Preview: Premiership, Round eight
TOP SPOT: Another intriguing six games are on the cards this weekend as the Premiership Rugby action continues with what promises to be an exciting Round eight.
And it all starts on Friday with Worcester Warriors’ clash with Harlequins at Sixways, while Newcastle Falcons will look to lift themselves off the foot of the table that same evening as they host Bath Rugby.
There are three matches the following day to keep you entertained, with top-of-the-table Exeter Chiefs hosting third-placed Gloucester Rugby, Northampton Saints travelling to Sale Sharks and Wasps taking on Bristol Bears at the Ricoh Arena.
But the excitement doesn’t stop there as Round 8 concludes on Sunday at Welford Road as Leicester Tigers look to put an end to Saracens’ 18-match unbeaten run.
Tipped by many to reach the Premiership Rugby semi-finals for the first time in eight years, Gloucester are up to third after last week’s win over Leicester.
This weekend gives them a chance to gauge their improvement even further, as they take on leaders Exeter Chiefs, and Premiership Rugby’s top try-scorer Charlie Sharples admits they need to match their West-Country rivals consistency to get back to where the side were when he first broke through.
“I’d love to be involved in a successful Gloucester squad. The start of my career, we were just coming off the back of Gloucester being a dominant team,” Sharples said.
“They hadn’t been able to get over the line in a final but we came top of the table twice, and in my first year they were coming off a semi-final.
“Since then we’ve had varied levels of success but nothing to that degree. It’s a great club, we’ve got a great support base, a great stadium and the pitch put in, there’s so many good things going for us so it would be good to get to the level of a Saracens or Exeter.
“Every team in the league is aspiring to that but as someone who has come through the academy, to see the club hitting those peaks and winning more trophies that would be great.
“I want to play as much rugby as I can. I’m not finished yet but I’m beyond the halfway stage of my career so I want to enjoy playing rugby for as long as I can,”
All the upcoming action of Round eight!
Friday, November 23
Newcastle Falcons v Bath Rugby
(Kingston Park, 19.45)
Newcastle Falcons have lost their last four Premiership Rugby matches, whilst their only win in their last nine fixtures in the tournament was at Worcester in Round 3.
Falcons are unbeaten in their last three matches at Kingston Park in all tournaments but have not won there in Premiership Rugby since Sale were the visitors in April.
Bath Rugby’s seven-game winless run in all competitions ended with their home win over Worcester on Saturday. Bath’s only away win in Premiership Rugby this season was at Harlequins in Round 3.
The Falcons have won their last three matches against Bath in Premiership Rugby whilst Bath’s most recent victory at Kingston Park was in April 2015.
Teams:
Newcastle Falcons: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Tom Arscott, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Toby Flood (captain), 9 Sam Stuart, 8 Nemani Nagusa, 7 John Hardie, 6 Gary Graham, 5 Glen Young, 4 Calum Green, 3 Jon Welsh, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Sam Lockwood
Replacements: 16 George McGuigan, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 David Wilson, 19 Andrew Davidson, 20 Ryan Burrows, 21 Michael Young, 22 Brett Connon, 23 Pedro Bettencourt
Bath: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Will Chudley, 8 Zach Mercer, 7 Josh Bayliss, 6 Tom Ellis, 5 Matt Garvey (captain), 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Nathan Catt
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Max Lahiff, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Levi Douglas, 21 Chris Cook, 22 Ruaridh McConnochie, 23 Darren Atkins
Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant Referees: Wayne Falla & John Meredith.
TMO: Trevor Fisher.
Worcester Warriors v Harlequins
(Sixways, 19.45)
Worcester Warriors two victories in Premiership Rugby this season were at Leicester in Round 4 and at home to Bristol in Round 6. The Warriors have won their last six matches at Sixways in all competitions.
Harlequins have won two of their last three Premiership Rugby encounters, at Gloucester in Round 5 and at home to Newcastle last Friday. The Londoners have not won successive away games in Premiership Rugby since May 2014.
The last four matches between the two sides in Premiership Rugby have all been won by the home side on the day whilst Quins’ most recent victory at Sixways in Premiership Rugby was in January 2016.
Teams:
Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Ryan Mills (captain), 11 Perry Humphreys, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Matt Cox, 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Ted Hill, 5 Pierce Phillips, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Callum Black
Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Gareth Milasinovich, 19 Darren Barry, 20 Matti Williams, 21 Michael Heaney, 22 Jamie Shillcock, 23 Wynand Olivier
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Cadan Murley, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Nathan Earle, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Charlie Mulchrone, 8 James Chisholm (captain), 7 Jack Clifford, 6 Alex Dombrandt, 5 Matt Symons, 4 George Merrick, 3 Will Collier, 2 Max Crumpton, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Dave Ward, 17 Lewis Boyce, 18 Phil Swainston, 19 James Horwill, 20 Archie White, 21 Danny Care, 22 James Lang, 23 Francis Saili
Referee: Andrew Jackson
Assistant Referees: Peter Allan & Hamish Smales.
TMO: Geoff Warren.
Saturday, November 24
Exeter Chiefs v Gloucester Rugby
(Sandy Park, 13.00)
Exeter Chiefs only loss in any tournament this season was at Castres in Round 2 of the European Champions Cup. The Chiefs are unbeaten in their last 12 matches at Sandy Park in all competitions since Worcester beat them there in Premiership Rugby in February.
Gloucester Rugby have won their last two Premiership Rugby matches but have not won three in a row in the tournament for 12 months. Gloucester’s last three away fixtures in Premiership Rugby have ended in a draw, a loss and a win.
The last nine clashes between the two clubs in Premiership Rugby have been evenly split with four wins apiece plus a draw. Two of Gloucester’s three previous victories at Sandy Park have been by a solitary point, in 2014 and 2015, whilst there was also a 27-all draw in October 2016.
Teams:
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Alex Cuthbert, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Nic White, 8 Matt Kvesic, 7 Don Armand, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Dave Dennis, 4 Mitch Lees, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Jack Yeandle (captain), 1 Moray Low
Replacements: 16 Elvis Taione, 17 Billy Keast, 18 Marcus Street, 19 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 20 Tom Lawday, 21 Jack Maunder, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 Sam Hill
Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Willi Heinz, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Gareth Evans, 6 Freddie Clarke, 5 Ed Slater (captain), 4 Tom Savage, 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 Henry Walker, 1 Val Rapava Ruskin
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Kyle Traynor, 18 Josh Hohneck, 19 Gerbrandt Grobler, 20 Aaron Hinkley, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Tom Hudson
Referee: Matthew O’Grady
Assistant Referees: Hamish Smales & Dean Richards.
TMO: Geoff Warren.
Sale Sharks v Northampton Saints
(AJ Bell Stadium, 13.00)
Sale Sharks’ two victories in Premiership Rugby this season have both been at home, to Worcester in Round 2 and Newcastle in Round 6. The Sharks are unbeaten in their last three matches at AJ Bell Stadium in all tournaments since Wasps beat them there in Round 4 of Premiership Rugby.
Northampton Saints have won four of their last five first team matches. The Saints won their most recent away game in Premiership Rugby at Bristol but have not won successive matches on the road in the same season since 2014-15.
The Sharks have won their last two matches against The Saints in Premiership Rugby but have not won three in a row over Northampton since 2006. The Saints have won just once at AJ Bell Stadium in Premiership Rugby since 2012: 32-12 in March 2017.
Teams:
Sale Sharks: 15 Sam James, 14 Denny Solomona, 13 James O’Connor, 12 Luke James, 11 Arron Reed, 10 Rob du Preez, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Ben Curry, 6 Jono Ross (captain), 5 James Phillips, 4 Josh Beaumont, 3 Will-Griff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Curtis Langdon, 17 Tom Bristow, 18 Joe Jones, 19 Bryn Evans, 20 Cameron Neild, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Kieran Wilkinson, 23 Paolo Odogwu
Northampton Saint: 15 George Furbank, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Fraser Dingwall, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 James Grayson, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Lewis Ludlam, 6 Tom Wood, 5 Alex Moon, 4 Api Ratuniyarawa, 3 Paul Hill, 2 James Fish, 1 Alex Waller (captain)
Replacements: 16 Reece Marshall, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Ben Franks, 19 Dom Barrow, 20 Mitch Eadie, 21 Jamie Gibson, 22 Alex Mitchell, 23 Ollie Sleightholme
Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant Referees: Jonathan Healy & Steve Lee.
TMO: Claire Hodnett.
Wasps v Bristol Bears
(Ricoh Arena, 13.00)
Wasps are without a win in their last seven first team fixtures, their worst run since 2013. Wasps have lost two of their last three encounters at Ricoh Arena in Premiership Rugby.
Bristol Bears have won only once in Premiership Rugby since the opening round: 20-13 at home to Harlequins in Round 4. Bristol have already won at the Ricoh Arena this season having beaten Wasps there in the Premiership Rugby Cup two weeks ago.
The Bears have won just once away from home in Premiership Rugby since 2008, on a visit to Sale on New Year’s Day 2017.
Wasps have won their last five fixtures against Bristol in Premiership Rugby whilst the Bear’s only victory over Wasps in the tournament since 2001 was at Memorial Stadium in 2006.
Teams:
Wasps: 15 Rob Miller, 14 Ross Neal, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Michael Le Bourgeois, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Craig Hampson, 8 Tom Willis, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Ashley Johnson (captain), 5 James Gaskell, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 2 Tom Cruse, 1 Ben Harris
Replacements: 16 Antonio Harris, 17 Tom West, 18 David Langley, 19 Kearnan Myall, 20 Ben Morris, 21 Will Porter, 22 Billy Searle, 23 Gaby Lovobalavu
Bristol Bears: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 Will Hurrell, 11 Ryan Edwards, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Nick Haining, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 Steve Luatua, 5 Aly Muldowney, 4 Ed Holmes, 3 John Afoa, 2 Shaun Malton, 1 Yann Thomas
Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 Lewis Thiede, 19 Joe Joyce, 20 George Smith, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Siale Piutau
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant Referees: Robert Warburton & Simon McConnell.
TMO: Keith Lewis.
Sunday, November 25
Leicester Tigers v Saracens
(Welford Road, 15.00)
Leicester Tigers have won two of their last three Premiership Rugby matches. The Tigers’ record at Welford Road in all tournament this season is won three, lost three.
Saracens are unbeaten in their last 18 first team matches since being knocked out of the European Champions cup by eventual winners, Leinster, last April. Saracens have not lost in Premiership Rugby since Exeter beat them at Sandy Park in March.
Leicester’s 28-20 victory at Allianz Park in February ended a four-game losing run to Saracens in the competition. It took Saracens 34 attempts and 46 years to win for the first time at Welford Road in 2010, but since then their record there is won six, drawn one, lost three.
Teams:
Leicester Tigers: 15 Jonah Holmes, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Gareth Owen, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Jordan Olowofela, 10 Joe Ford, 9 Sam Harrison, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Brendon O’Connor, 6 Mike Williams, 5 Graham Kitchener, 4 Will Spencer, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs (captain), 1 Greg Bateman
Replacements: 16 Jake Kerr, 17 Facundo Gigena, 18 Gaston Cortes, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Mike Fitzgerald, 21 Ben White, 22 Tom Hardwick, 23 George Worth
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Alex Lozowski, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Brad Barritt (captain), 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Max Malins, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Mike Rhodes, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Dom Day, 3 Christian Judge, 2 Christopher Tolofua, 1 Richard Barrington
Replacements: 16 Tom Woolstencroft, 17 Hayden Thompson-Stringer, 18 Hisa Sasagi, 19 Joel Kpoku, 20 Calum Clark, 21 Ben Earl, 22 Tom Whiteley, 23 Matt Gallagher
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Greg Macdonald & Simon Harding.
TMO: David Rose.
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