Preview: Premiership, Round Two
The pairs departure created a gaping hole in the Saints pack but they have recruited very shrewdly indeed. The likes of Kieran Brookes, Michael Paterson and Jamie Gibson have all come in to beef up the forwards after their play-off disappointment last season.
Saints topped the regular season table but were stung by Saracens on their own patch in the semi-finals and started this new season with a last-gasp loss to Worcester Warriors. And after a summer of new faces arriving at Franklin's Gardens, Day admits it was always going to take time for the squad to gel.
"We are very positive, it's the first game of the season and we didn't perform but we got a losing bonus point which I suppose is a small silver lining. We know we need to perform better if we want to get back to last season where we were good at picking up the points even when we were not at our best.
"We are playing a bit of catch up which is not ideal, we have internationals away and they are always going to be some of your more established and experienced players. But they are back in the mix now and we are ready to go. We have certainly established a strength in depth across every position, we have two or three guys who can step up and do the job without a drop in performance.
"There are about 20 back-to-back games coming up between now and April when I think we get our first week off. The coaches are aware of that and squad rotation is going to be crucial. Samu is a pretty special athlete with his carrying and his aerial ability but now we know that we cannot rely on one or two people to play week in week out like he did. It is a squad game," lock Christian Day said.
The highest profile recruit for Saints is yet to arrive however, Springbok Victor Matfield is still on patrol at the World Cup. But the lock will soon be in the midlands and Day knows he will have his work cut out for him to keep a spot in the second row with a World Cup winner around.
"Victor is obviously going to be direct competition for me but I will relish the challenge and if I am going to pick up anything new, and learn something at my age, then it is probably going to be him considering his fantastic experience.
"There is certainly a hunger in this team, there has to be if you want to be a champion club. We were top of the table last season and deserved to be I think, but Sarries came here and put in a good performance. We cannot complain, but it certainly has given us a bit of extra hunger over the summer and coming into the season," he added.
We look at all the weekend's matches!
Friday, October 23
Gloucester v Saracens
(Kingsholm – Kick-off: 19.45, 18.45 GMT)
Gloucester beat Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park on Friday evening and haven't begun a season with victories in the opening two rounds 2007/08. Gloucester are unbeaten at Kingsholm in their last five Premiership matches since Wasps beat them there on December 28.
Saracens were the only side to gain a maximum points in the opening round, overcoming Sale 41-3. Saracens have won at least their opening two fixtures of a season every year since 2011/12. Sarries' only defeat in their last four away fixtures in the tournament was 20-25 to Northampton at Milton Keynes in Round 20.
Each side won its respective home game when the two clubs met last season, whilst Saracens have won on two of their last four visits to Kingsholm.
Teams:
Gloucester: 15 Charlie Sharples, 14 David Halaifonua, 13 Billy Twelvetrees (captain), 12 Bill Meakes, 11 Jonny May, 10 James Hook, 9 Willi Heinz, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Lewis Ludlow, 5 Sione Kalamafoni, 4 Tom Savage, 3 John Afoa, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paddy McAllister.
Replacements: 16 Tom Lindsay, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Paul Doran-Jones, 19 Elliott Stooke, 20 Jacob Rowan, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Steve McColl, 23 Mark Atkinson.
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Tim Streather, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Mike Ellery, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Neil De Kock, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Kelly Brown, 6 Michael Rhodes, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 George Kruis, 3 Petrus Du Plessis, 2 Jamie George (captain), 1 Mako Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Jared Saunders , 17 Rhys Gill, 18 Titi Lamositele, 19 Alistair Hargreaves, 20 Will Fraser, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Nick Tompkins, 23 Ben Ransom.
Referee: Matt Carley
Assistant referees: Simon Harding, Roy Maybank
TMO: Stuart Terheege
Sale Sharks v Worcester Warriors
(AJ Bell Stadium – Kick-off: 20.00, 19.00 GMT)
Sale Sharks' only win in their last five Premiership fixtures was 34-28 over Newcastle at AJ Bell Stadium on May 9. The Sharks have been defeated only once in the competition at Salford in 2015 – 23-25 by Harlequins in Round 20 last season.
Worcester Warriors repeated their feat of winning their first game after promotion in beating Northampton on Friday – something they had also achieved in 2011 and no other club has achieved
since. Worcester's only away defeat in any competition since September 2014 was 21-23 at Jersey in the Championship in March.
The Sharks have won their last six matches against The Warriors in all competitions since Worcester's 23-16 victory at Sixways in the Premiership in October 2012. Worcester have not won on Sale's soil since a trip to Edgeley Park in November 2008.
Teams:
Sale Sharks: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Tom Arscott, 13 Johnny Leota, 12 Sam Tuitupou, 11 Will Addison, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Chris Cusiter, 8 Josh Beaumont, 7 David Seymour, 6 Dan Braid (captain), 5 Jonathan Mills, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 Vadim Cobilas, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ross Harrison.
Replacements: 16 Neil Briggs, 17 James Flynn, 18 Brian Mujati, 19 Andrei Ostrikov, 20 TJ Ioane, 21 Peter Stringer, 22 Nick Macleod, 23 Sam James.
Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Tom Biggs, 13 Wynand Olivier, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 Tom Heathcote, 9 Jonny Arr, 8 Gerrit-Janse van Velze (captain), 7 Marco Mama, 6 Phil Dowson, 5 Darren Barry, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Niall Annett, 1 Na'ama Leleimalefaga.
Replacements: 16 Dan George, 17 Val Rapava Ruskin, 18 Joe Rees, 19 Tevita Cavubati, 20 Matt Cox, 21 Charlie Mulchrone, 22 Ryan Lamb, 23 Ben Howard.
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant referees: Greg Garner, Paul Burton
TMO: Trevor Fisher
Saturday, October 24
Northampton Saints v Newcastle Falcons
(stadiummk – Kick-off: 13.45, 12.45 GMT)
Northampton Saints have lost their last three Premiership matches but have not lost four in a row in the tournament since September 2011. The Saints have played five previous matches at stadiummk – winning three and losing two – with the two previous Premiership encounters both being against Saracens, losing in 2012 and winning in April 2015.
Newcastle Falcons only victory in the last 10Premiership rounds was 37-21 at home to Harlequins in Round 22 last season. The Falcons' solitary away victory in the competition last season came at relegated London Welsh in October.
Northampton have won their last 11 contests with Newcastle in all tournaments since the Falcons were victorious 19-13 at Franklin's Gardens in the Premiership in February 2009.
Teams:
Northampton Saints: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 George Pisi, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jamie Elliott, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Sam Dickinson, 7 Tom Wood, 6 Jamie Gibson, 5 Christian Day, 4 Courtney Lawes, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Alex Waller.
Replacements: 16 Mike Haywood, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Michael Paterson, 20 Jon Fisher, 21 Kahn Fotuali'i, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Ahsee Tuala.
Newcastle Falcons: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Giovanbattista Venditti, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Adam Powell, 11 Alesana Tuilagi, 10 Mike Delany, 9 Ruki Tipuna, 8 Ally Hogg, 7 Nili Latu, 6 Todd Clever, 5 Josh Furno, 4 Calum Green, 3 Jon Welsh, 2 Scott Lawson, 1 Rob Vickers.
Replacements: 16 George McGuigan, 17 Eric Fry, 18 Taione Vea, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 Will Welch, 21 Ruaridh Dawson, 22 Tom Catterick, 23 Tom Penny.
Referee: Dean Richards
Assistant referees: Ashley Rowden, Andy Watson
TMO: Keith Lewis
Wasps v Bath
(Ricoh Arena Kick-off: 14.00, 13.00 GMT)
Wasps are without a win in their last three Premiership fixtures and have not remained winless in four successive games since March 2014. Wasps have lost two of their last three encounters at the Ricoh Arena in the Premiership.
Bath have won their opening two fixtures in the tournament for the past two seasons, whilst their only defeat in their last nine Premiership matches was to Saracens in last season's final at Twickenham. Bath are going for a fourth successive away victory in the competition for the first time since March 2010.
Wasps only victory in their last five clashes with Bath in all tournaments was 29-22 at Adams Park in October 2014, whilst Bath's only previous visit to the city of Coventry for a league game was in a 9-all draw with Coventry RFC at Coundon Road in November 1987.
Teams:
Wasps: 15 Rob Miller, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Ben Jacobs, 11 Frank Halai, 10 Jimmy Gopperth, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 George Smith, 6 James Haskell, 5 James Gaskell, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Matt Mullan.
Replacements: 16 Ashley Johnson, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Kearnan Myall, 20 Sam Jones, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Ruaridh Jackson, 23 Sailosi Tagicakibau.
Bath Rugby: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Ollie Devoto, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Anthony Watson, 10 George Ford, 9 Nikola Matawalu, 8 Leroy Houston, 7 Alafoti Fa'osiliva, 6 Matt Garvey, 5 Dave Attwood, 4 Stuart Hooper, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Ross Batty, 1 Nick Auterac.
Replacements: 16 Rob Webber, 17 Max Lahiff, 18 David Wilson, 19 Dominic Day, 20 Guy Mercer, 21 Chris Cook, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Matt Banahan.
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant referees: Roger Baileff, Peter Allan
TMO: David Grashoff
Exeter Chiefs v London Irish
(Sandy Park – Kick-off: 18.00, 17.00 GMT)
Exeter Chiefs tripped up 17-19 at Bath on Saturday and have never begun a Premiership campaign with a pair of defeats in the opening two rounds. The Chiefs' single defeat at Sandy Park in the
tournament in their last 10 fixtures was 25-26 to Gloucester on January 3.
London Irish are winless in their last four Premiership fixtures but did at least draw 40-all with Wasps at Madejski Stadium in Round 22. The Exiles only victory on the road in the tournament since Round Four last season, came at London Welsh on February 28.
Each side won its respective home game when the two clubs met last season whilst the Exiles only previous victory at Sandy Park came on their very first visit in October 2010.
Teams:
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 James Short, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Will Chudley, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Don Armand, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Damian Welch, 4 Mitch Lees, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ben Moon.
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Moray Low, 19 Geoff Parling, 20 Julian Salvi, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 Sam Hill, 23 Olly Woodburn.
London Irish: 15 Topsy Ojo, 14 Alex Lewington, 13 Tom Fowlie, 12 Eoin Griffin, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Chris Noakes, 9 Brendan McKibbin, 8 Rob McCusker, 7 Luke Narraway, 6 Jebb Sinclair, 5 Matt Symons, 4 George Skivington, 3 Halani 'Aulika, 2 David Paice, 1 Tom Smallbone.
Replacements: 16 Gerard Ellis, 17 Tom Court, 18 Leo Halavatau, 19 Eoin Sheriff, 20 Blair Cowan, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Shane Geraghty, 23 Sean Maitland.
Referee: Andrew Small
Assistant referees: Andrew Pearce,Wayne Falla
TMO: Geoff Warren
Sunday, October 25
Leicester Tigers v Harlequins
(Welford Road – Kick-off: 14.00, 13.00 GMT)
Leicester Tigers' only defeat in their last five Premiership matches was at Bath in last season's semi-final. The Tigers have lost just one of their last 18 home games at Welford Road in the tournament – 19-22 to London Irish in September 2014.
Harlequins beat Wasps 26-21 on Friday evening and have not begun a season with a pair of victories in the opening two rounds since 2012/13. Harlequins have won just one of their last five away trips in the Premiership – 25-23 at Sale in April.
The Tigers have won only two of their last nine matches against Harlequins in all tournaments – both in the Premiership at Welford Road – the semi-final in 2013 and the Round Six game last season.
Teams:
Leicester Tigers: 15 Mathew Tait, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Peter Betham, 12 Seremaia Bai, 11 Vereniki Goneva, 10 Tommy Bell, 9 Sam Harrison, 8 Lachlan McCaffrey, 7 Tom Croft, 6 Mike Williams, 5 Sebastian De Chaves, 4 Michael Fitzgerald, 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Logovi'i Mulipola.
Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Riccardo Brugnara, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Laurence Pearce, 20 Opeti Fonua, 21 Ben White 22 Owen Williams, 23 Matt Smith.
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 George Lowe, 12 Harry Sloan, 11 Charlie Walker, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Karl Dickson, 8 Matthew Luamanu, 7 Luke Wallace, 6 Jack Clifford, 5 Sam Twomey, 4 James Horwill, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Dave Ward, 1 Mark Lambert.
Replacements: 16 Joe Gray, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Charlie Matthews, 20 Nick Easter, 21 Danny Care, 22 Ben Botica, 23 Ollie Lindsay-Hague.
Referee: Tom Foley
Assistant referees: Nigel Carrick, Paul Dix
TMO: Rowan Kitt
