Premiership Preview: Saturday, Sunday

Five games take place in the Premiership on Saturday and Sunday with the West Country derby between Gloucester and Bath the standout match.

Saturday

Exeter Chiefs v Sale Sharks

Director of rugby Rob Baxter has made a number of changes to the Exeter Chiefs side on duty against London Irish a fortnight ago.

In the back division, Sam Hill comes in for the injured Ian Whitten (broken hand), while Joe Simmonds gets the nod over Gareth Steenson at fly-half.

Up front, Alec Hepburn and Jack Yeandle come into the front-row for Ben Moon and Luke Cowan-Dickie, both of whom start on the bench, while in the engine-room Sam Skinner returns to partner Mitch Lees.

Meanwhile, Sale have made eight changes – six positional – in their squad for the Premiership match against champions Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park.

Will Addison returns from injury after a two-game absence and slots in at full-back, whilst Johnny Leota is named in the 23 for the first time since last season’s final match against Bath.

That game was also the last time that the Curry brothers, Ben and Tom, were named in the Sharks’ starting XV, as they are for this weekend’s encounter in Devon. The James brothers, Sam and Luke, retain their centre positions.

The teams:

Exeter: 15 Lachie Turner, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Santiago Cordero, 10 Joe Simmonds, 9 Nic White, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Don Armand, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Mitch Lees, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Jack Yeandle (c), 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Greg Holmes, 19 Dave Dennis, 20 Thomas Waldrom, 21 Stuart Townsend, 22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Tom O’Flaherty

Sale: 15 Will Addison, 14 Byron McGuigan, 13 Sam James, 12 Luke James, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jono Ross (c), 7 Ben Curry, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Andrei Ostrikov, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Marc Jones, 17 Aexandru Tarus, 18 Halani Aulika, 19 Josh Beaumont, 20 Josh Strauss, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Johnny Leota, 23 Paolo Odogwu

Venue: Sandy Park
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant referees: JP Doyle, Paul Dix
TMO: Keith Lewis

Gloucester v Bath

Gloucester are set for their final outing at Kingsholm this season on Saturday in the Premiership against local rivals Bath, and make four changes to their starting line-up.

All the changes are in the pack, with a new look front-row in Josh Hohneck, James Hanson and John Afoa while, in the back-row, Lewis Ludlow comes in for Ruan Ackermann.

Always a hard-fought encounter, it’s the Cherry and Whites’ final home game of the season and Johan Ackermann’s side will be looking to sign off on a positive note, keep their play-off hopes alive and take a big step towards securing a top six finish.

Gloucester will also be looking to make it a double over their local rivals having won 22-21 in dramatic circumstances at the Rec back in October.

Meanwhile, Bath have made three changes to the team to face Gloucester on Saturday at Kingsholm, with Max Clark, Tom Homer and Anthony Perenise all return to the starting line-up, whilst Charlie Ewels continues as captain.

Perenise joins Beno Obano and Tom Dunn in the front-row, with Elliott Stooke lining up against his former side alongside Ewels in the second-row.

Tom Ellis, Francois Louw and Taulupe Faletau complete the pack in an unchanged back-row combination.

Kahn Fotuali’i and Rhys Priestland continue at scrum-half and fly-half respectively, with James Wilson switching from full-back to inside centre to partner Clark in the midfield.

Aled Brew and Matt Banahan occupy the wing positions, with Homer completing the backline at full-back.

Zach Mercer marks his return to action, with the back-rower named among the replacements for the derby clash.

The teams:

Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Tom Marshall, 13 Billy Twelvetrees, 12 Mark Atkinson, 11 Henry Trinder, 10 Billy Burns, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Jake Polledri, 5 Mariano Galarza, 4 Ed Slater (c), 3 John Afoa, 2 James Hanson, 1 Josh Hohneck
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu’u, 17 Paddy McAllister, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Tom Savage, 20 Ruan Ackermann, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Andy Symons, 23 David Halaifonua

Bath: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Max Clark, 12 James Wilson, 11 Aled Brew, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Kahn Fotuali’i, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Tom Ellis, 5 Elliott Stooke, 4 Charlie Ewels (c), 3 Anthony Perenise, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Beno Obano
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Lucas Noguera, 18 Shaun Knight, 19 James Phillips, 20 Zach Mercer, 21 Max Green, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Cooper Vuna

Venue: Kingsholm
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant referees: Peter Allan, Simon McConnell
TMO: Rowan Kitt

Worcester Warriors v Harlequins

Donncha O’Callaghan will captain Warriors for the final time in Saturday’s Premiership clash with Harlequins at Sixways.

O’Callaghan will lead the side out for one final time before the curtain comes down on a career which has seen him win 94 caps for Ireland and represent the British & Irish Lions on four occasions.

It will be a day of celebration at Sixways as Chris Pennell is set to run out for his 200th game for the club nearly 11 years after making his Warriors debut as a 20-year-old.

Director of rugby Alan Solomons makes three changes to the side which travelled to Wasps last time out as Francois Hougaard and Marco Mama join O’Callaghan in returning to the starting line-up.

Bryce Heem and Josh Adams will once again link-up with Pennell in the back three, while Ben Te’o will partner Jackson Willison in midfield. Dorian Jones and Hougaard form the half-back combination.

Ryan Bower, Jack Singleton and Nick Schonert line-up in an unchanged front-row, while Barry partners O’Callaghan in the second-row. GJ van Velze, Sam Lewis and Mama are named in the back-row.

For Harlequins, they have made three changes to the starting XV from the match against Gloucester on April 14.

The backs are unchanged but, in the forwards, Charlie Matthews comes into the second-row to replace James Horwill, who has an ankle injury.

Dave Ward will start at hooker and captain the side while in the back-row Chris Robshaw moves to blindside in the absence of Jack Clifford who tore his hamstring against Gloucester, with Luke Wallace coming into the side at seven.

The teams:

Worcester: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Ben Te’o, 12 Jackson Willison, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dorian Jones, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 GJ van Velze, 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Marco Mama, 5 Darren Barry, 4 Donncha O’Callaghan (c), 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Ryan Bower
Replacements: 16 Joe Taufete’e, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Gareth Milasinovich, 19 Anton Bresler, 20 David Denton, 21 Jonny Arr, 22 Jamie Shillcock, 23 Dean Hammond

Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Charlie Walker, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Alofa Alofa, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 Mat Luamanu, 7 Luke Wallace, 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 Charlie Matthews, 4 George Merrick, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Dave Ward (c), 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Elia Elia, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Will Collier, 19 Stan South, 20 Archie White, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 James Lang, 23 Tim Visser

Venue: Sixways
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant referees: Jack Makepeace, Paul Burton
TMO: David Grashoff

Sunday

London Irish v Saracens

London Irish legend David Paice will skipper the Exiles in his last home game this Sunday when Saracens travel to the Madejski Stadium.

The 34-year-old is Irish’s most capped player of all time having racked up 288 appearances for the club he joined in 2003.

The Exiles have made four changes for the visit of Saracens, the most notable inclusion being Blair Cowan who returns to Irish’s starting XV following his loan spell with this weekend’s opponents.

Cowan partners Jake Schatz in the back-row, while Greig Tonks replaces the injured Tommy Bell at full-back. Johnny Williams gets the nod at inside centre, with Theo Brophy Clews switching to fly-half.

Meanwhile, Saracens tighthead prop Vincent Koch will make his long-awaited return from injury on Sunday.

The South Africa international is set for his first start since February after being sidelined with an ankle problem.

Koch is one of seven changes to the Saracens side that secured a place in the Premiership play-offs against Bath last time out.

England duo Jamie George and Maro Itoje come back into the pack with Michael Rhodes selected at six.

In the backs, Alex Goode is reinstated at full-back with Liam Williams moving back to the wing. Ben Spencer and Duncan Taylor also start while number eight Billy Vunipola has been named on the bench.

The teams:

London Irish: 15 Greig Tonks, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Tom Fowlie, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Theo Brophy Clews, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Ofisa Treviranus, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Ollie Hoskins, 2 David Paice (c), 1 Ben Franks
Replacements: 16 Dave Porecki, 17 Harry Elrington, 18 Petrus Du Plessis, 19 Sebastian De Chaves, 20 Josh Basham, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Luke McLean, 23 Aseli Tikoirotuma

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Liam Williams, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Michael Rhodes, 5 George Kruis, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Billy Vunipola, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Alex Lozowski, 23 Marcelo Bosch

Venue: Madejski Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant referees: Hamish Smales, Philip Waters
TMO: David Rose

Wasps v Northampton Saints

Dai Young has named the same backline that started the recent win over Worcester for Sunday’s crucial Premiership clash with Northampton.

This means Dan Robson, who this week has signed a new contract, starts at scrum-half with Danny Cipriani, Jimmy Gopperth and Juan de Jongh forming a potent midfield trio.

In the pack, loosehead props Simon McIntyre and Matt Mullan switch starting and bench roles as do hookers Tommy Taylor and Tom Cruse.

Irish international prop Marty Moore, who completes the complement of front row replacements, is in line to make his 50th Wasps appearance.

He is joined on an impactful bench by experienced quartet James Haskell, Joe Simpson, Kearnan Myall and Gaby Lovobalavu plus the pacy Josh Bassett.

Meanwhile, Northampton make just two changes for their trip to Wasps, with Alex Waller and Luther Burrell coming into the starting line-up.

Interim head coach Alan Dickens and technical coaching consultant Alan Gaffney welcome back Burrell and Waller into the starting XV for the first time since their respective injury lay-offs – both lined up on the bench against Tigers.

But there’s also a return for Heinrich Brüssow; the South African flanker is fit enough for a spot on the bench after last playing against Bath back in March.

Burrell partners up with Piers Francis in the centres with Stephen Myler and Cobus Reinach continuing together in the half-backs.

Ben Foden will lead out the side as captain, and the Saints veteran is joined in the back three by George North and full-back Ahsee Tuala.

Waller is the only change in Saints pack from the win over Tigers, with Mikey Haywood and Paul Hill selected in the front-row, and Api Ratuniyarawa and James Craig behind them.

The back-row remains unchanged with Jamie Gibson, Teimana Harrison, and Mitch Eadie all impressing in Leicester – but Alex Mitchell, James Grayson and Tom Collins will all look to inject some pace off the bench.

The teams:

Wasps: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jimmy Gopperth, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Guy Thompson, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Jack Willis, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Simon McIntyre
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Marty Moore, 19 Kearnan Myall, 20 James Haskell, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Gaby Lovobalavu, 23 Josh Bassett

Northampton: 15 Ahsee Tuala, 14 Ben Foden (c), 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Piers Francis, 11 George North, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Mitch Eadie, 7 Teimana Harrison, 6 Jamie Gibson, 5 James Craig, 4 Api Ratuniyarawa, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Mikey Haywood, 1 Alex Waller
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 Campese Ma’afu, 18 Ehren Painter, 19 Alex Moon, 20 Heinrich Brüssow, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 James Grayson, 23 Tom Collins

Venue: Ricoh Arena
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe, Greg MacDonald
TMO: David Sainsbury