Gallagher Prem: Round 14 Matchday Preview
BATH RUGBY vs HARLEQUINS
Friday 28th January
The Rec
19:45
The Premiership is back after two epic rounds of European rugby. To kick off the second half of the season, bottom of the table Bath will host reigning Champions Harlequins in the first game of round 14. Over a fortnight ago, Bath broke their domestic season ‘duck’ and registered their first win of the 2021/22 campaign in all competitions when they defeated a 14-man Worcester side at the Rec. Champions Cup rugby has not brought them any joy as the West-county men suffered heavy defeats to Champions Cup and Top14 finalists La Rochelle as well as last year’s Pro14 champions Leinster. This week they face the arduous task of seeking their second win in all competitions against an in-form Harlequins side, who will be without their England internationals this week. Harlequins have been in egregious form, though the finer eye will reveal that some of their performances have been more entertaining than fundamentally solid. Nonetheless, Quins are a top-quality side looking to repeat in 2022 and they’ll be looking to start the second half of the season in similar fashion to what they did last year.
Stuart Hooper has had a difficult season so far to say the least. The west-country club however has shifted its objective for this season into one of youth development, and to that effect, Bath may well look back at this year as a starting point for many of their future key players. However, they still have not lost sight of the here and now, and will be desperately looking to give the Rec faithful their second win of the season. The 6 Nations period offers the club an opportunity to pounce on some understrength sides. Nonetheless, Bath themselves will have to deal with the absence of key players such as Will Stuart, Charlie Ewels, Josh Bayliss and Orlando Bailey all unavailable for selection due to their international commitments. Bath are still less affected than other sides and will be looking to take some crucial scalps in this period. Unsurprisingly, Stuart Hooper has immediately decided to put Bath’s midseason loan recruit into action, with Nathan Hughes starting at number 8 and looking to bring much-needed impact to the bottom dwellers ball-carrying department in the absence of Bayliss. Eight other changes have been made by Hooper since his side last faced Leinster in the champions cup. In the front-row, the absence of Will Stuart gives D’Arcy Rae another chance, while Du Toit and Cordwell confirm their place in the front row. In the backs, everything gets a little funky, Ben Spencer gets the nod once again, but this time he’ll be pairing up with Max Ojomoh in the halves. Ojomoh’s shift from inside centre gives space for other young star, Cam Redpath at 12. Jonathan Joseph gets his 150th cap and Will Muir is back on the left wing with Semesa Rokoduguni rounding out the back three at fullback.
The unusual champions of the Premiership in 2020/21 have recently discovered their ‘team to beat form. The Londoners, however, are facing a real litmus test over the next 8-week period. The club and media alike have emphasised since last summer, that this time period would be a crucial test of their depth and ability without key players. Yet, whilst Tabai Matson has named a side missing the likes of Marler, Dombrandt and Smith, there is still an abundance of high-quality depth to steer this club safely through the international window. Argentine international Santiago Garcia-Botta replaces Joe Marler at loosehead, whilst Jack Walker gets the nod as captain in the absence of Dombrandt. Dino Lamb starts at blindside alongside Luke Wallace and Viliami Taulani, this is the first time this season that this trio has combined to form the back row. In the backs, Tommy Allan starts at fly-half for the second consecutive week, and Huw Jones steps into the outside centre role in the absence of Joe Marchant. Lastly, Nick David is preferred on the right-wing ahead of Louis Lynagh, and Tyrone Green is back at fullback. The depth of this club will be seriously tested and Bath will definitely be looking to instil a lasting blow, however, there is still an abundance of talent in this club and a mentality of playing flowing Rugby that seems to put many teams out of their defensive comfort zones.
The international window places this fixture on a more level playing field, however, we are still talking about two clubs with very different short-term ambitions. Bath have a number of young players that will be looking to make their stamp, but with Ojomoh out of position and the pack missing both Underhill and Bayliss missing, this is a monumental task nonetheless.
Prediction: Bath Rugby 22 - 31 Harlequins
LONDON IRISH vs EXETER CHIEFS
Saturday 29th January
Brentford Community Stadium
15:00
The Chiefs travel to Brentford looking to avenge their Round 6 home loss to London Irish in the reverse fixture. Both sides are still within reach of a coveted top 4 spot with Exeter sitting in 6th and London Irish just behind in 7th. With all Premiership sides missing their internationals for potentially 8 weeks, it’s the perfect time for teams to capitalise and make a serious push up the ladder.
London Irish are one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Six Nations period. Their only absence is Ollie Hassell-Collins who will be away with England, aside from that, they are fully loaded and will have serious intentions of making big strides up the table. On the other hand, the Exeter Chiefs are one of those teams that will be missing a large number of internationals. Whilst Rob Baxter’s side has tremendous depth in the squad, Irish will be licking their lips at this opportunity to go 2/2 against the Chiefs this season.
For this clash, Matt Cornish gets a rare start at hooker with Agustin Creevy still serving his suspension, he is joined by two very reliable props in Will Goodrick-Clarke and Ollie Hoskins in the front row. The All-Australian second-row partnership returns as Rob Simmons links up with Adam Coleman in the engine room. Sean ‘The Tullow Tank’ O’Brien is set to make his first start of the season at number 8, he’s accompanied by captain Matt Rogerson and youngster Tom Pearson in the back row. In the backs, the regular halfback pairing of Nick Phipps and Paddy Jackson is deployed with Benhard J V Rensburg and Curtis Rona outside of them in the centres. Argentine Lucio Cinti has made big impressions off the bench this season and as a result, is rewarded with a start on the wing in Hassell-Collins’ absence. Ben Loader returns from injury to don the 14 jersey with James Stokes named at fullback.
The Exiles’ win over the Chiefs back in round 6 was undoubtedly their best and most complete performance of the season. We know that Declan Kidney’s side have the ability to score in seconds from anywhere on the pitch but what was so impressive in their Round 6 clash was the defence. In fact, all three of their wins this season have been their best defensive performances. The inconsistency with the defensive output is frustrating at times but if Irish can maintain that imposing linespeed whilst staying connected, they’ll be well in the playoff hunt come the last period of the season.
It seems as if we’re constantly trying to figure out when the Chiefs will ‘click’ this season. Two weeks ago it looked like they might have in their 52-17 win over Glasgow, and then we saw a completely different result in Montpellier a week later. The threat of this side when they do click is frightening for the rest of the Premiership, but it’s only been shown sporadically this season. Now, with a raft of key players away on international duty for the Chiefs over the next two months, it’s a sink or swim situation for Rob Baxter’s men. Exeter will most likely be without Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jonny Hill, Jonny Gray, Christ Tshiunza, Sam Skinner, Sam Simmonds, Henry Slade, Jack Nowell and Stuart Hogg over the next 8 Rounds of the Premiership.
In light of those absentees, Rob Baxter has made 8 changes to the starting lineup from last week’s European clash against Montpellier. An all-new front row features James Kenny, Jack Innard and Patrick Schickerling, all of whom came off the bench last week. Sam Skinner retains his place in the second row but this week is partnered by Jonny Gray who plays his last game for the club before joining Scotland’s Six Nations camp. The everpresent Dave Ewers and Jannes Kirsten start at 6 & 7 respectively with Don Armand tasked with filling the void of Sam Simmonds at number 8. Jack Maunder and Joe Simmonds remain as the halfback pairing, outside of them is the unusual combination of Harvey Skinner and Ian Whitten in the centres. Olly Woodburn makes his first start of the season on the wing with Tom O’Flaherty and Stuart Hogg rounding out the back three.
This matchup promises to be an electric one with both sides having their defensive issues this season whilst holding serious attacking prowess. Whilst Exeter have still fielded a strong side, there are some combinations in there that don’t convince me. An all-new front row and centre partnership raises a lot of question marks and against an Irish side fully loaded, I think the Exiles can edge the Chiefs in front of their biggest home crowd of the season.
Prediction: London Irish 32 - 31 Exeter Chiefs
NEWCASTLE FALCONS vs GLOUCESTER RUGBY
Saturday 29th January
Kingston park
15:00
The red-hot Cherry & Whites travel up to Kingston park looking to restart the second half of the season the way they left it before the European Cups break. Newcastle, on the other hand, will be looking to revive their early season form which has slowly faded, reminiscent of their late fade just a season ago. Newcastle have lost their last 3 games in the Premiership and will be looking to bounce back by avenging Gloucester who beat them in Round 6 at Kingsholm in a close affair.
Newcastle Falcons are hungry for a win to get their campaign back on track. Despite being winless in the Premiership in 2022, Newcastle have shown this season that they are a tough side to beat, especially at Kingston park. In fact, the northerners had not lost at home since September in all competitions before Northampton’s 8-44 victory in Round 13. Callum Chick has mentioned how they are looking to rally behind their home crowd stating that ‘’[Newcastle’s] home crowd [is] always fantastic’’ and that they will certainly play a factor in influencing the result. In terms of gameplan, Chick and the Falcons have taken note of Gloucester’s league-leading maul weapon and identified that as a key element to limit their success. Callum Chick has discussed how the club is looking to rally behind the home crowd as well as their gameplan to stop Gloucester’s potent rolling maul and avenge what was in his opinion an undeserved loss: ‘‘ We didn’t feel as if we were outplayed, it was just our discipline that let us down, and we feel that this is a game we’re more than capable of winning’’. Dean Richards has named a side that definitely does possess the capabilities of winning with the added bonus of welcoming back the return of ex-England international Mark Wilson for his first game of the season from the bench. The team sheet sees just a few tweaks from the usual XV, Trevor Davison starts from the bench with Mark Tampin preferred as a starter, and Adam Brocklebank is back in the one jersey having come off the bench in their last Prem outing. In the backs, a new halfback duo sees Sam Stuart partner Brett Connon and Pete Lucock replacing Luther Burrell in the midfield. A strong back three rounds out the side with Argentine international Mateo Carreras, young England winger Radwan and the experienced veteran of Mike Brown. We had praised Dean Richards’ side in the opening rounds of the Premiership highlighting how their success came off the back of relentless defence and discipline in attack. If they are going to beat Gloucester, they are certainly going to need to be disciplined as Adam Hastings will punish them with the boot the same way Evans did in Round 6, not to mention that if Gloucester are given too many chances to set their rolling-maul, this will quickly become an uneven affair. This is not to say that Newcastle can’t halt Gloucester’s maul, any success against the West-Country requires that at the forefront, but even more crucial to Newcastle’s gameplan will be to limit their attacking opportunities from close range. Richards’ side found a lot of success when their attack was simple hard-nosed ball-carrying and excellent ball-retention, if they do that again paired with an equally arduous defence and keep their discipline, they can rebuild the Kingston fortress.
Gloucester ended 2021 in gleaming fashion making a lot of fans and coaches alike take note of Skirvington’s no-nonsense side. The Cherry & Whites come into this match having beaten Saracens away in Round 13 and putting 10 tries past Perpignan in the Challenge Cup. It’s clear as day that this side is in a rich vein of form and looking to thrust their momentum into the 6 Nations window period where they will be without a few stars. Jonny May and Mark Atkinson, are both unavailable this weekend, but they still retain the services of Chris Harris and Louis Rees-Zammit just a week away from the Six Nations kicking off. Despite the absence of the English duo, Gloucester will fancy their chances and know all too well that if they have top 4 aspirations this is the time to roll their sleeves up. Their pack suffers no notable losses with Rapava-Ruskin, Singleton and Fraser Balmain forming a mobile yet robust front-row. Slater and Clarke pair up in the engine room with Reid, Ludlow and Ackermann combining in the most industrious pack of the Premiership so far. Three of Gloucester’s forward starters feature in the top 10 tacklers list, with Ludlow at number one and Kirill Gotovtsev at number 10 despite regularly featuring from the bench! The halfback pairing sees newly re-signed young gun Charlie Chapman pairing with Scotland snub Adam Hasting, Twelvetrees replaces Atkinson at 12 and Chris Harris retains his 13 jersey for one more week before joining the Scotland squad. Ollie Thorley, Santiago Carreras and Lloyd Evans form a balanced back three that provides pace, finishing and kicking abilities.
In Newcastle, we can expect a game dictated by the physicality and discipline of these two sides. The Falcons will be eager to register their first Prem win of 2022, but will be tasked with facing what has been the best forward pack of the league in 2021/22 so far. Whilst Richards’ side has the capability to limit Gloucester’s chances, we fear that the Gloucester pack will prevail in the battle up front and give Adam Hastings the opportunity to punish with the boot as well as through the talent of their outside backs.
Prediction: Newcastle Falcons 18 - 24 Gloucester Rugby
WORCESTER WARRIORS vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
Saturday 29th January
Sixways
15:00
The last matchup between these two sides saw Northampton record the biggest margin of victory for any side in the Premiership this season. The Saints put on a masterclass in their 66-10 win over the Warriors at Franklins Gardens back in Round 6. Worcester will be desperate to even the score in this fixture and with Northampton missing a host of internationals, it’s a game which Worcester come into as the favourites.
The big news that broke this week in the Worcester camp is that Steve Diamond is set to take over from Alan Solomons as Director of Rugby at the end of the season. As well as that, Head Coach Jonathan Thomas has left the club with immediate effect. For his first game at the helm, Diamond has made just one change to the starting lineup from their last Premiership outing against Bath with Billy Searle replacing Jamie Shillcock at fullback. Fin Smith will be looking to build upon his excellent form as he starts yet again, Steve Diamond was full of praise for the young fly-half in his midweek press conference, even questioning Eddie Jones’ decision to pick Orlando Bailey in the England squad ahead of him! In Steve Diamond’s first press conference, he also highlighted that Worcester’s main priority going forward is improving their set-piece and defence. Against a fluent attacking side like Northampton, their defence must go up a level if they are to win this contest. Worcester fans should be excited going forward with an experienced and excellent man manager in Steve Diamond for the future, this game will be Warriors fans’ first taste of a performance with Dimes’ fingerprints on it.
The Saints will be vying for their 9th straight win against the Warriors in this Round 14 clash at Sixways. Chris Boyd’s side sit precariously in 5th on the ladder, only three points adrift of Gloucester in 4th. Northampton have been very up and down throughout the season. Even over the past month, the Saints backed up disappointing losses to Harlequins and Saracens with a dismantling of Newcastle at Kingston Park before ending their Champions Cup run with a home loss to Ulster. The inconsistency has been frustrating because we know what this side is capable of. If they are able to maintain the level of performance reached in their wins this season, particularly during the Six Nations period, they’ll be well in contention for a playoff spot. However, the next 8 weeks will be a tough one to navigate for the Saints; Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, Dan Biggar and George Furbank will all be away on international duty. The quality of those players will be an obvious miss, but the experience of those four is a mighty blow. Others will need to step up massively for this side across the next two months, new leaders will emerge and this squad must find a way to make up for the amount of quality gone with those four absent if they are to remain in touching distance of the playoff positions. The Saints have made just three changes from their last Premiership outing against Newcastle. Teimana Harrison is the only change to the pack, he fills in at openside in Lewis Ludlam’s absence. With Welsh internationals available to their clubs this week, Dan Biggar is a big inclusion for Chris Boyd’s side at fly-half. The two other changes come in the back three with Ollie Sleightholme replacing Courtnall Skosan on the wing and Ahsee Tuala taking George Furbank’s place at fullback.
This fixture has the ability to be a contender for the game of the round. Both sides’ achilles heel has been their defence this season, but both have major attacking firepower. This is the first week that Steve Diamond will have control over this Warriors side, and I think he’ll have them ready to run through brick walls. It’s going to be a closely fought battle but with the home advantage and the Saints without Lawes, Ludlam & Furbank, I think Worcester can get the win.
Prediction: Worcester Warriors 28 - 27 Northampton Saints
SALE SHARKS vs LEICESTER TIGERS
Sunday 30th January
AJ Bell
15:00
Sunday’s clash between the Sale Sharks and Leicester Tigers is massive in a number of ways. First and foremost, it’s a huge contest for both sides going forward in the season. Sale will be hoping to capitalise on other sides missing key internationals, whilst Leicester look to prove that they can ride the wave of the upcoming 8 weeks and hand in a strong performance without their England internationals. Another reason why this game means more than normal is because it will be shown on free-to-air TV. ITV1 will be showing this fixture on Sunday in the first of 7 games aired on terrestrial TV this season. In an attempt to grow Premiership rugby, this game should be an excellent advert for what’s expected to be a much larger audience than usual.
It’s been a poor first half of the season for the Sharks, they currently sit 10th on the ladder with only 4 wins in the league. However, with clubs missing their Six Nations stars over the next 8 weeks, Alex Sanderson will be quietly confident that his side can begin a winning run and storm up the table. With a large South African contingent in the club, Sale will have the services of many key players throughout the Six Nations period. Bevan Rodd, Ewan Ashman, Tom Curry and Raffi Quirke will be huge misses for sure, but Sale still have a boatload of talent in their ranks and will be favourites to beat sides that are without a host of superstars, including Leicester this week.
Five changes to the starting lineup have been made from last week’s win over Ospreys. Ewan Ashman is joined in the front row by an all-new prop pairing this week, Ross Harrison starts at loosehead and Coenie Oosthuizen at tighthead with Bevan Rodd and Nick Schonert unavailable. The back five of the scrum remains the same with Jono Ross once again captaining the side from blindside flanker. With Raffi Quirke in England camp, Will Cliff starts in his place at scrum-half. Byron McGuigan returns to replace Aaron Reed on the wing whilst Luke James is the final change at fullback, he replaces the absent Simon Hammersley. Sale’s two biggest issues this season have been their red zone efficiency and their discipline. This game is going to be a defensive battle with points coming at a premium, so if Sale aren’t able to capitalise when they do get into the red zone, they’ll struggle to win this game. In saying that, we’ve seen big improvements in that area over the last month, Sale have been more patient and accurate and it’s led to more chances being converted.
Steve Borthwick’s side come into this game fresh off of two weeks rest as their final Champions Cup game against Bordeaux was cancelled. Whilst they would never admit it publicly, that cancellation was excellent for the Tigers. Not only did they pick up all 5 Champions Cup points, but it gave the players an extra week to prepare for their upcoming Premiership run, in which they won’t have their England internationals. The Tigers will still have the bitter taste of their Round 13 loss to Wasps lingering, now is a chance to reset and begin a new winning run.
Borthwick has made Six changes to the starting XV from their loss to Wasps back in Round 13. With Ellis Genge in England camp, James Whitcombe starts in his place at loosehead. George Martin returns to the blindside flank, pushing Harry Wells back into his usual position in the second row with Eli Snyman absent. The final change to the pack is that Springbok Jasper Wiese starts at number 8, he replaces Ollie Chessum who is also in England camp. In the backs, old-timer Richard Wigglesworth starts at scrum-half, he’s partnered by Freddie Burns at 10. Those two will be tasked with filling the shoes of Ben Youngs and George Ford who are both away with England. The final change to the backline sees Australian Bryce Hegarty replace Freddie Steward at fullback. South African Hanro Liebenberg also makes his long-awaited return from injury as he is named on the bench. Even though Leicester are missing some of their best and most influential players, they’ve still named a side loaded with talent and experience. This game isn’t going to be flashy and won with moments of individual brilliance. Instead, it’s going to be attritional. The majority of play will be kept in the tight along with lots of box kicking in an attempt to win the territorial battle, exactly how Leicester want it.
This game should be an immensely physical matchup, both sides pride themselves off of their set-piece and defence. With the sides pretty even on paper, Leicester’s advantage is the experience they’ve had this season in these types of games. The Tigers have won countless closely fought and physical battles this season where it comes down to who wins the key moments. For me, that experience is invaluable so even without the likes of Genge, Ford, Youngs and Steward, I think the Tigers can win this game.
Prediction: Sale Sharks 18 - 20 Leicester Tigers
WASPS vs SARACENS
Sunday 30th January
Coventry Building Society Arena
15:00
Wasps welcome back their captain Joe Launchbury for their home game against Saracens on Sunday. The reverse fixture at the Stone X saw Saracens demolish Wasps 56-15, but Lee Blackett’s men have come a long way this season and shown their tenacity in tough times. Wasps are coming into this fixture having just beaten Leicester Tigers (previously unbeaten in all competitions) and Toulouse (reigning Champions Cup winners) in back to back weeks, although they lost to Munster last week in their last European fixture. Saracens will be smart not to underestimate this understrength but resilient side, especially given their recent form, but Saracens themselves will be looking to cement their top 4 spot with another win.
Lee Blackett’s side have been the feel-good story of January 2022. Despite their well-documented injury struggles they have impressed everyone with their valiant efforts to take down two of the top clubs in Europe at the moment. Blackett is still tasked with selecting a side missing a whole host of players, and they will also be missing young stud Alfie Barbeary who has joined his England teammates in the Brighton 6 Nations camp. Having said this, to kick-off the second half of the season, Wasps do welcome back a number of key figures. Joe Launchbury headlines the returns and slots into the engine room alongside Elliott Stooke. Captain Launchbury’s return causes a reshuffle with Vaea Fifita sliding into blindside and Brad Shields taking the number 8 role in the absence of the injured Tom Willis. Gabe Oghre starts at openside. Dan Robson finally returns from his long injury spell on the sidelines and will bring much needed leadership, crisp service and excellent playmaking for his big ball-carriers. Charlie Atkinson continues his strong run at fly-half alongside the veteran Jimmy Gopperth and Sam Spink. Bassett, Odogwu and Watson round out the side combining pace, power, and finishing. The last key injury return is that of All Black Malakai Fekitoa who makes his Prem return from the bench. If Wasps are to repeat their recent success against top clubs, they will be relying on their defence. Whilst they possess a number of serious attacking weapons, it has been the success on the defensive end this season which has brought them the most success. Elliott Stooke is the 5th top tackler this season and has embodied the hard work that this pack has been through. Alongside requiring a strong defensive showing, Wasps will need to ensure that their set-piece is firing on all cylinders. Saracens have two world-class internationals in the front-row and Alo and Martinez have struggled at times in the last fort-night. If Wasps can absorb Saracens set-piece and successfully contain their attack, they do have game-breakers that can rack up points from nothing.
Saracens come into this fixture having lost their last home outing to Gloucester before the European break and will be looking to get back to winning ways. Mark McCall has just stepped down temporarily as DoR citing medical reasons and his men will certainly be looking to get a win for the Irishman. With Eddie Jones moving on from a few key England players, Saracens are blessed with the ‘unusual’ retention of some of their key players. Whilst Jamie George and now both Nick Isiekwe and Elliott Daly have been called into the England squad, Mako and Billy Vunipola remain available for the Londoners. Mako starts at loosehead and co-captains the side, Woolstencroft and Koch complete the front row. In the absence of Isiekwe, Hunter-Hill steps in and Tim Swinson partners him. McFarland, Earl and Billy Vunipola compose the back three with new Scotland international Andy Christie available from the bench. In the backs, the recent injury blow to Owen Farrell will mean that Saracens have to continue navigating the season without their fly-half, and the call-up of Max Malins means that Alex Goode will co-captain the side from fullback rather than his now customary fly-half role. Manu Vunipola takes the reins in the 10 jersey in only his second consecutive start alongside Ivan Van Zyl. The rest of the backs are the usual suspects, with Tompkins and Lozowski in the midfield, whilst Lewington, Segun and Goode form the back three.
This game shouldn’t be compared to the reverse fixture where an understrength Wasps side was blown out by a dominant Saracens, but the result should not be in great doubt. Whilst recent history says not to write off this Wasps side regardless of personnel, we sight potential set-piece issues as well as sheer quality deficit as reasons to back Saracens in this fixture.
Prediction: Wasps 16 - 29 Saracens