Premiership: Five storylines to watch including a look at the United Rugby Championship

Dylan Coetzee
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Premiership: Five talking points with URC. Split image with Ollie Lawerence, Owen Farrell and Kolisi

Planet Rugby features writer Dylan Coetzee breaks down the key talking points ahead of this weekend’s Premiership and United Rugby Championship action.

There are a range of blockbuster fixtures as players and teams look to impress with the end-of-year internationals on the horizon.

Unbeaten

In the Premiership, Saracens and Sale Sharks sit first and second on the table after perfect starts to their respective campaigns this season. However, both sides face tough clashes in their bid to remain unbeaten.

Saracens make the trip to Exeter, who are in third with only one loss this season in what will be a challenging fixture for Mark McCall’s men. The Londoners have been at their classy best so far this season, though, and may just continue their charge in England’s top-tier.

Meanwhile, Sale host a talented Harlequins side, who are always a threat with ball in hand. Alex Sanderson’s men have been brilliant in 2022/23 and the strong form of fly-half Rob du Preez has been critical to their charge. So it may well be another high-scoring thriller in the top-flight.

Always beaten

Bath are winless from six matches at the start of the Johann van Graan era and have once again struggled in a number of areas.

The South African will hope his men can get off the mark this weekend at home against Northampton, but it will be a tricky assignment with the Saints sitting fourth in the table after winning three of their six opening games.

Worcester import Ollie Lawrence has been tremendous for the West Country outfit since signing from the financially embattled club and will undoubtedly be one of the key components in Van Graan’s attempts to secure the team’s first win this season. The news of the Rec being approved for development will no doubt boost the mood in the camp, but they will need a much-improved performance to triumph over the visitors.

Ulster the perfect acid test for powerful Sharks

In the United Rugby Championship, the Springbok-laden Sharks welcome Ulster to Durban. The name of the game for coach Sean Everitt last week was to ease his international players back into the set-up with the majority of his superstars on the bench.

However, this weekend the team is fully loaded. The forward pack has a whopping five Springboks present, complete with a Test front-row. Wing Makazole Mapimpi also returns to the side and will be looking to get back on the scoresheet for the Sharks.

Ulster presents a massive challenge, powered by Duane Vermeulen’s local knowledge. The Irish side are powerful and very organised. Fans and pundits have been waiting for the Sharks team to finally load up, and what an occasion it will be against a very strong outfit, who will love nothing more than to down a team full of Boks.

A URC classic is loading.

Munster need to stand up against Leinster

Graham Rowntree’s men have endured a tricky start to the season having secured only two wins from the five opening games of the URC, including losses to the Dragons and Irish rivals Connacht.

However, last time out, they managed to fend off a second-half surge from the Bulls to win the game 31-17, which are positive signs for the province. This week, Rowntree’s men face arguably their toughest test in the competition, against Leinster in Dublin.

The head coach would have probably liked to have gained more momentum before facing the Dublin side, but derbies usually bring out the best in players, and a shock win against Leinster could kickstart their season.

It is a tremendous task ahead of them in what will likely be a thrilling derby, especially with the Ireland players looking to impress ahead of the Autumn Nations Series.

That leads nicely into…

End-of-year Tests in the back of the mind

While good displays this weekend will aid the players in their quest for international caps over the next month, they certainly won’t want to get injured.

Test squads have been announced left, right and centre in the past week, making these fixtures potentially awkward ones for those selected. The players will no doubt be looking to continue their form into the Test window but, given the nature of the sport, injuries always play a role.

One cannot play with the worry of being injured and no individual will truly be focusing on anything other than club matters over the next few days, but it would be a surprise if no Test side was impacted. We very much hope, however, that everyone comes through unscathed.

READ MORE: Autumn Nations Series: Ten players to watch during the end-of-year internationals

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