Preview: Premiership, Round 14
Winless Worcestor Warriors have their work cut out for them when they travel to face log-leaders Northampton Saints at Franklin's Gardens this weekend.
The Saints have won their last nine matches in all competitions and currently sit one point ahead of Saracens, and prop Salesi Ma'afu admits they now have a target on their back.
Saracens have been top of the pile since week one, but came unstuck last weekend, losing a regular season game at Allianz Park for the first time in defeat to London Irish.
That result opened the door for Saints, who have been hot on their heels in second all season long, and they took full advantage.
Although they had to leave it late before securing victory, George Pisi's last-gasp try enough to secure a 17-16 victory over Exeter Chiefs.
And now they are sitting pretty, tighthead prop Ma'afu insists he and his teammates have no intention of letting it slip.
"It feels pretty good to be top of the table, it was good to get the result at the weekend that put us up there," he said.
"There is still plenty for us to work on and we have to keep our heads down and make sure we are doing that.
"Now we are at the top we want to try and stay there, we know what it's like having been sitting under Sarries for such a long time.
"Every team is going to be gunning for us now but we are looking forward to that challenge and what it will bring."
Matters on the domestic front could not be going much better for the Saints, who have also secured a home semifinal in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
But Ma'afu, who has 14 caps for Australia, cannot help but cast a lingering eye at the European Cup and consider what might have been for the Saints, who went out in the group stages despite posting an impressive four wins from six in a group that included Leinster, Castres and the Ospreys.
"Everyone was very disappointed about not going through in Europe," he added. "Looking back now there are a lot of 'shoulda, woulda, couldas' when we think about how it went.
"But that just makes us hungrier for the rest of the season, when the next big game comes around we will not make the same mistakes and we will be ready for it.
"We definitely want to win some silverware this year, that is always in the back of our minds.
"But that means we have to try and control our performances week in, week out and hope that the rest will take care of itself."
We take a closer look at all of the matches:
Friday, February 14
Sale Sharks v Saracens
(Salford City Stadium – Kick-off: 19.45; 19.45 GMT)
Sale Sharks have won three of their last four Premiership matches and are at their highest spot in the table since they were in fifth place in early October.
The Sharks have won their last six fixtures at the Salford City Stadium since losing there 20-27 to Bath in the Anglo-Welsh Cup in November.
Saracens 13-22 home defeat to London Irish on Saturday saw them lose top spot in the Premiership for the first time since round One.
Saracens have lost their last two matches in all tournaments but have not lost three in a row since March 2010.
Sale's only Premiership victory over Saracens in their last ten encounters was 28-22 at Edgeley Park in January 2011, Saracens have however lost on their last two visits to the Salford City Stadium, both in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, in November 2012 and March 2013.
Sale Sharks: 15 Rob Miller, 14 Thomas Brady, 13 Johnny Leota, 12 Sammy Tuitupou, 11 Mark Cueto, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 James Gaskell, 7 David Seymour, 6 Dan Braid (captain), 5 Michael Paterson, 4 Andrei Ostrikov, 3 Vadim Cobilas, 2 Marc Jones, 1 Eifion Lewis-Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Tommy Taylor, 17 Ross Harrison, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Johnathan Mills, 20 Mark Easter, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Nick Macleod, 23 Tom Arscott.
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 David Strettle, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Jacques Burger, 6 Kelly Brown, 5 George Kruis, 4 Steve Borthwick (captain), 3 Matt Stevens, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 James Johnston, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 Ernst Joubert, 21 Neil De Kock, 22 Joel Tomkins, 23 Chris Wyles.
Referee: Gregory Garner
Assistant referees: Stuart Terheege, Paul Dix
TMO: David Sainsbury
Saturday, February 15
Harlequins v Newcastle Falcons
(Twickenham Stoop – Kick-off: 15.00; 15.00 GMT)
Harlequins' last four Premiership matches have all been won by the home side on the day, whilst the Londoner’s only defeat in their last six home games was 13-16 to Clermont Auvergne in the European Cup on January 11.
Newcastle Falcons have slipped to seven straight Premiership defeats and scored just three tries in the process. The Falcons only two away victories in the Premiership this season came at Sale in Round Two and at Worcester in Round Five.
Newcastle’s only victory in their last eight Premiership fixtures against Harlequins was 33-18 at Kingston Park on 4 March 2011. The Tynesiders have not been successful at the Twickenham Stoop in the tournaments since September 2000.
Harlequins: 15 Ollie Lindsay-Hague, 14 Sam Smith, 13 Tom Casson, 12 Jordan Turner-Hall, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Ben Botica, 9 Karl Dickson, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Luke Wallace, 6 Maurie Fa'asavalu, 5 Charlie Matthews, 4 Nick Kennedy, 3 Paul Doran Jones, 2 Dave Ward, 1 Mark Lambert.
Replacements: 16 Joe Gray, 17 Darryl Marfo, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Tom Guest, 20 Joe Trayfoot, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Louis Grimoldby, 23 Paul Sackey.
Newcastle Falcons: 15 Noah Cato, 14 Alex Tait, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Jamie Helleur, 11 Ryan Shortland, 10 Rory Clegg, 9 Mike Blair, 8 Mark Wilson, 7 Andy Saull, 6 Will Welch (captain), 5 Fraser McKenzie, 4 Scott MacLeod, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Scott Lawson, 1 Rob Vickers.
Replacements: 16 George McGuigan, 17 Gary Strain, 18 Oliver Tomaszczyk, 19 Sean Tomes, 20 Ally Hogg, 21 Warren Fury, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Adam Powell.
Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant referees: Andrew Pearce, Luke Pearce
TMO: Graham Hughes
London Wasps v London Irish
(Adams Park – Kick-off: 15.00; 15.00 GMT)
London Wasps were narrowly defeated at Harlequins on Sunday but have not lost successive Premiership matches since rounds two and three this season at Exeter and at Sale.
Wasps' only loss in their last five fixtures at Adams Park in all tournaments was 15-17 to Northampton in the Premiership on 21
December.
London Irish have lost just one of their last six contests in all competitions: 15-22 to London Wasps at Adams Park in the Anglo-Welsh Cup on 25 January.
The Exiles won their most recent away fixture in the Premiership 22-13 at top of the table Saracens on Saturday but have not won successive away games in the tournament since October 2010.
London Irish have won only one of their last five encounters with Wasps: 30-19 in the Premiership in February last year, whilst their only previous victory in their 13 previous visits to Adams Park 56-37 in the Premiership in April 2006.
London Wasps: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Will Helu, 13 Andrea Masi, 12 Chris Bell (captain), 11 James Short, 10 Joe Carlisle, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Sam Jones, 7 James Haskell, 6 Ashley Johnson, 5 Kearnan Myall, 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Matt Mullan.
Replacements: 16 Tom Lindsay, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 Phil Swainston, 19 Esteban Lozada, 20 Nathan Hughes, 21 Charlie Davies, 22 Tommy Bell, 23 Charlie Hayter.
London Irish: 15 James O'Connor, 14 Alex Lewington, 13 Eamonn Sheridan, 12 Shane Geraghty, 11 Andrew Fenby, 10 Ian Humphreys, 9 Tomás O'Leary, 8 Ofisa Treviranus, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Kieran Low, 5 Nic Rouse, 4 George Skivington (captain), 3 Jamie Hagan, 2 David Paice, 1 Matt Parr.
Replacements: 16 Jimmy Stevens, 17 John Yapp, 18 Leo Halavatau, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Gerard Ellis, 21 Topsy Ojo, 22 Myles Dorrian, 23 Darren Allinson.
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth
Assistant referees: Gordon Goodliffe, Darren Gamage
TMO: Rowan Kitt
Northampton Saints v Worcester Warriors
(Franklin's Gardens – Kick-off: 15.00; 15.00 GMT)
Northampton Saints last gasp victory at Exeter on Saturday saw them rise to the top of the Premiership table for the first time since Round One, when they also beat Exeter.
The Saints have won their last nine contests in all tournaments and have not been defeated at home in the Premiership since Leicester were the visitors in March last year.
Worcester Warriors came their closest to avoiding defeat in the Premiership this season on Friday at Sixways in their 22-23 loss to Leicester.
The Warriors have lost their last 22 away games in the Premiership equalling Rotherham’s all time record from 2000 to 2004.
Worcester's only victory in their last nine fixtures with the Saints was 12-3 at Sixways in September 2011, whilst they have not been victorious at Franklin's Gardens since their visit on New Year's Day 2007.
Northampton Saints: 15 James Wilson, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 George Pisi, 12 Tom Stephenson, 11 Jamie Elliott, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Gj van Velze, 7 Phil Dowson (captain), 6 Calum Clark, 5 Sam Dickinson, 4 Samu Manoa, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Mike Haywood, 1 Alex Waller.
Replacements: 16 Ross McMillan, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Gareth Denman, 19 Ben Nutley, 20 Teimana Harrison, 21 Kahn Fotuali'i, 22 Will Hooley, 23 Fa'atoina Auagavaia.
Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Josh Drauniniu, 13 Alex Grove, 12 Ravai Fatiaki, 11 David Lemi, 10 Paul Warwick, 9 Jonny Arr, 8 Jonathan Thomas (captain), 7 Sam Betty, 6 Leonardo Senatore, 5 Mariano Galarza, 4 Dean Schofield, 3 John Andress, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Ofa Fainga'anuku.
Replacements: 16 Chris Brooker, 17 George Porter, 18 Rob O'Donnell, 19 James Percival, 20 Richard de Carpentier, 21 Paul Hodgson, 22 Ignacio Mieres, 23 Dean Hammond.
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant referees: Nigel Carrick, Andy Watson
TMO: Trevor Fisher
Exeter Chiefs v Bath
(Sandy Park – Kick-off: 15.00; 15.00 GMT)
Exeter Chiefs have won just one of their last six Premiership matches: 16-3 at home to Newcastle on 21st December.
The Chiefs have in fact won only two of their last five Premierships contests at Sandy Park, and they have only lost successive home games in the tournament at the venue on one previous occasion: in October/November 2011 when they slipped up to Saracens and Gloucester.
Bath have suffered just one defeat in their last 18 first team matches: 25-43 at Northampton in the Premiership on December 28, although they did draw 27-all at Leicester on January 5.
Exeter's solo victory over Bath in their 11 previous meetings in all competitions came way back in January 1978 in the John Player Cup first round at the old County Ground.
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Luke Arscott, 14 Matt Jess, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Phil Dollman, 11 Tom James, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Dave Lewis, 8 Dave Ewers, 7 Ben White, 6 Tom Johnson, 5 Damian Welch, 4 Dean Mumm (captain), 3 Hoani Tui, 2 Jack Yeandle, 1 Ben Moon.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Carl Rimmer, 18 Alex Brown, 19 Don Armand, 20 Kai Horstmann, 21 Haydn Thomas, 22 Henry Slade, 23 Fetu'u Vainikolo.
Bath: 15 Anthony Watson, 14 Horacio Agulla, 13 Ollie Devoto, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 George Ford, 9 Micky Young, 8 Leroy Houston, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Matt Garvey, 5 Dave Attwood, 4 Stuart Hooper (c), 3 David Wilson, 2 Ross Batty, 1 Paul James.
Replacements: 16 Eusebio Guinazu, 17 Nathan Catt, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Dominic Day, 20 Alafoti Fa'osiliva, 21 Peter Stringer, 22 Gavin Henson, 23 Nick Abendanon.
Referee: Andrew Small
Assistant referees: Roger Baileff, Gareth Copsey
TMO: Keith Lewis
Sunday, February 16
Leicester Tigers v Gloucester
(Welford Road – Kick-off: 14.00; 14.00 GMT)
Leicester Tigers only defeat in their last six Premiership matches came at Saracens on December 21. The Tigers have lost just once at Welford Road in the Premiership since February last year: 16-23 to Harlequins in November – a sequence that also includes two draws, against Northampton and Bath.
Gloucester have secured only two victories in the Premiership over the last nine rounds, against Worcester and London Irish in December, whilst the only try bonus point they have tallied this season curiously came in their 30-32 defeat at home to Wasps on November 2.
Gloucester’s only victory in their last seven fixtures with the Tigers in all tournaments was 27-21 at Kingsholm in the Premiership in October 2012.
The Cherry and Whites have not been victorious at Welford Road since their visit in the Premiership in October 2007.
Leicester Tigers: 15 Mathew Tait, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Matt Smith, 12 Anthony Allen, 11 Adam Thompstone, 10 Toby Flood (captain), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Jordan Crane, 7 Julian Salvi, 6 Jamie Gibson, 5 Graham Kitchener, 4 Ed Slater, 3 Logovi'i Mulipola, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 Rob Hawkins, 17 Boris Stankovich, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Louis Deacon, 20 Thomas Waldrom, 21 David Mele, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Blaine Scully.
Gloucester: 15 Rob Cook, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Mike Tindall (captain), 11 Martyn Thomas, 10 Ryan Mills, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Will James, 4 Elliott Stooke, 3 Sila Puafisi, 2 Darren Dawidiuk, 1 Nick Wood.
Replacements: 16 Huia Edmonds, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Rupert Harden, 19 James Hudson, 20 Matt Cox, 21 Jimmy Cowan, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Shane Monahan.
Referee: Dean Richards
Assistant referees: Luke Pearce , Peter Huckle
TMO: David Grashoff
