Bath start Danny Cipriani as opening teams announced

Planet Rugby

Round One of the Premiership is set for kick-off as six games take place, ending with reigning champions Harlequins’ tough trip to Newcastle Falcons on Sunday.

Check on all the team news for the weekend, including Friday’s season opener, while we also predict the results of the games played across England’s top flight.

Friday

Bristol Bears v Saracens

Form: Last year’s Gallagher Premiership Rugby semi-finalists Bristol Bears have lost two of their last three matches at Ashton Gate in the competition, to Exeter Chiefs in Round 17 and Harlequins in the semi-finals. The Bears have begun the season in Round One at Ashton Gate twice before, winning on both occasions against Bath in 2018 and 2019. Saracens return to the Premiership after a one-year absence with their only league defeat last season being at Cornish Pirates in the RFU Championship in Round 1 in March 2021. Saracens only victory in their last five Gallagher Premiership Rugby encounters was 40-17 at home to Exeter in September 2020. The last five fixtures between the two clubs have all been won by the home side on the day, whilst Saracens only previous victory at Ashton Gate was 39-0 on 30 September 2016.

Prediction: Bristol Bears by 10

The teams:

Bristol Bears: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 Alapati Leiua, 11 Ioan Lloyd, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 Steven Luatua (c), 5 Chris Vui, 4 Ed Holmes, 3 Max Lahiff, 2 Harry Thacker, 1 Jake Woolmore
Replacements: 16 Will Capon, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Jake Armstrong, 19 Dave Attwood, 20 Jake Heenan, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Sam Bedlow, 23 Niyi Adeolokun

Saracens: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Alex Lewington, 13 Dom Morris, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Rotimi Segun, 10 Alex Lozowski, 9 Aled Davies, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Jackson Wray (c), 5 Tim Swinson, 4 Nick Isiekwe, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Tom Woolstencroft, 1 Ralph Adams-Hale
Replacements: 16 Kapeli Pifeleti, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Alec Clarey, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Sean Reffell, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Manu Vunipola, 23 Ben Harris

Venue: Ashton Gate
Kick-off: 19:45 BST (18:45 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Paul Dix, Jamie Leahy
TMO: Tom Foley

Saturday

Leicester Tigers v Exeter Chiefs

Form: Leicester Tigers have lost just once in their last four Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches: 23-26 at home to Bristol Bears on 5 June. The Tigers have not lost successive games in the tournament at Mattioli Woods Welford Road since October 2019. Exeter Chiefs reached the Final of Gallagher Premiership Rugby for a sixth successive year in June and have been victorious in Round 1 for the past three seasons. The Chiefs’ only defeat in their last five away games in Gallagher Premiership Rugby was 18-34 at Gloucester on 26 March. Exeter have won their last seven matches against Leicester in Premiership Rugby with the Tigers most recent victory in the series being 20-13 at Welford Road in September 2017.

Prediction: Exeter Chiefs by 7

The teams:

Leicester Tigers: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Harry Potter, 13 Matt Scott, 12 Dan Kelly, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 George Martin, 5 Calum Green, 4 Harry Wells, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Nic Dolly, 1 Ellis Genge (c)
Replacements: 16 Tom Cowan-Dickie, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Nephi Leatigaga, 19 Eli Snyman, 20 Ollie Chessum, 21 Jack van Poortvliet, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Guy Porter

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Josh Hodge, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Tom O’Flaherty, 10 Joe Simmonds, 9 Jack Maunder, 8 Rus Tuima, 7 Don Armand, 6 Jannes Kirsten, 5 Sean Lonsdale, 4 Will Witty, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Jack Innard, 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Sam Nixon, 19 Ryan McCauley, 20 Christ Tshiunza, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Harvey Skinner, 23 Tom Hendrickson

Venue: Mattioli Woods Welford Road
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant Referees: Greg Macdonald, Phil Watters
TMO: Andrew Jackson

Northampton Saints v Gloucester

Form: Northampton Saints’ only victory in their last five Gallagher Premiership Rugby fixtures was 30-25 at home to Wasps on 29 May. The Saints have begun the season with a Round One victory only once in the last six campaigns: 27-25 at Saracens in 2019. Ignoring the two declared defeats in Rounds 21 and 22 last season Gloucester Rugby have lost only once in their last four Gallagher Premiership Rugby encounters: 7-39 at Bristol on 17 May. Gloucester won just twice on the road in Premiership Rugby last season, at Wasps in Round 12 and Northampton in Round 18. Each side won its respective away game when the two clubs met in 2020/21 whilst Gloucester have been victorious on two of their last three visits to Franklin’s Gardens.

Prediction: Northampton Saints by 5

The teams:

Northampton Saints: 15 George Furbank, 14 Matt Proctor, 13 Fraser Dingwall, 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 Tom Collins, 10 James Grayson, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Lewis Ludlam (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Alex Moon, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Ehren Painter, 2 James Fish, 1 Alex Waller
Replacements: 16 Mikey Haywood, 17 Nick Auterac, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Api Ratuniyarawa, 20 Juarno Augustus, 21 Connor Tupai, 22 Ahsee Tuala, 23 Alex Coles

Gloucester: 15 Kyle Moyle, 14 Jonny May, 13 Tom Seabrook, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Lloyd Evans, 9 Ben Meehan, 8 Jack Clement, 7 Lewis Ludlow (c), 6 Jordy Reid, 5 Andrew Davidson, 4 Ben Morgan, 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Harry Elrington
Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 18 Kirill Gotovtsev, 19 Freddie Clarke, 20 Ruan Ackermann, 21 Stephen Varney, 22 Adam Hastings, 23 Giorgi Kveseladze

Venue: Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Mike Hudson, George Selwood
TMO: Stuart Terheege

Worcester Warriors v London Irish

Form: Excluding declared victories Worcester’s most recent win in Gallagher Premiership Rugby was 11-10 at home to London Irish in Round 1 last season. The Warriors have been successful in Round 1 in the last two seasons since their narrow 20-21 defeat at home to Wasps in 2018. London Irish finished off last campaign with an unwanted run of six successive defeats with their most recent victory in Premiership Rugby being at home to Bath on 27 March. The Exiles have not won away from home in the tournament since a trip to Wasps on 27 February. London Irish’s 20-17 victory against Worcester at Brentford in March ended a run of three successive defeats to the Warriors. The Exiles’ most recent success at Sixways was 20-18 eight years ago.

Prediction: Worcester Warriors by 6

The teams:

Worcester Warriors: 15 Melani Nanai, 14 Noah Heward, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Perry Humphreys, 10 Owen Williams, 9 Willi Heinz (cc), 8 Matt Kvesic, 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Ted Hill (cc), 5 Justin Clegg, 4 Kyle Hatherell, 3 Christian Judge, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Ethan Waller
Replacements:
16 Niall Annett, 17 Mark Thomas, 18 Jack Owlett, 19 Matt Garvey, 20 Graham Kitchener, 21 Will Chudley, 22 Jamie Shillcock, 23 Oli Morris

London Irish: 15 Tom Parton, 14 Kyle Rowe, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Benhard van Rensburg, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Ben White, 8 Albert Tuisue, 7 Ben Donnell, 6 Matt Rogerson (c), 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Will Goodrick-Clarke
Replacements: 16 Matt Cornish, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Ollie Hoskins, 19 George Nott, 20 Seán O’Brien, 21 Hugh O’Sullivan, 22 Matt Williams, 23 James Stokes

Venue: Sixways
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant Referees: Anthony Woodthorpe, Dean Richards
TMO: Rowan Kitt

Sale Sharks v Bath

Form: Sale Sharks ended last season with a pair of defeats, both away at Exeter in Round 22 and the following week in the semi-final, prior to that the Sharks embarked on a run of eight successive Gallagher Premiership Rugby victories. Sale have won their last seven home games at AJ Bell Stadium since this week’s opponents, Bath, beat them there on 12 February. Bath Rugby have been defeated on the opening weekend of Gallagher Premiership Rugby for the past three seasons, however they did finish off last campaign with a Round 22 victory at home to Northampton. Excluding the declared victory over Gloucester in Round 21, Bath have lost their last three away games in Premiership Rugby since they were successful on a trip to Newcastle in Round 13 last season. The last three fixtures between the two clubs have all been won by the away side on the day, whilst Bath have won on their last two visits to Salford.

Prediction: Sale Sharks by 3

The teams:

Sale Sharks: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Byron McGuigan, 13 Sam James, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 Rob du Preez, 9 Raffi Quirke, 8 Jono Ross (c), 7 Ben Curry, 6 Cameron Nield, 5 JP du Preez, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Bevan Rodd
Replacements: 16 Tommy Taylor, 17 Ross Harrison, 18 Cal Ford, 19 Rouban Birch, 20 Sam Dugdale, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Kieran Wilkinson, 23 Rohan Janse van Rensburg

Bath: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Max Ojomoh, 11 Will Muir, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Josh Bayliss, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Miles Reid, 5 Charlie Ewels (c), 4, Mike Williams, 3 Johannes Jonker, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Beno Obano
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Tom Ellis, 20 Jaco Coetzee, 21 Ollie Fox, 22 Orlando Bailey, 23 Max Clark

Venue: AJ Bell Stadium
Kick-off: 17:00 BST (16:00 GMT)
Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant Referees: Hamish Smales, Wayne Falla
TMO: Jack Makepeace

Sunday

Newcastle Falcons v Harlequins

Form: Newcastle Falcons’ last six matches in Gallagher Premiership Rugby have all gone the way of home field advantage. The Falcons have won their last three games at Kingston Park since Bristol beat them there on 17 April. Defending champions Harlequins concluded last season with three successive victories, at home to Newcastle in Round 22, away at Bristol in the semi-final and at Twickenham Stadium against Exeter in the showpiece. Harlequins won five of their eleven away games in the regular season of Gallagher Premiership Rugby last campaign. Harlequins only defeat in their last four Premiership Rugby encounters with the Falcons was 22-25 at Kingston Park in February 2021 whilst the Londoners only victory at Newcastle since 2013 was 38-17 in January 2019.

Prediction: Harlequins by 7

The teams:

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Tom Penny, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Ben Stevenson, 12 Pete Lucock, 11 Iwan Stephens, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Carl Fearns, 7 Will Welch (c), 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Sean Robinson, 4 Greg Peterson, 3 Trevor Davison, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Logovi’i Mulipola
Replacements: 16 Jamie Blamire, 17 Kyle Cooper, 18 Mark Tampin, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Connor Collett, 21 Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti, 22 Will Haydon-Wood, 23 George Wacokecoke

Harlequins: 15 Tyrone Green, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Cadan Murley, 10 Tommy Allan, 9 Danny Care, 8 Alex Dombrandt (c), 7 Jack Kenningham, 6 Tom Lawday, 5 Dino Lamb, 4 Matt Symons, 3 Simon Kerrod, 2 Jack Walker, 1 Santiago Garcia Botta
Replacements: 16 Sam Riley, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Craig Trenier, 19 Hugh Tizard, 20 Archie White, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Luke Northmore

Venue: Kingston Park
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Tom Foley
Assistant Referees: Jamie Leahy, Paul Dix
TMO: Andrew Jackson

 

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