Gallagher Premiership - Round Six Preview
Danny Cipriani will face his former club Wasps this weekend
©PA
There are some fascinating games across the Gallagher Premiership this weekend and TRU's Joe Harvey gives us his thoughts ahead of Round Six.
Friday
Bath Rugby vs Exeter Chiefs
Bath have been the talk of the Premiership this week after fielding a much-changed side to play Saracens last Saturday as well as the club’s hierarchy also penning an open letter. They come into Friday night’s game off the back of a heavy defeat to the champions in which they were simply outclassed.
To suggest that Bath’s changes are somewhat unexpected would be an understatement. Freddie Burns comes in at fullback for Tom Homer who is dropped from the side entirely. The second big change see’s Cooper Vuna move to inside centre, meaning the former rugby league player is in an unfamiliar position.
Dave Attwood returns to the starting line-up to partner Charlie Ewels, while the entire front row is replaced as regular starters Nathan Catt, Tom Dunn and Henry Thomas are back in the fold. Joe Cokanasiga returns on the wing as the entire back row changes too.
Zach Mercer, Tom Ellis and Taulupe Faletau all come into the starting line-up as a considerably more competitive-looking Bath host the unbeaten Chiefs. Speaking of whom, Exeter have had a difficult week off the field.
Confirming the long-term injury of Sam Simmonds as announcing Jonny Hill will be sidelined, would have not of been welcome news to that of Rob Baxter or Eddie Jones. As a result, Don Armand moves into the side at openside flanker as Sam Skinner comes in at lock for Hill.
Props Ben Moon and Harry Williams replace Alec Hepburn and Tomas Francis. In addition to this Phil Dollman, Henry Slade and Stu Townsend all start after being either dropped or amongst the replacements on the bench last weekend. Finally, Tom Lawday returns to the match day 23 after a hat-trick of tries in the Premiership Shield.
The Rec will always be one of the most difficult places to visit in club rugby. Bath bring in a good crowd who will intimidate their visitors, so Chiefs will be up against it from the off. However, Todd Blackadder has made some changes that no one can predict what could happen.
Vuna could prove to be a revelation at inside centre, the same going for Burns at fullback, but it is a complete shot in the dark. Exeter, in comparison, have a side who know their roles inside out. With the Chiefs yet to lose this season as well, it is almost impossible to look past them.
Saturday
Sale Sharks vs Newcastle Falcons
Labelled as the northern derby, this game is a battle of two clubs yet to find any kind of form this season. Falcons have been regularly competitive in games with no end result, whilst Sharks have had a couple of matches where they’ve looked bereft of ideas.
Therefore, both Director’s of Rugby will be looking at this fixture as an opportunity to blow the cobwebs away. Dean Richards will want his Falcons to be more clinical after missed opportunities against Wasps last Friday.
Steve Diamond will be more than happy with Sale going forward, but it is in defence where the side have struggled. Giving away a few penalties at Welford Road last Sunday, it allowed Tigers to win the game, thanks to the boot of George Ford.
Sale have the added pressure of trying to restart their winning form at the AJ Bell. Their heavy defeat to Wasps the last time they played at home will still be in the memory, so there will certainly be motivation for Sharks. Falcons only victory of the season has come on the road, so they could fancy their chances in Manchester.
Like the previous two games, this is another fixture that could go either way. Anyone thinking of going to this game, maybe don’t expect a high scoring affair. Instead, expect a cagy game in that each side will want to slowly build a lead, with few instances of out and out brilliance.
Northampton Saints vs Leicester Tigers
Being held at Twickenham in aid of former Saint Rob Horne who suffered career ending injury in this fixture last April, there probably isn’t any other place to be on Saturday. Raising money to go to Rob and his family as he transitions into a new lifestyle, this weekend’s East Midlands derby has taken on a different meaning.
Both sides have come into this game after contrasting victories last weekend. Northampton took part in an 85-point thriller at Ashton Gate that they won 45-40. In comparison, Leicester played a very dull game that ended 19-15 in their favour.
The form book goes out of the window on derby day. In this case you really hope it’s true. Being broadcast live on Channel 5, this is hopefully a chance to showcase the league by hosting one of the biggest fixtures in club rugby at the home of rugby.
In terms of who will go on to win the game, it’s a really difficult call. Northampton will be playing on emotion for their former teammate. This could go one of two ways, the players could become overwhelmed by this, or thrive and completely outplay their opponents.
Leicester haven’t got as much to play for. All that they really need to focus on is getting a result, whether that is pretty or not. As much as many neutrals will probably want Saints to triumph, Geordan Murphy’s men have less weight on their shoulders coming into this game.
Wasps vs Gloucester Rugby
Now this does look to be an exciting prospect. The return of Danny Cipriani to the Ricoh will be of much interest to fans and neutrals alike. With the fly-half having received the Player of the Month award as well, the spotlight really is on Gloucester’s star man.
Gloucester had a very disappointing showing last weekend in their home loss to Harlequins. In comparison, Wasps won at a cold Kingston Park, so one side will be hoping for a return to winning ways, whilst the other will be looking to maintain form.
Lima Sopoaga has fitted in brilliantly for the home side, so to see how he performs against Cipriani will be immensely interesting. It would seem that both these clubs will be battling for the top four at crunch time towards the end of the season, therefore this would be a good indicator of who will finish higher in the table.
Unfortunately, this is a game where you probably must favour the home side. As much as Gloucester do look like the real deal this season, Wasps have looked so good with Sopoaga in the side and you can only expect good performances from them whilst the former All Black is fit.
Harlequins vs Saracens
The London derby. Quins have come out on top of this fixture a couple of times in recent years, each time at the Stoop, but with Sarries not having dropped a point so far this season, there is a good chance that this will be an entertaining game.
Being played a bit later than normal due to the East Midlands derby at Twickenham, this game is being given the stage it deserves under the floodlights. Sarries had an exceptional game against Bath last weekend, scoring 50 points with relative ease and Alex Goode put in one of the best performances that has been seen in the Premiership for a long time.
Quins had a big game too. Winning at Kingsholm is by no means an easy thing to do, especially as Gloucester are enjoying a good start to their campaign. So, to say this has been the most difficult round to call so far is an understatement.
As shown in previous Quins/Sarries games at the Stoop, the home side are more than capable of an upset. But, Sarries haven’t missed a step all season, so they are probably the more likely to win out of the two clubs. We’ll have to wait and see.
Sunday
Worcester Warriors vs Bristol Bears
Bristol were unlucky to lose at home to Northampton last weekend. The Bears looked really good in attack against the much more established Premiership club, so Worcester could be dreading a visit this weekend from Pat Lam’s men.
Warriors weren’t thrashed by Exeter last weekend, so they may take confidence from that. Also, they didn’t suffer any big injuries against last season’s runners up, so they will be fielding a strong squad this weekend.
What will be interesting is whether Bristol make wholesale changes again on a visit to a plastic pitch. They changed virtually their entire pack on their visit to Sarries, therefore if they do the same this weekend it suggests that these changes are as a result of the pitch and not squad rotation.
This aside, Bristol looked good in their loss to Northampton, but there were clearly defensive frailties that resulted in them losing the game. Worcester were simply beaten by the better side on their trip to Sandy Park.
If it had to be called, then Bristol are the most likely to win. Despite losing a couple of games their confidence hasn’t been shaken at all, and that is something to be admired. Not suggesting that Warriors have no confidence, but Bristol just seem to have more self belief.
