Aviva Premiership 2014/15 Round 7 Preview

Welcome to November, the time of the year when we are privileged to be able to enjoy both Domestic and International rugby all at once and that is what you call getting value for money from your weekends!

It is the time of the year when individuals on the fringes of squads across the country have their time to step into the starting jerseys and shine, it is the time when often the ‘underdogs’ prevail and that is what makes it fascinating to watch.  

On Friday Night Gloucester will welcome Harlequins to Kingsholm in what will be a cracking fixture, both sides have packs that are developing nicely and that are now providing their backs with quality platforms to work off. In both back lines we will see power and pace with Charlie Sharples and Charlie Walker the two that are likely to turn the most heads under the floodlights. Harlequins and Gloucester are sitting side by side in the current standings with Gloucester’s extra point thanks to an additional losing bonus point and both teams are on strong streaks in terms of recent results and performances in all tournaments. Historically Harlequins have found it difficult to prevail at Kingsholm, they last won there in 1999, and without their talismanic leaders things will be that little bit tougher on Friday night.

At the same time about eighty miles away the league leaders the Northampton Saints will welcome the Exeter Chiefs to town in what will be another fascinating clash. Exeter remain largely unscathed from the Autumn Internationals occurring across the country whilst Northampton have been ravaged by them. Dylan Hartley, Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood and George North are just some of their missing personnel however his season depth is their middle name. Exeter have yet to win in their five previous visits to Franklin’s Gardens however this Friday night boy will they fancy themselves to get a result. It will be a physical and intense encounter, watch out for the delightful Chiefs’ centre pairing of Hill and Slade as well as a few of Saints’ specials including Will Hooley and James Wilson.   

The Saturday rugby starts early at the AJ Bell Stadium as the Sale Sharks host London Irish for a noon kick off. Sale have performed well since Round 6 of the Aviva Premiership even if not all of the results went their way, they showed great heart against Munster and Clermont in Europe and had a solid time in the LV so are re-entering the Premiership stronger than when they left it. London Irish enjoyed a comfortable time against Rovigo and Grenoble in the Challenge Cup however this weekend a crucial man that will be missing is their enforcer Blair Cowen who will be on Scotland duty and his presence is always felt by any side facing the Exiles. Previous history can’t separate the two with two wins apiece and a draw so expect a close fought battle with a ‘look at me, look what you are missing’ display from Danny Cipriani.

Next stop following an afternoon of England action at Twickenham, The Rec opens its doors for a 5pm kick off between Bath Rugby and the Newcastle Falcons. With so many of the England squad being made up of Bath players it will be a ‘new look’ Premiership Bath side that runs out in Round 7. Bath, like Northampton and Saracens, have a lot of depth so should be just fine for example Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph are on England duty so in comes Ollie Devoto and Matt Banahan and whilst Paul James is with Wales step in Nathan Catt enters the fray... these certainly aren’t shabby replacements! The Falcons have been building nicely, their performance against London Welsh showed their inner strength and although they only have a 50% win ratio since performance wise the general trajectory is upwards.  On home soil I expect Bath to continue their five Premiership match unbeaten home run however the Falcons will be competitive.

On Sunday the action starts at 1pm at Welford Road where the Leicester Tigers host Saracens and what an encounter this will be! A few years ago at this time of year Leicester would have been rummaging around their academy for players due to the number of England call ups however now they should be able to field more of a complete side than their opponents. Clashes between these two, at any time of year, are always hugely physical and supreme battles of wills and even without Vunipola, Kruis, Farrell and Barritt Saracens should travel well. Mark McCall certainly showcased his full deck of cards last weekend fielding two sides, one for the LV and the other against Western Province and both looked strong. They’ll be excitement out wide for both sides with Miles Benjamin and David Strettle being the two to focus on. Also watch out for the name Maro Itoje, for if he is on the Saracens team sheet I expect the young 20 year old to excel on the Welford Road soil.

The final game of the weekend is Wasps’ last Aviva Premiership game to ever be played at Adams Park before their move to the Ricoh Arena. After such a tremendous performance in the recent LV=Cup fixtures and with Andy Goode having played a lot of rugby over the past few weeks I’m expecting Wasps to introduce Alex Lozowski to the Aviva Premiership and if you are fan of fly halves watch out for this guy because he is the real deal. London Welsh are still chasing their elusive win having lost all ten of their matches in all competitions so far this season. Their pre-season clash ended in a respective scoreline however the fear is that this one might not.  Expect standout performances from Wasps’ back row including the powerhouse Nathan Hughes whilst Welsh should bring some pace and knowledge with Seb Jewell and Tom May. Will they gain their first win? We shall wait and see...!