A little bit of a 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership preview

The months of March, April, May, and June in 2020 have been tough for sports fans. There has been little in the way of live sport due to the Coronavirus Pandemic to enjoy and for people who love to have a punt on their favourite team or player, it has been disappointing.

Fortunately, there have been some great alternatives including online poker. While playing online poker will not replace betting on live sport, websites such as GGPoker are excellent and they are an official partner of the World Series of Poker. You will find a huge number of unique features on the website and a wide variety of casino games to enjoy.

Thankfully, you can now combine playing online poker with watching some of the best professional rugby union in the world. The 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership is due to begin on the 20th of November. That is interesting because the 2019/20 campaign is not due to restart until the 14th of August with an end date of the 24th of October. This gives the teams and players just under a month to prepare for the new season. However, the focus will be on completing the current season and Exeter Chiefs will be hoping they can maintain their place at the top of the table.

The Chiefs lead the Gallagher Premiership by 5 points from second place Sale Sharks. Each team has played 13 matches and there will be only four rounds of fixtures when the season recommences in August. Exeter will fancy their chances of finishing inside the top four and reaching the play offs with only four rounds of fixtures to be played. However, they will need to be wary of Sale in second place as they were in great form prior to the suspension of the league.

The Sharks have lost only one of their last six matches but there is a good chance any momentum built up by the team has now been lost. In addition, they will meet Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop in the opening fixture of the restart and Harlequins have lost just once to Sale at the venue in the Premiership since 2008. It should be a great game to welcome back the Gallagher Premiership but Exeter Chiefs remain the favourites to win the regular season title, with Sale Sharks hoping to push them close.

Bristol Bears, Northampton Saints, Wasps, Harlequins and Bath will all believe they have what it takes to reach the playoffs this season. Harlequins will restart the season outside the play off positions but if they can pick up a victory against Sale in their opening game, it would be a terrific boost to their chances of finishing in the top four.

Harlequins will be sharing their ground with London Irish for the remainder of the campaign but that should not hinder their chances of success. With away matches at relegated Saracens and Worcester Warriors plus a home game with Northampton Saints, Harlequins know they can pick up the points required to reach the playoffs. You must go back to the 2011/12 season to find the last time Harlequins won the Premiership but this could be their year.