Premiership Preview: Saturday, Sunday
There are five games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday with Bath's clash against Leicester Tigers at Twickenham the marquee match of the round.
Bath v Leicester Tigers
Bath have named a strong starting line-up to face Leicester Tigers in The Clash at Twickenham Stadium.
Tom Dunn returns to the XV at hooker, and will be joined in the front-row by the in-form Beno Obano and Shaun Knight.
Charlie Ewels partners Elliott Stooke in the second-row, with Francois Louw marking his return to action at openside flanker. The South African will be joined in the back-row by captain Matt Garvey and Taulupe Faletau, who starts at number eight.
Rhys Priestland returns to the fold at fly-half, with Kahn Fotuali’i completing the half-back pairing. Aled Brew and Matt Banahan line up on the wings, with Jonathan Joseph, a try-scorer at this fixture last year, at outside centre.
Ben Tapuai returns to the midfield alongside Joseph, whilst James Wilson switches to full-back for the game at the home of English rugby.
Meanwhile, Ellis Genge and Tatafu Polota-Nau return to the Leicester Tigers starting line-up for this encounter.
Genge returned from injury to have a run-out from the bench in Leicester's win over Wasps in Round 18 and he joins fellow internationals Polota-Nau and Dan Cole in the Tigers front-row.
In the only other change to the starting team, Mathew Tait is named at centre in the absence of the injured Manu Tuilagi.
George Ford leads the team out, with club captain Tom Youngs among the replacements, and there is a place for England U20s cap Jordan Olowofela who could make his Premiership debut.
Nick Malouf is unavailable due to suspension, while Tuilagi, Ben Youngs, Mike Williams and Brendon O’Connor are all making good progress after injury and are expected to return to action shortly.
Form: Bath's only victory in the last four rounds of Premiership Rugby was by the narrowest of margins at home to Sale on 24 February courtesy of a James Wilson conversion in the 80th minute. Bath have won on three of their last four visits to Twickenham Stadium, the exception being the 16-28 reversal to Saracens in the 2015 Premiership Rugby final. Leicester Tigers have won their last four Premiership Rugby matches since their 17-24 defeat to Gloucester at Kingsholm on 10 February. Tigers’ record away from home in the tournaments this season is won five lost four whilst their only victory at Twickenham Stadium in their last four visits was 37-17 against Northampton Saints in the 2013 Premiership Rugby final. Bath have won their last two Premiership Rugby encounters with Leicester but have never beaten the Tigers three times in succession in the tournament. Bath beat Leicester 27-23 at Welford Road in round 1 and have only once before achieved a Premiership Rugby season’s double over the East Midlanders – in 2003/04.
The teams:
Bath: 15 James Wilson, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Aled Brew, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Kahn Fotuali’i, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Matt Garvey, 5 Elliott Stooke, 4 Charlie Ewels, 3 Shaun Knight, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Beno Obano
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Lucas Noguera, 18 Victor Delmas, 19 James Phillips, 20 Tom Ellis, 21 Max Green, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Cooper Vuna
Leicester Tigers: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Mathew Tait, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford (c), 9 Sam Harrison, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Luke Hamilton, 6 Valentino Mapapalangi, 5 Graham Kitchener, 4 Mike Fitzgerald, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Tom Youngs, 17 Greg Bateman, 18 Logovi’i Mulipola, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Will Evans, 21 Harry Simmons, 22 Matt Smith, 23 Jordan Olowofela
Date: Saturday, April 7
Venue: Twickenham
Kick-off: 14:00 BST (13:00 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant referees: Hamish Smales, Wayne Falla
Television match official: Geoff Warren
Northampton Saints v Saracens
Cobus Reinach, Reece Marshall and Teimana Harrison all return to the starting XV as Northampton Saints take on Saracens on Saturday.
The hosts – who have lost just one of their five home fixtures in all competitions in 2018 – make three changes to their line-up for the clash at Franklin’s Gardens as they take on the north London outfit for the fourth time this season.
Hooker Marshall makes his first ever Premiership start, and will pack down alongside props Campese Ma’afu and Kieran Brookes in Saints’ front-row.
Christian Day once again skippers the side in the absence of Dylan Hartley and Courtney Lawes, joining Api Ratuniyarawa in the Northampton engine room.
Harrison comes back into the starting line-up after serving a one-match ban, and will once again pull on the eight jersey for Saints, with fellow back-rowers David Ribbans and Jamie Gibson either side of him.
The back three remains unchanged, with Ahsee Tuala lining up at full-back behind Nafi Tuitavake and George North on the wings.
Piers Francis and Rob Horne – Saints top try-scorer in all competitions this season – continue their partnership in the centres, while Reinach comes into the nine jersey to link up with Northampton veteran Stephen Myler in the half-backs.
Saracens meanwhile have made five changes for the trip to Northampton.
Fresh from scoring his first try for the club, Blair Cowan comes in for his first start while Schalk Brits begins at hooker – the only two amendments in the pack from last weekend’s Champions Cup loss to Leinster.
In the backs, Chris Wyles is restored to the wing with Sean Maitland swapping to the right flank and Liam Williams slotting in at full-back.
Ben Spencer begins at scrum-half and Alex Lozowski has been given the nod at outside centre.
Scotland international Duncan Taylor features in the Sarries 23 for the first time since Wasps away in January.
Form: Northampton Saints only victory in their last six first team fixtures was 25-17 at home to London Irish in Round 15 of Premiership Rugby. The Saints slipped up 25-34 to Sale on their most recent match at Franklin’s Gardens to end a four game winning run in all tournaments at the famous venue. Saracens only two defeats in the last eight rounds of Premiership Rugby came in successive matches, at home to Leicester at the end of February and away at Exeter at the beginning of March. Saracens record away from home in Premiership Rugby this season is won five, lost four. Saracens have won their last six fixtures against Northampton including three this season, in Round 1 of Premiership Rugby and Rounds 1 and 6 in the Champions Cup, recording in excess of 50 points on each occasion.
The teams:
Northampton Saints: 15 Ahsee Tuala, 14 Nafi Tuitavake, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Piers Francis, 11 George North, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Jamie Gibson, 6 David Ribbans, 5 Christian Day (c), 4 Api Ratuniyarawa, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Reece Marshall, 1 Campese Ma’afu
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Ehren Painter, 19 Michael Paterson, 20 Ben Nutley, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Tom Collins, 23 Ben Foden
Saracens: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Alex Lozowski, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 5 George Kruis, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Kieran Longbottom, 19 Dominic Day, 20 Schalk Burger, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Duncan Taylor, 23 Nathan Earle
Date: Saturday, April 7
Venue: Franklin's Gardens
Kick-off: 14:00 BST (13:00 GMT)
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe, Simon McConnell
Television match official: David Rose
Harlequins v London Irish
Harlequins director of rugby John Kingston has made eight changes to his starting XV that faced Saracens in Round 18.
Charlie Walker returns to the team for the first time since February, while Francis Saili makes his first start in a Harlequins shirt. Marcus Smith comes in at fly-half as Demetri Catrakilis misses out (quad).
In the forwards, Joe Marler, Dave Ward and Stan South come in as Mat Luamanu is named in the back-row alongside Jack Clifford, who starts for the first time since October 2017.
Ward will captain the side in absence of James Horwill (neck) while Luke Wallace also misses out (concussion).
Among the replacements, Joe Gray will look to make his 150th appearance for the club as George Merrick makes a welcome return from injury.
Meanwhile, London Irish have made two changes their run-on side.
Arno Botha (calf) and Conor Gilsenan (ankle) are both ruled out through injury, with Max Northcote-Green and Jake Schatz coming into the back-row alongside number eight Ofisa Treviranus.
Josh McNally retains his place in the second-row after making a try-scoring return to action in the Exiles’ narrow 33-29 defeat to Gloucester a fortnight ago.
The RAF serviceman, who was side lined for nearly five months following corrective heart surgery, partners skipper Franco van der Merwe in the engine room, while Ben Franks, David Paice and Ollie Hoskins all get the nod in the front-row.
Irish are unchanged in the backline, winger Joe Cokanasiga and fly-half Theo Brophy Clews having scored a try apiece in the Exiles’ last outing.
Form: Harlequins' only victory in the last six rounds of Premiership Rugby was 20-5 at home to Bath on 4 March. Harlequins have lost three times at home in Premiership Rugby this season, to Leicester in Round 4, Wasps in Round 14 and Newcastle in Round 16. London Irish have won just twice in Premiership Rugby this campaign, 39-29 against Quins at Twickenham Stadium in the London double header and 22-9 at home to Worcester in Round 16. The Exiles' victory over Harlequins in Round 1 was their first over Quins in the tournament for four years whilst they have not achieved a season’s double over them since 2004/05.
The teams:
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Charlie Walker, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Francis Saili, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 Jack Clifford, 7 Chris Robshaw, 6 Mat Luamanu, 5 Stan South, 4 Charlie Matthews, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Dave Ward (c), 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Joe Gray, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Will Collier, 19 George Merrick, 20 Archie White, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 James Lang, 23 Alofa Alofa
London Irish: 15 James Marshall, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Tom Fowlie, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Theo Brophy Clews, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Ofisa Treviranus, 7 Max Northcote-Green, 5 Josh McNally, 6 Jake Schatz, 4 Franco van der Merwe (c), 3 Ollie Hoskins, 2 David Paice, 1 Ben Franks
Replacements: 16 Dave Porecki, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Petrus du Plessis, 19 Sebastian De Chaves, 20 Josh Basham, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Tommy Bell, 23 Aseli Tikoirotuma
Date: Saturday, April 7
Venue: Twickenham Stoop
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant referees: Roy Maybank, Phil Watters
Television match official: David Grashoff
Worcester Warriors v Newcastle Falcons
Worcester director of rugby Alan Solomons has made three changes to his side for Saturday's Premiership clash with Newcastle at Sixways.
Chris Pennell and Sam Lewis both return from knocks to make the starting line-up while Ryan Bower deputises for Ethan Waller, who misses out with a shoulder problem.
Pennell forms the back three with the rapid Bryce Heem and Josh Adams while Jackson Willison and Ben Te’o start in the centres. Jamie Shillcock and Jonny Arr continue their half-back combination.
Bower joins Jack Singleton and Nick Schonert in the front-row with Darren Barry and Will Spencer lining up in the second-row.
The back-row sees Lewis slot back in next to David Denton and GJ van Velze while Marco Mama is named on the bench and could make his first appearance since May 2017, following an MCL injury sustained in pre-season.
New signings Dorian Jones and Grayson Hart are named on the bench and could make their Warriors debuts after impressing for Worcester Cavaliers in their emphatic win over Sale Jets on Monday.
Newcastle Falcons welcome back wing duo Vereniki Goneva and Sinoti Sinoti to their side.
Dean Richards' men boast the best away record in the league with six wins from their nine road trips, their only losses away from Kingston Park coming against the top three sides in the division, Exeter, Saracens and Wasps.
Goneva and Sinoti return after missing last week’s Challenge Cup quarter-final victory over Brive, Alex Tait starting at full-back after scoring two tries in the 25-10 triumph against the French outfit.
Sam Stuart retains his place at scrum-half, centre Josh Matavesi lining up against his former club for a Falcons side who have lost only one of their last nine Premiership outings.
Form: Worcester Warriors have lost their last three Premiership Rugby matches since beating Gloucester 25-15 at Sixways on 17 February. Worcester’s three home wins in Premiership Rugby this season were against Northampton, London Irish and Gloucester. Newcastle Falcons have lost just once in the last nine rounds of Premiership Rugby – 3-25 at Saracens on 10 February. Newcastle’s only defeats on the road in the competition this season were at Exeter, Wasps and Saracens. The Falcons have won their last two encounters with the Warriors but both games were played at Kingston Park. Newcastle have never achieved a Premiership Rugby season’s double over Worcester, whilst their only victory at Sixways since 2004 was 16-11 in October 2013.
The teams:
Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Ben Te’o, 12 Jackson Willison, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Jamie Shillcock, 9 Jonny Arr, 8 GJ van Velze (c), 7 Sam Lewis, 6 David Denton, 5 Will Spencer, 4 Darren Barry, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Ryan Bower
Replacements: 16 Kurt Haupt, 17 Gareth Milasinovich, 18 Simon Kerrod, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Marco Mama, 21 Grayson Hart, 22 Dorian Jones, 23 Dean Hammond
Newcastle Falcons: 15 Alex Tait, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Sam Stuart, 8 Nili Latu, 7 Will Welch (c), 6 Evan Olmstead, 5 Sean Robinson, 4 Calum Green, 3 Scott Wilson, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Sam Lockwood
Replacements: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Rob Vickers, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Will Witty, 20 Callum Chick, 21 Joel Hodgson, 22 Dominic Waldouck, 23 Adam Radwan
Date: Saturday, April 7
Venue: Sixways
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson, Adam Leal
Television match official: Stuart Terheege
Exeter Chiefs v Gloucester
England international Don Armand will lead the Chiefs into battle against the Cherry and Whites and he is one of a number of 13 players who are brought back into the starting line-up having been rested last weekend.
Just Dave Dennis and Joe Simmonds are retained from last week's starters, while there are returns to the matchday squad for both Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jack Nowell after recent ankle injuries, as well as winger Olly Woodburn, who missed out on facing his former club at the Rec last month.
Meanwhile, Gloucester head coach Johan Ackermann has made four alterations to his starting line-up for this fixture.
Two of the four changes are injury related. Val Rapava Ruskin and Jason Woodward are replaced by Josh Hohneck and Tom Hudson respectively. Meanwhile, Tom Savage and Ruan Ackermann come in for Jeremy Thrush and Ross Moriarty.
If Billy Twelvetrees takes the field, it will be his 150th competitive appearance for the club, a notable achievement for one of Gloucester's most consistent performers over the past few seasons.
Form: Exeter Chiefs have won their last five matches in all competitions since Wasps beat them 13-7 at Ricoh Arena in Round 15 of Premiership Rugby. Exeter’s only defeat at Sandy Park in the tournament since October 2016 was by a single point to Worcester on 10 February. Gloucester’s 33-29 victory at London Irish in Round 18 ended a three game winless run in the tournament. Gloucester have won their last two away games in all competitions but have not won three in a row on the road for over three years. Gloucester have lost only one of their last four encounters with Exeter but have not won at Sandy Park since a 26-25 victory in January 2015.
The teams:
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Lachie Turner, 14 Ian Whitten, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Joe Simmonds, 9 Nic White, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Don Armand (c), 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Sam Skinner, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Greg Holmes, 19 Mitch Lees, 20 Dave Ewers, 21 Stu Townsend, 22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Jack Nowell
Gloucester: 15 Tom Hudson, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Mark Atkinson, 11 Tom Marshall, 10 Owen Williams, 9 Willi Heinz (c), 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Ed Slater, 4 Tom Savage, 3 John Afoa, 2 James Hanson, 1 Josh Hohneck
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu'u, 17 Paddy McAllister, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Jeremy Thrush, 20 Jake Polledri, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Billy Burns, 23 Billy Twelvetrees
Date: Sunday, April 8
Venue: Sixways
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Tom Foley
Assistant referees: Greg Macdonald, Paul Dix
Television match official: Claire Hodnett