Preview: Premiership, Round 21
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Bath fullback Nick Abendanon is keen to lay down a marker on Friday when Bath face off against Northampton Saints with only two rounds remaining.
Bath welcome Saints to the Recreation ground knowing victory could secure their place in the Premiership playoffs, where they could meet Jim Mallinder's side once again.
Abendanon believes Bath can carry that form into this weekend and cause Northampton all sorts of problems in front of a home crowd.
"There is no need to try and get one over Saints because at this stage of the season you have a fairly good idea about teams," he said.
"But we could potentially play them three times in four weeks so it is important to try and come up with plans to beat them.
"We know what to expect from Northampton in terms of they will be strong up front and also have exciting backs that can do plenty of damage.
"They have not been as dangerous as they were earlier in the season but they are always a threat. But we are on a nice little winning run again after losing a few games and hopefully that can continue on Friday night."
England centre Luther Burrell is wary of the challenge Bath present.
"What's on our mind is securing a home semi-final because this place is a tough place to come and play," he said.
"We really feel that if we can guarantee this home semi-final now that we'll lay down a good performance for the fans and hopefully push on to get to that final.
"Unfortunately we have had a bit of a hiccup in the past few weeks – we lost to Saracens, Leicester and Sale – but we have managed to find our feet again and we have managed to re-group.
"We have had a bit of time away together and re-group as a squad and we put a good performance in against London Irish, built up a bit of momentum and then Friday night was one of the best performances I've seen from the lads this season."
We take a look at all the weekend's matches:
Friday, May 2
Bath v Northampton Saints
(Recreation Ground – Kick-off: 19.45; 18.45 GMT)
Bath head into Friday's clash in good form, having won their last four matches in all competitions – and a bonus-point win against Saints would cement their first Premiership Rugby semi-final since 2010.
Northampton have enjoyed an excellent Premiership record against Bath in recent years, winning their last five league encounters.
And they recently kicked a poor run, beating London Irish 36-21 in round 20 to end a three-match losing streak, before an 18-10 Challenge Cup win against Harlequins.
Victory at The Rec will see Saints confirm a home semi-final for only the second time. England centre Luther Burrell is wary of the challenge Bath present.
Teams:
Bath: 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 George Ford, 9 Micky Young, 8 Leroy Houston, 7 Guy Mercer, 6 Carl Fearns, 5 Dave Attwood, 4 Stuart Hooper, 3 David Wilson, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Paul James.
Replacements: 16 Ross Batty, 17 Nathan Catt, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Dominic Day, 20 Alafoti Fa'osiliva, 21 Peter Stringer, 22 Gavin Henson, 23 Horacio Agulla.
Northampton: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 George Pisi, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jamie Elliott, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Sam Dickinson, 7 Tom Wood (captian), 6 Calum Clark, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Samu Manoa, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Ross McMillan, 1 Alex Waller.
Replacements: 16 Mike Haywood, 17 Gareth Denman, 18 Tom Mercey, 19 James Craig, 20 Phil Dowson, 21 Alex Day, 22 James Wilson, 23 Tom Collins.
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant Referees: Paul Burton & Roger Baileff
TMO: Graham Hughes or Greg Garner
Saturday, May 3
Gloucester v London Irish
(Kingsholm – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 GMT)
The Cherry & Whites host London Irish knowing a win – and other results going their way – could keep their hopes of a top-seven finish alive.
They head into the tie in indifferent form, having lost on each of their last three outings since beating Exeter 14-13 at Sandy Park in March.
And history suggests home advantage may not be such a blessing, after the last three Premiership meetings between the two clubs have been won by the away side.
However, a break from competitive action last weekend has allowed Gloucester to re-focus ahead of a final push.
London Irish's only win in their last six Premiership matches was a 40-12 home win against Newcastle Falcons in round 19.
They have not won away from home in the tournament since a visit to London Wasps in February, but victory at Kingsholm would be their first ever back-to-back wins at the venue.
Sitting six points behind Gloucester in the table, Irish are out of the running for the top seven while there is no threat of relegation.
Teams:
Gloucester: 15 Rob Cook, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Billy Twelvetrees (captain), 11 Jonny May, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Will James, 4 Elliott Stooke, 3 Sila Puafisi, 2 Huia Edmonds, 1 Yann Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Dan George, 17 Dan Murphy, 18 Shaun Knight, 19 Tom Savage, 20 Tom Young, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Billy Meakes, 23 Shane Monahan.
London Irish: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 Fergus Mulchrone, 12 Eamonn Sheridan, 11 Andrew Fenby, 10 Ian Humphreys, 9 Tomás O'Leary (captain), 8 Chris Hala'ufia, 7 Jebb Sinclair, 6 Kieran Low, 5 Nic Rouse, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Leo Halavatau; 2 Jimmy Stevens, 1 Matt Parr.
Replacements: 16 Mike Mayhew, 17 Tom Smallbone, 18 Jamie Hagan, 19 Bryn Evans, 20 Gerard Ellis, 21 Alex Lewington, 22 Myles Dorrian, 23 Darren Allinson.
Referee: Steve Lee
Assistant Referees: Ashley Rowden & Robin Goodliffe
TMO: Rowan Kitt
London Wasps v Newcastle Falcons
(Adams Park – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 GMT)
London Wasps will be anxious to record another win to consolidate their 7th placed spot in the Premiership Rugby table and the chance of a play-off to grab a European place for next season.
The Londoners beat Gloucester 38-30 at Twickenham in round 20 but have not won a Premiership encounter at Adams Parks since beating Exeter there on 5th January.
Newcastle Falcons need three league points from this fixture to ensure Premiership rugby next season – they have however contrived to lose their last 14 matches in the tournament since beating London Irish at Kingston Park on 27th October.
The last two fixtures between the two clubs have both been won by the away side on the day, whilst the Falcons have been victorious on two of their last three visits to Adams Park.
Teams:
Wasps: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Will Helu, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Charlie Hayter, 11 Tom Varndell, 10 Andy Goode, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 James Haskell, 6 Ashley Johnson, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Phil Swainston, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Matt Mullan.
Replacements: 16 Tom Lindsay, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 Taione Vea, 19 James Cannon, 20 Sam Jones, 21 Charlie Davies, 22 Joe Carlisle, 23 Tommy Bell.
Newcastle: 15 Alex Tait, 14 Noah Cato, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 James Fitzpatrick, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Joel Hodgson, 9 Mike Blair, 8 Mark Wilson, 7 Will Welch (captian), 6 Richard Mayhew, 5 Dom Barrow, 4 Scott MacLeod, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Scott Lawson, 1 Rob Vickers.
Replacements: 16 George McGuigan, 17 Scott Wilson, 18 Oliver Tomaszczyk, 19 Harry Spencer, 20 Andy Saull, 21 Warren Fury, 22 Rory Clegg, 23 Lee Smith.
Referee: Dean Richards
Assistant Referees: Nigel Carrick & Andrew Pearce
TMO: Sean Davey
Saracens v Worcester Warriors
(Allianz Park – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 GMT)
Saracens have already secured a place in the Play-Offs for a fifth successive year whilst another victory would see them set a new record for the number of league points in a Premiership season, a mark currently held by Leicester with 83 points in 2001/2.
Worcester Warriors' solitary Premiership Rugby victory this season came at fellow strugglers, Newcastle in round 18, whilst they must win to give themselves any chance of avoiding relegation.
Saracens have won their last two matches against Worcester including a 47-17 victory on the Warriors only previous visit to Allianz Park.
Teams:
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Dave Strettle, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Will Fraser, 6 Jackson Wray, 5 Mouritz Botha, 4 Alistair Hargreaves (captain), 3 Matt Stevens, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Rhys Gill, 18 James Johnston, 19 Eoin Sheriff, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Neil de Kock, 22 Duncan Taylor, 23 Chris Wyles.
Worcester: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Josh Drauniniu, 13 Alex Grove, 12 Andy Symons, 11 David Lemi, 10 Ryan Lamb, 9 Jonny Arr, 8 Jonathan Thomas (captain), 7 Sam Betty, 6 Mike Williams, 5 Mariano Galarza, 4 James Percival, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Ofa Fainga'anuku.
Replacements: 16 Ed Shervington, 17 Paul Andrew, 18 Rob O'Donnell, 19 Semisi Taulava, 20 Richard de Carpentier, 21 Paul Hodgson, 22 Paul Warwick, 23 Ravai Fatiaki.
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth
Assistant Referees: Kelvin Stewart & Roy Maybank
TMO: David Grashoff
Sale Sharks v Leicester Tigers
(AJ Bell Stadium – Kick-off: 15.15; 14.15 GMT)
Sale Sharks have already qualified for a place in next season's European competition, but still have an outside chance of a spot in the Premiership Rugby semi-finals
Realistically that would require two maximum point victories. The Sharks only defeat in their last six Premiership matches was 12-27 at home to Harlequins in round 19.
Leicester Tigers require a bonus point win to guarantee them a play-off place for a tenth successive season, perhaps less should Harlequins drop any points in their fixture on Sunday.
The Tigers seven game winning run in the Premiership came to an end at Harlequins in round 20.
Leicester have won their last eight matches against the Sharks since Sale were victorious 15-12 at Edgeley Park in the opening round of the 2009/10 season.
Teams:
Sale Sharks: 15 Tom Arscott, 14 Tom Brady, 13 Jonny Leota, 12 Sammy Tuitupou, 11 Charlie Ingall, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 Vilaimi Fahiki, 7 David Seymour (captain), 6 James Gaskell, 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 Kirill Kulemin, 20 Mark Easter, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Joe Ford, 23 Mark Jennings
Leicester Tigers: 15 Mathew Tait, 14 Niall Morris, 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi, 12 Anthony Allen, 11 Vereniki Goneva, 10 Owen Williams, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Jordan Crane, 7 Julian Salvi, 6 Jamie Gibson, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Ed Slater (captain), 3 Logovi'i Mulipola, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 Neil Briggs, 17 Boris Stankovich, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Louis Deacon, 20 Thomas Waldrom, 21 David Mele, 22 Toby Flood, 23 Blaine Scully.
Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant Referees: Paul Dix & Ross Campbell
TMO: Trevor Fisher
Sunday, May 4
Exeter Chiefs v Harlequins
(Sandy Park – Kick-off: 14.00; 13.00 GMT)
Exeter Chiefs need a victory to keep themselves in contention for a European play-off spot, but have won just one of their last four Premiership Rugby matches: 38-33 at Worcester Warriors in round 19.
As it stands Harlequins need at least another 6 points to give themselves any chance of a semi-final spot.
Results elsewhere could equally have seen them eliminated from the race.
The Londoners have won their last three Premiership matches since their 39-13 reversal to Saracens at Wembley in round 17.
Exeter have won two of their last three fixtures with Harlequins in the Premiership whilst 'Quins only previous victory at Sandy Park was 11-9 in the Premiership on New year's Eve 2011.
Teams:
Exeter: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Matt Jess, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Dave Lewis, 8 Kai Horstmann, 7 Ben White, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Damian Welch, 4 Dean Mumm (captain), 3 Hoani Tui, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Carl Rimmer.
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Craig Mitchell, 18 Alex Brown, 19 James Phillips, 20 James Scaysbrook, 21 Haydn Thomas, 22 Henry Slade, 23 Tom James.
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Tom Williams, 13 Tim Molenaar, 12 Jordan Turner-Hall, 11 Sam Smith, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Chris Robshaw (captain), 6 Luke Wallace, 5 Nick Kennedy, 4 Charlie Matthews, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Dave Ward, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Rob Buchanan, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Paul Doran Jones, 19 Tom Guest, 20 Maurie Fa'asavalu, 21 Ben Botica, 23 Ugo Monye.
Referee: Andrew Small
Assistant Referees: Stuart Terheege & Peter Huckle
TMO: Greg Garner
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