Newcastle Falcons vs Northampton Saints
Kickoff: 7:45pm Friday
Stadium: Kingston Park
Watch on: TNT Sports
Team news
Newcastle Falcons
1.Brocklebank 2.Blamire 3.McCallum 4.Hawkins 5.De Chaves
6.Lockwood 7.Neild 8.Chick(C) 9.Stuart 10.Connon
11.Stevenson 12.Clark 13.Doherty 14.Hearle 15.Otaboyinbo
16.Fletcher 17.Rewcastle 18.Palframan 19.Baker
20.Leatherbarrow 21.Pepper 22.Arnold 23.Spencer
Northampton Saints
1.West 2.Wright 3.Green 4.Munga 5.Lockett
6.Scott-Young 7.Pearson 8.Mapu 9.James 10.Savala
11.Seabrook 12.Hutchinson 13.Odendaal(C) 14.Litchfield 15.Ramm
16.Walker 17.Haffar 18.Millar-Mills 19.Mayanavanua
20.Augustus 21.Mitchell 22.F.Smith 23.Glister
Last-place Newcastle will welcome Northampton to Kingston Park on Friday night. The Saints will be travelling to north in a buoyant mood, despite their poor league form, due to their European successes. This game has now become a big game between two domestic stragglers with the Falcons undoubtedly targeting this fixture for a big home win. Northampton, on the other hand, will be going into this game with the aim of extending their lead over Exeter for the final Champions Cup place now that they are closer to Exeter than their playoff-chasing rivals.
Newcastle have selected a strong side which stands in contrast to the team sheet of the Saints; key players have been rested across the pack. Both half backs have also been rotated as well as the back three with Hendy, Freeman, Furbank and SLeightholme all missing entirely.
Prediction
Newcastle Falcons 24 vs 22 Northampton Saints
Exeter Chiefs vs Bath
Kickoff: 3pm Saturday
Stadium: Sandy Park
Watch on: TNT Sports
Team news
Exeter Chiefs
1.Sio 2.Yeandle 3.Street 4.Tuima 5.Jenkins
6.Moloney 7.Capstick 8.FIsilau 9.Cairns 10.Skinner
11.Brown-Bampoe 12.Hawkins 13.Slade 14.Hammersley 15.Hodge
16.Norey 17.Blose 18.Roots 19.Vermeulen
20.Vintcent 21.Armstrong 22.Haydon-Wood 23.Rigg
Bath
1.Van Wyck 2.Annett 3.Du Toit 4.Richards 5.Ewels
6.Bayliss 7.Reid 8.Green 9.Spencer(C) 10.Russell
11.Muir 12.Redpath 13.Ojomoh 14.McConnochie 15.De Glanville
16.Dunn 17.Obano 18.Stuart 19.Molony
20.Hill 21.Schreuder 22.Bailey 23.Barbeary
Exeter will be targeting this game against a rotated Bath team. The visitors have made several changes to the teams that were so successful in Europe over the past couple of weeks. Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Underhill, Stuart and Pepper are amongst a litter of first-choice stars being left out of the squad. Exeter, on the other hand, are almost at full strength. Tuima and Jenkins make a strong pack along with Fisliau who will provide a strong carrying presence.Cairns and Skinner are the half-back pairing who will have their work cut out up against Spencer and Russell. Exeter will be a dangerous opponent for Bath but the visitors are a far better side and have proven that throughout the season.
Prediction
Exeter 26 vs 25 Bath
Harlequins vs Sale Sharks
Kickoff: 3:05pm Saturday
Stadium: The Stoop
Watch on: TNT Sports
Team news
Harlequins
1.Baxter 2.Walker 3.Lamositele 4.Herbst 5.Cunningham-South
6.Kenningham 7.W.Evans 8.Dombrandt(C) 9.Care 10.Smith
11.Murley 12.Northmore 13.Beard 14.David 15.Green
16.Jibulu 17.Jones 18.Kerrod 19.Launchbury
20.Lawday 21.Gjaltema 22.Benson 23.Waghorn
Sale Sharks
1.Rodd 2.Cowan-Dickie 3.Opoku-Fudjour 4.Bamber 5.Hill
6.Van Rhyn 7.T.Curry 8.J-L Du Preez 9.Warr 10.Ford
11.Reed 12.Ma'asi-White 13.R. Du Preez(C) 14.Roebuck 15.Carpenter
16.McElroy 17.McIntyre 18.John 19.Dugdale
20.Andrews 21.Quirke 22.Bedlow 23.Wills
Harlequins and Sale are two sides locked in a heated, multi-team competition for the final two playoff spots. Sale have found some decent form recently and are in 5th with just 2 points separating them from the playoffs at the moment. Harlequins are the stragglers of this season's peloton but are also within touching distance of success. There will be an attention-drawing match-up between Baxter and Opoku-Fudjour at the scrum in a front-row battle in which Sale will have a slight edge. Elsewhere in the pack, Cunningham-South has been given a start in the second row. He certainly has the build for the position but does lack experience so he will face an uphill battle against a strong duo of Bamber and Hill. The headline competition will be between Smith and Ford. The England teammates have very different styles but are both World-class operators. Sale also probably have the edge in terms of the back-line so the experienced duo of Smith and Care will have to be at their best.Harlequins' flanker duo of Kenningham and Evans will be needed to slow down the Sharks attack in what will be a brutal onslaught of physicality for eighty minutes.
Saracens vs Gloucester
Kickoff: 5:30pm Saturdaty
Stadium: StoneX Stadium
Watch on: TNT Sports
Team news
Saracens
1.Mawi 2.Dan 3.Riccioni 4.Itoje(C) 5.Isiekwe
6.McFarland 7.Earl 8.Willis 9.Van Zyl 10.Burke
11.Segun 12.Hartley 13.Tompkins 14.Elliott 15.Daly
16.George 17.Carre 18.Clarey 19.TIzard
20.Onyeama-Christie 21.Gonzalez 22.Bracken 23.Goode
Gloucester
1.Rapava-Ruskin 2.Singleton 3.Fasogbon 4.Clark 5.Thomas
6.Clement 7.Ludlow(C) 8.Ackermann 9.Williams 10.Anscombe
11.Morris 12.S.Atkinson 13.Harris 14.Barton 15.Carreras
16.Blake 17.Ford-Robinson 18.Gotovtsev 19.Jordan
20.Clarke 21.Englefield 22.C.Atkinson 23.Cotgreave
Saracens find themselves in the unusual April position of being outside of the top four. Their opponents on Saturday are experiencing the opposite as they are on the cusp of a rare playoff appearance. Mark McCall has picked a strong Saracens side to head West with England stars such as Itoje, WIllis and Earl making up an all-star pack which will be confronted strongly by the likes of Fasogbon. Interestingly, the Gloucester team sheet has Barton on the wing with Carreras at fullback; I would be surprised if they play that way during the match but you never know.
Prediction
Gloucester 32 vs 36 Saracens
Bristol Bears vs Leicester TIgers
Kickoff: 3pm Sunday
Stadium: Ashton Gate
Watch on: TNT Sports
Team news
Bristol Bears
1.Genge 2.Oghre 3.Kloska 4.Dun 5.Batley
6.Luatua 7.Harding(C) 8.Mata 9.Randall 10.MacGinty
11.Ibitoye 12.Van Rensburg 13.Ravouvou 14.Bates 15.Lane
16.Thacker 17.Y.Thomas 18.Lahiff 19.Caulfield
20.Heenan 21.Marmion 22.WIlliams 23.Jenkins
Leicester Tigers
1.Smith 2.Montoya(C) 3.Heyes 4.Henderson 5.Chessum
6.Liebenberg 7.Reffell 8.Cracknell 9.Van Poortvliet 10.Pollard
11.Hassell-Collins 12.Woodward 13.Kata 14.Radwan 15.Steward
16.Clare 17.Whitcombe 18.Hurd 19.Rogerson
20.Ilione 21.Youngs 22.Shillcock 23.Kelly
Bristol have spent most of the season in the top two but could find themselves firmly back with the rest of the chasing pack if they are on the wrong end of this game against Leicester who sit fourth. Hassell-Collins, Radwan and Steward are a top-class back three who will look to dominate in the air and probably will. Van Poortvliet and Pollard will be a part of a strong battle against Randall (on his 150th Premiership appearance for Bristol) and AJ MacGinty. Leicester have a strong pack, quality half-backs and rapid backs who can challenge any team in the league - but not in Europe as Toulouse and Glasgow can testify.
Prediction
Bristol Bears 26 vs 31 Leicester TIgers
Add comment
Comments