Preview: Premiership, Round 10
THE TOP DOG BATTLE: Premiership Rugby returns this weekend with a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash as last year’s finalists Saracens and Exeter Chiefs do battle.
Exeter Chiefs’ perfect League record was ended last time out at Harlequins, while Saracens have won nine from nine and are unbeaten in 22 matches in all competitions.
However, Saracens have not won at Sandy Park in over two years and their last defeat came at the hands of the Chiefs, it is sure going to be intriguing come Saturday.
Round 10 kicks off on Friday evening as Worcester Warriors host Northampton Saints.
They are two more games on Saturday with Harlequins travelling to Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks hosting Bristol Bears.
And on Sunday Wasps welcome Bath Rugby to the Ricoh Arena, while Gloucester Rugby travel north to take on Newcastle Falcons.
Friday, December 21
Worcester Warriors v Northampton Saints
(Sixways, Kick-off: 19.45)
Worcester Warriors’ last five Premiership Rugby matches have all been won by the home side on the day. The Warriors have won their last five home matches in all competitions since Newcastle’s 23-20 victory in Round 3 of Premiership Rugby.
Northampton Saints’ only win in the last four rounds of Premiership Rugby was 36-17 at home to Wasps on 17 November. The Saints have won three of their last four games at Franklin’s Gardens in all tournaments.
Worcester have beaten Northampton just twice since 2011, both at Sixways in Premiership Rugby, in 2015 and 2017.
Teams:
Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 GJ van Velze(captain), 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Marco Mama, 5 Michael Fatialofa, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Callum Black.
Replacements: 16 Joe Taufete‘e, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Gareth Milasinovich, 19 Pierce Phillips, 20 Ted Hill, 21 Jonny Arr, 22 Ollie Lawrence, 23 Scott van Breda.
Northampton Saints: 15 Ahsee Tuala, 14 Tom Collins, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Piers Francis, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Lewis Ludlam, 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Dylan Hartley (co-captain), 1 Alex Waller (co-captain).
Replacements: 16 James Fish, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Ben Franks, 19 Api Ratuniyarawa, 20 Jamie Gibson, 21 Heinrich Brüssow, 22 Alex Mitchell, 23 Fraser Dingwall.
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Paul Dix & Anthony Woodthorpe.
TMO: Rowan Kitt.
Saturday, December 22
Exeter Chiefs v Saracens
(Sandy Park, Kick-off: 15.00)
Exeter Chiefs’ unblemished start to the 2018-19 Premiership Rugby campaign ended with their 26-28 reversal at Harlequins in Round 9. The Chiefs were defeated 19-27 by Gloucester in the Champions Cup in their most recent match at Sandy Park but have not lost back-to-back encounters at the venue for over two years.
Saracens’ unbeaten run in first team rugby now stretches to 22 matches, since the defeat to Leinster in the quarter-final of last season’s Champions Cup. Saracens most recent defeat in Gallagher Premiership Rugby was to Exeter at Sandy Park in March.
The two clubs most recent meeting was in the Premiership Rugby final at Twickenham in May, where Saracens ended a five-game winless run against Chiefs in all tournaments. Saracens have not won at Sandy Park since September 2016.
Teams:
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Joe Simmonds, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Tom O’Flaherty, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Jack Maunder, 8 Matt Kvesic, 7 Don Armand, 6 Sean Lonsdale, 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Dave Dennis, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Jack Yeandle (captain), 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Mitch Lees, 20 Tom Lawday, 21 Nic White, 22 Ollie Devoto, 23 Phil Dollman
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Alex Lozowski, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Brad Barritt (captain), 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Calum Clark, 6 Mike Rhodes, 5 George Kruis, 4 Nick Isiekwe, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Tom Woolstencroft, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Christian Judge, 19 Dom Day, 20 Will Skelton, 21 Schalk Burger, 22 Tom Whiteley, 23 Matt Gallagher
Referee: Thomas Foley
Assistant Referees: Christophe Ridley & Greg Macdonald
TMO: Geoff Warren.
Leicester Tigers v Harlequins
(Welford Road, Kick-off: 15.00)
Leicester Tigers have lost their last eight first team fixtures, their worst run since 1975. Tigers’ most recent victory in Premiership Rugby was against Northampton Saints at Twickenham Stadium in Round 6. Leicester’s two victories at Welford Road in Premiership Rugby this season were against Newcastle and Sale in September.
Harlequins have won four games in Premiership Rugby this season, three of those have been in the last five rounds. Quins have won only once away from home in Premiership Rugby since September 2017: 27-25 at Gloucester on 29 September 2018.
Leicester have won their last four matches against Harlequins since the Londoner’s 25-19 victory at Twickenham Stoop in February 2016 whilst Quins’ most recent success at Welford Road came in November 2013.
Teams:
Leicester Tigers: 15 George Worth, 14 Jonah Holmes, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford (captain), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Guy Thompson, 6 Mike Fitzgerald, 5 Will Spencer, 4 Harry Wells, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Jake Kerr, 17 Campese Ma’afu, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Mike Williams, 20 Brendon O’Connor, 21 Ben White, 22 Gareth Owen, 23 Jordan Olowofela
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Nathan Earle, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Paul Lasike, 11 Cadan Murley, 10 James Lang, 9 Charlie Mulchrone, 8 James Chisholm (captain), 7 Jack Clifford, 6 Alex Dombrandt, 5 George Merrick, 4 Matt Symons, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Dave Ward, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Max Crumpton, 17 Lewis Boyce, 18 Will Collier, 19 Ben Glynn, 20 Renaldo Bothma, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Alofa Alofa
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant Referees: Craig Maxwell-Keys & Peter Allan.
TMO: David Grashoff.
Sale Sharks v Bristol Bears
(AJ Bell Stadium, Kick-off: 15.00)
Sale Sharks have lost just once in the last four rounds of Premiership Rugby: 25-31 at table-topping Saracens in Round 7. The Sharks’ only defeat at AJ Bell Stadium in Premiership Rugby this season was to Wasps in Round 4.
Bristol Bears’ four-game losing streak in Premiership Rugby ended with their 41-10 defeat of Leicester at Ashton Gate in Round 9. Bristol have won two of their last three away games in all competitions but have not triumphed on the road in Premiership Rugby since they last visited Sale on
New Year’s Day 2017. Their 24-23 victory at AJ Bell Stadium that day was their only previous visit to the venue and ended a five-game losing streak to the Sharks in Premiership Rugby.
Teams:
Sale Sharks: 15 Chris Ashton, 14 Denny Solomona, 13 Sam James, 12 James O’Connor, 11 Byron McGuigan, 10 Rob du Preez, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Jono Ross (captain), 5 James Phillips, 4 Josh Beaumont, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Curtis Langdon, 17 Tom Bristow, 18 Joe Jones, 19 Bryn Evans, 20 Josh Strauss, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Luke James, 23 Ben Curry
Bristol Bears: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Will Hurrell, 12 Siale Piutau, 11 Alapati Leiua, 10 Ian Madigan 9 Harry Randall, 8 Jack Lam, 7 George Smith, 6 Steve Luatua, 5 Aly Muldowney, 4 Chris Vui, 3 John Afoa, 2 Harry Thacker, 1 Yann Thomas
Replacements: 16 Tom Lindsay, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 Lewis Thiede, 19 Joe Joyce, 20 Dan Thomas, 21 Andy Uren, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Piers O’Conor
Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant Referees: Adam Leal & Wayne Falla.
TMO: Trevor Fisher.
Sunday, December 23
Newcastle Falcons v Gloucester Rugby
(Kingston Park, Kick-off: 15.00)
Newcastle Falcons may have been defeated home and away by Edinburgh in the European Champions
Cup but in Premiership Rugby, they have won their last two matches, at home to Bath and away to Northampton. The Tynesider’s record at Kingston Park in Premiership Rugby this season is won one, lost three.
Gloucester Rugby’s only defeat in the last four rounds of Premiership Rugby was 6-23 at Exeter on 24 November. Gloucester have won just once away from home in Premiership Rugby since March: 35-21 at Wasps in Round 6.
The Falcons have lost only one of their last four encounters with Gloucester in Premiership Rugby: 7-29 at Kingston Park in November 2017. Gloucester have won on three of their last five visits to Newcastle in Premiership Rugby.
Teams:
Newcastle Falcons: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Alex Tait, 10 Toby Flood (captain), 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Mark Wilson, 7 John Hardie, 6 Gary Graham, 5 Tevita Cavubati, 4 Calum Green, 3 Logovi’i Mulipola, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Sam Lockwood
Replacements: 16 George McGuigan, 17 Trevor Davison, 18 David Wilson, 19 Andrew Davidson, 20 Ryan Burrows, 21 Michael Young, 22 Brett Connon, 23 Tom Arscott
Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Billy Twelvetrees, 12 Tom Hudson, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Owen Williams, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Freddie Clarke, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Ed Slater (captain), 3 Ciaran Knight, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Josh Hohneck
Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Paddy McAllister, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Tom Savage, 20 Gareth Evans, 21 Willi Heinz, 22 Henry Trinder, 23 Jaco Kriel
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Hamish Smales & Philip Watters.
TMO: Sean Davey.
Wasps v Bath Rugby
(Ricoh Arena, Kick-off: 15.00)
Wasps’ only victory in their last 11 first team fixtures was 32-28 at home to Bristol Bears in Round 8 of Premiership Rugby. Wasps have won only twice at Ricoh Arena this season, both in Premiership Rugby, against Leicester and Bristol.
Bath Rugby’s only win in their last 12 matches was at home to Worcester in Round 7 of Premiership Rugby. Bath’s most recent away win was 37-32 at Harlequins in round 3 of Premiership Rugby this season.
The two clubs have already met at the Ricoh Arena in the European Champions Cup this season, playing out a 35-35 draw. In Gallagher Premiership Rugby Wasps only loss in their last six encounters with Bath was at Coventry in October 2017.
Teams:
Wasps: 15 Willie Le Roux, 14 Ross Neal, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Michael Le Bourgeois, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Craig Hampson, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Kearnan Myall, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 2 Ashley Johnson (captain), 1 Ben Harris
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Charlie Matthews, 20 Nathan Hughes, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Michele Campagnaro
Bath: 15 James Wilson, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Max Wright, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Ruaridh McConnochie, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Will Chudley (captain), 8 Francois Louw, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Tom Ellis, 5 Elliott Stooke, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Nathan Catt
Replacements: 16 Ross Batty, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Max Lahiff, 19 Matt Garvey, 20 Zach Mercer, 21 Max Green, 22 Max Clark, 23 Cooper Vuna
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant Referees: Jonathan Healy & Roy Maybank.
TMO: Keith Lewis.
Source: @premrugby
