Preview: Premiership, Round Three
Worcester Warriors may have lost their opening two Premiership games but Sam Betty insists they are not reaching for the panic button.
The Warriors fell to a narrow 18-208 defeat at home to London Irish last Saturday – due in large parts to a superb performance from England international Marland Yarde who scored twice.
That followed on from their opening weekend loss at Leicester Tigers which has left them with a solitary point to show for their efforts.
But with a new Director of Dean Ryan in place, back row forward Betty is confident they will get the recipe for success right soon enough.
"It's a really long year, there's 20-odd games to go so there's nothing to panic about, there's a really good team spirit so we're not too down about our start to the season," said Betty.
"Our actual performances have been really good, it's just conceding those couple of penalties here and there that are killing us.
"It was tough to take against London Irish, we targeted that as a home game we could win and for large parts we were in control, but a few things didn't go right.
"They have a lot of talented individuals and they took their tries really well, but we gave away a couple of penalties that we could have avoided and maybe come away with the victory."
Betty reserved special praise for the way former England No.8 Ryan has conducted himself since pitching up at Sixways.
The meticulous detail he goes into prior to each Premiership clash has left Betty in no doubt that the Warriors have got plenty to look forward to over the coming season.
And with Harlequins next up the 26-year-old is eyeing a first victory of the campaign.
"Dean has been great since he arrived," added Betty. "But all the coaches have made a huge impact, we're really enjoying the new vibe.
"They go into a lot of detail, there's a lot more clarity to our roles and we're more tuned into what we're supposed to be doing individually.
"There's a better understanding in the squad, and it's definitely coming because we're performing well overall. The huge thing now is getting that first win under our belt against Harlequins."
We look at all the Round Three action!
Friday, September 20
Worcester Warriors v Harlequins
(Sixways – Kick-off: 19.45; 18.45 GMT)
Worcester Warriors have lost their last seven Premiership encounters since beating London Wasps at Sixways, 29-23, on 1st March – they have not lost eight in a row in the competition since season 2007/08.
Harlequins have slipped to defeat in two of their last three encounters, whilst their most recent victory on opposing soil was when they also visited Worcester in round 21 last season.
The Warriors only victory over Harlequins in their last 14 clashes in all competitions since 2005 was 23-22 at The Stoop in the Anglo-Welsh Cup in November 2007.
Teams:
Worcester: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Josh Drauniniu, 13 Ravai Fatiaki, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 David Lemi, 10 Ignacio Mieres, 9 Paul Hodgson, 8 Jonathan Thomas (captain), 7 Jake Abbott, 6 Sam Betty, 5 Dean Schofield, 4 Mike Williams, 3 John Andress, 2 Ed Shervington, 1 Jeremy Becasseau.
Replacements: 16 Nick Seymour, 17 Paul Andrew, 18 Euan Murray, 19 Chris Jones, 20 Semisi Taulava, 21 Jeremy Su'a, 22 Danny Gray, 23 Jon Clarke.
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Tom Williams, 13 George Lowe, 12 Tom Casson, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Care, 8 Tom Guest, 7 Chris Robshaw (captain), 6 Maurie Fa'asavalu, 5 George Robson, 4 Nick Easter, 3 Will Collier, 2 Rob Buchanan, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Dave Ward, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 George Merrick, 20 Luke Wallace, 21 Karl Dickson, 22 Ben Botica, 23 Sam Smith.
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Robin Goodliffe & Paul Dix
TMO: Geoff Warren
Sale Sharks v London Wasps
(AJ BELL Stadium – Kick-off: 20.00; 19.00 GMT)
Sale Sharks tripped up at the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday when they were defeated by the narrowest of margins by newly promoted Newcastle – thus ending a four game home winning run in all competitions.
London Wasps have now lost their last ten encounters in all competitions, but have not been defeated in their first three games of a new Premiership season since 2008/09.
Wasps have beaten the Sharks just once in their last five meetings in all competitions: 25-18 at Adams Park in December 2012. The Londoners have won just once on Sharks soil since 2005.
Teams:
Sale Sharks: 15 Tom Arscott, 14 Rob Miller, 13 Mark Cueto, 12 Andy Forsyth, 11 Tom Brady, 10 Nick Macleod, 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 James Gaskell, 7 David Seymour, 6 Dan Braid (captain), 5 Michael Paterson, 4 Kirill Kulemin, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ross Harrison.
Replacements: 16 Marc Jones, 17 Eifion Lewis Roberts, 18 Vadim Cobilas, 19 Johnathan Mills, 20 Josh Beaumont, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Phil Mackenzie.
London Wasps: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Ben Jacobs, 12 Chris Bell (captain), 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Andy Goode, 9 Charlie Davies, 8 Ed Jackson, 7 Sam Jones, 6 Ashley Johnson, 5 Kearnan Myall, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Jake Cooper-Wooley, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Matt Mullan.
Replacements: 16 Tom Lindsay, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 Will Taylor, 19 James Cannon, 20 Nathan Hughes, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Joe Carlisle, 23 Tommy Bell.
Referee: Andrew Small
Assistant Referees: Kevin Stewart & Gareth Copsey
TMO: Trevor Fisher
Saturday, September 21
Leicester Tigers v Newcastle Falcons
(Welford Road – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 GMT)
Leicester Tigers' only two defeats in their last ten Premiership encounters have both been at The Rec against at Bath.
The Tigers have been defeated just once at Welford Road in their last 17 matches in all competitions: 27-32 to Saracens in February.
Newcastle Falcons beat Sale 15-14 in Salford on Friday and have now won their last three Premiership away games, at Gloucester, Wasps and Sale.
The Falcons most recent victory over the Tigers came at Kingston Park in the Premiership in March 2009, 14-10, whilst Newcastle’s only victory at Welford Road since 1977 remains the 25-19 result on 30th December 1997 – Dean Richards' 314th and last ever game for Leicester.
Teams:
Leicester Tigers: 15 Blaine Scully, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi, 12 Dan Bowden, 11 Adam Thompstone, 10 Toby Flood (captain), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Jordan Crane, 7 Jamie Gibson, 6 Thomas Waldrom, 5 Graham Kitchener, 4 Ed Slater, 3 Logovi'i Mulipola, 2 Neil Briggs, 1 Boris Stankovich.
Replacements: 16 Tom Youngs, 17 Tom Bristow, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Geoff Parling, 20 Julian Salvi, 21 David Mele, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Niall Morris.
Newcastle Falcons: 15 Alex Tait, 14 Noah Cato, 13 Adam Powell, 12 James Fitzpatrick, 11 Tom Catterick, 10 Rory Clegg, 9 Warren Fury, 8 Chris York, 7 Will Welch (captain), 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Dominic Barrow, 4 Carlo del Fava, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Rob Vickers, 1 Franck Montanella.
Replacements: 16 Matt Thompson, 17 Gary Strain, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Sean Tomes, 20 Andy Saull, 21 Chris Pilgrim, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Alex Crockett.
Referee: David Rose
Assistant Referees: Roger Baileff and Peter Huckle
TMO: Keith Lewis
London Irish v Exeter Chiefs
(Madejski Stadium – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 GMT)
London Irish beat Worcester at Sixways on Saturday, 20-18, thanks to an Ian Humphreys' penalty goal three minutes from time.
The Exiles are unbeaten at Madejski Stadium in 2013, with their last defeat at the venue being at the hands of Leicester in Premiership on 22 December.
Exeter Chiefs solo loss in their last half a dozen Premiership encounters was 11-38 at Northampton on the opening weekend of the season.
The Chiefs have won their last three clashes with London Irish, since the Exiles most recent victory in the fixture, in Reading in December 2011.
Teams:
London Irish: 15 Topsy Ojo, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 Fergus Mulchrone, 12 Eamonn Sheridan, 11 Andrew Fenby, 10 Ian Humphreys; 9 Tomás O'Leary (captain), 8 Ofisa Treviranus, 7 Bryn Evans, 6 Declan Danaher, 5 Jebb Sinclair, 4 Nic Rouse, 3 Halani Aulika, 2 David Paice, 1 Matt Parr.
Replacements: 16 Jimmy Stevens, 17 John Yapp, 18 Leo Halavatau, 19 Ian Nimmo, 20 Gerard Ellis, 21 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 22 Shane Geraghty, 23 Darren Allinson
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Ian Whitten, 13 Jason Shoemark, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Tom James, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Haydn Thomas, 8 Tom Johnson, 7 James Scaysbrook, 6 Ben White, 5 Damian Welch, 4 Dean Mumm (captain), 3 Hoani Tui, 2 Jack Yeandle, 1 Brett Sturgess.
Replacements: 16 Chris Whitehead, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Carl Rimmer, 19 Tom Hayes, 20 Kai Horstmann, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 Henry Slade, 23 Matt Jess.
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth
Assistant Referees: Andy Watson & TBC
TMO: Sean Davey
Gloucester v Northampton Saints
(Kingsholm – Kick-off: 15.15; 14.15 GMT)
Gloucester have slipped to defeat in their last three Premiership matches and have never begun a Premiership season with three straight losses.
Northampton Saints beat Exeter in round 1 and Harlequins in round 2, and are one of only three teams with a 100 percent record, whilst their only loss on the road in the Premiership in 2013 came at Harlequins in May.
Both encounters between the two clubs in the Premiership last season were won by the away side on the day.
Teams:
Gloucester: 15 Rob Cook, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 James Simpson-Daniel, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Akapusi Qera, 6 Matt Kvesic, 5 Elliott Stooke, 4 Tom Savage (captain), 3 Rupert Harden, 2 Darren Dawidiuk, 1 Dan Murphy.
Replacements: 16 Koree Britton, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Shaun Knight, 19 Will James, 20 Ben Morgan, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Mike Tindall, 23 Jonny May.
Northampton Saints: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Jamie Elliott, 13 James Wilson, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 George North, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Sam Dickinson, 7 Calum Clark, 6 Tom Wood, 5 Christian Day, 4 Samu Manoa, 3 Tom Mercey, 2 Dylan Hartley (captain), 1 Alex Waller.
Replacements: 16 Mike Haywood, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Gareth Denman, 19 Courtney Lawes, 20 Phil Dowson, 21 Lee Dickson, 22 George Pisi, 23 Ken Pisi.
Referee: Greg Garner
Assistant Referees: Paul Burton and Ashley Rowden
TMO: Graham Hughes
Sunday, September 22
Saracens v Bath
(Allianz Park – Kick-off: 14.00; 13.00 GMT)
Saracens have made the perfect start to the new season, claiming two bonus point wins, whilst the only other side to have begun a season with three maximum point hauls was Harlequins in 2012/13.
Saracens have lost just one of their last 21 home fixtures, played at eight different venues, in all competitions: 13-27 to Northampton in last season’s Premiership semi-final at Allianz Park.
Bath won at Newcastle in round 1 and beat Leicester in round 2, but have not begun a Premiership campaign with three successive victories since 2003/04.
Saracens have beaten Bath on their last six fixtures, since the West Countrymen’s 16-14 victory at Vicarage Road in February 2010.
Teams:
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Chris Wyles, 12 Duncan Taylor, 11 David Strettle; 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Jacques Burger, 6 Billy Vunipola, 5 George Kruis, 4 Steve Borthwick (captain), 3 Matt Stevens, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Rhys Gill, 18 James Johnston, 19 Alastair Hargreaves, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Neil De Kock, 22 Nils Mordt, 23 Ben Ransom.
Bath: 15 Anthony Watson, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Matt Banahan, 12 Gavin Henson, 11 Tom Biggs, 10 Tom Heathcote, 9 Martin Roberts, 8 Leroy Houston, 7 Guy Mercer, 6 Alafoti Fa'osiliva, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Stuart Hooper (captain), 3 David Wilson, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Anthony Perenise.
Replacements: 16 Tom Dunn, 17 Paul James, 18 Kane Palma-Newport, 19 Dave Attwood, 20 Matt Garvey, 21 Micky Young, 22 George Ford, 23 Jonathan Joseph.
Referee: J P Doyle
Assistant Referees: Nigel Carrick & Stuart Terheege
TMO: David Sainsbury
