from kick-off and retain possession to allow Nathan Doak to clear to halfway.

Referee Pierre Brousset blows his whistle, and Finn Russell punts the ball deep.

Will it be Bath or the Ulstermen who get their Champions Cup campaign off to a flyer? Let's find out!

Nial Foster
BBC Sport Northern Ireland at The Rec, Bath.

As the Champions Cup anthem reverberates around the ground, a huge contingent of Ulster fans are in attendance at The Rec.

Yellow is the colour for Ulster with Bath playing in their new red European shirt for the first time today.

Despite the cool, windy conditions there are no Christmas jumpers for the players but plenty of fans are decked out in theirs!

Image source, BBC Sport NI

As the sides take the field rather than the usual blue versus white, things are a little different in today's age of European-specific strips.

It's hosts Bath in red, and visitors Ulster in striking yellow.

Ian Humphreys
Former Ulster fly-half Ian Humphreys on BBC Radio Ulster

Ulster will want to play with that ambition, they have that little bit of freedom here in Europe, no one expects them to win, so they will want to cause an upset, which they have done so many times.

Nial Foster
BBC Sport Northern Ireland at The Rec, Bath.

The stage is set at one of world rugby's most iconic settings, The Rec in Bath.

Pre-match, the atmosphere has moved from the city centre towards the stands which are metres away from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas markets.

If the kickers can get past the smell of mulled wine, their eyes will be focused on the many flags dotted around the ground as the wind has picked up this afternoon.

Conditions are wet underfoot, but the pitch is holding up well during the pre-match training.

Image source, BBC Sport NI

Tony McWhirter
1999 Ulster European Cup winner on BBC Sportsound

It looks like a heavy surface, I suspect a slow track this afternoon, although it has dried up and the sun is out now.

It is Champions Cup weekend, it doesn't get any bigger it doesn't get any better than this.

Bath are playing good rugby, they start as the favourites. Fionn Russell is the talk of the town and I'm excited to see him.

It is going to be hard for Ulster. Their form leading into this isn't the best, but they have a good record at the Rec and they have a strong bench.

So much of this will come down to the set-piece and the kicking game will be really important.

I'm really looking forward to it.

Fly-half Finn Russell starts for Bath continuing his strong half-back partnership with Ben Spencer which has helped Bath to second in the Premiership.

England centre Ollie Lawrence returns to the side, replacing Max Ojomoh, in the only change to Johann van Graan's side which impressed in a 41-24 victory over Exeter at the weekend.

For Dan McFarland's side, Ireland lock Iain Henderson returns from injury to captain Ulster, who make four changes.

Stewart Moore, Nathan Doak and Dave Ewers also return, while South Africa's World Cup-winning prop Steven Kitshoff makes his European debut.

Henderson's return means Kieran Treadwell drops to the bench.

Ireland hooker Rob Herring has overcome a calf complaint for a place among the replacements, while Matty Rea makes way for Ewers in the back row.

Moore replaces Will Addison at full-back while Doak is preferred to John Cooney at scrum-half.

Bath: Gallagher; Cokanasiga, Redpath, Lawrence, Muir; Russell, Spencer (capt); Obano, Dunn, Stuart, Stooke, Ewels, Reid, Underhill, Barbeary.

Replacements: Annett, Schoeman, Du Toit, Van Velze, Coetzee, Schreuder, Bailey, Butt.

Ulster: S Moore, Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Stockdale, Burns, Doak; Kitshoff, Stewart, O'Toole, O'Connor, Henderson (capt), Ewers, Timoney, McNabney.

Replacements: Herring, Warwick, M Moore, Treadwell, Rea, Cooney, Flannery, Lowry.

Image source, Inpho

Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today's Investec Champions Cup game between Bath and Ulster at the Rec.

We will also have radio commentary of the game on BBC Radio Ulster.

The two teams have enjoyed contrasting fortunes of late ahead of the opening game of Pool 2.

Bath, who return to the competition after a season away, have been in fine form and sit second in the Premiership table, having won five of their first eight games.

Ulster, meanwhile, begin their European campaign following back-to-back United Rugby Championship defeats by Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Last season, Ulster progressed beyond the pool stages only to be comprehensively beaten by Leinster in the last 16 and it is a tough start to a difficult pool for the Northern province today.

Thanks for joining us, enjoy!