Preview: Premiership Final, Wasps v Exeter
Twickenham will witness first against second in the table on Saturday after two magnificent semi-finals when Wasps face Exeter Chiefs.
Just a few years from financial obscurity Wasps have been transformed into the most entertaining side in the country, all behind a pack whose work often goes unheralded but deserves recognition.
Kurtley Beale, Christian Wade, Elliot Daly and Danny Cipriani have all dazzled this season in guiding Wasps to a first-ever finish at the top of the regular season table.
Yet it was Jimmy Gopperth who picked up the Premiership Player of the Season last week in London, fine recognition for a season in which the 33-year-old has not just covered multiple positions. He has been the glue and steady hand in that back division, whilst also finishing as the league's Golden Boot winner.
Credit in that regard has to go to Dai Young, the Director of Rugby of the season, for ensuring that this Wasps squad is driven not by egos but a collective will to win.
With Joe Launchbury, James Haskell and Thomas Young plus many more in the pack Wasps have been able to create a dominant platform for those backs to shine.
For Wasps to win their pack will need to go toe-to-toe with Exeter, who proved in the semi-final that their forwards can take on the best in Europe and come out on top.
Excuses that Saracens were fatigued from defeating Clermont the previous week are valid but even so, what the Chiefs have built over the last seven years since they were promoted from the Championship is almost beyond belief.
The Devon club have become Champions Cup regulars and in making their second straight final proven that last year's run to the top was no fluke.
Rob Baxter's recruitment policy has always focussed on work over big names, making it no surprise that the likes of Dave Dennis, Julian Salvi and Ian Whitten have excelled in recent years.
And the fact that players like Whitten, James Short and Olly Woodburn – never truly given a chance elsewhere – have now gone on to become top players in the Premiership shows how well the Exeter model is working.
Baxter freely admitted after last year's Premiership final that while his side had not been nervous about the big stage, they did start slowly, with Saracens building a lead that Exeter couldn't overcome despite their best efforts.
Wiser and even more cohesive one year on, a Premiership title would complete what has been a fairytale run for a club who ten years ago finished the season fourth in the Championship.
In team news for Wasps, Willie Le Roux lines up at full-back, with Kurtley Beale sidelined by a hamstring injury. Josh Bassett and Christian Wade start on the wings while Elliot Daly and Jimmy Gopperth again form Wasps’ midfield partnership, outside half-backs Danny Cipriani and Dan Robson.
Up front, captain Joe Launchbury and Matt Symons pack down in the second row, behind Matt Mullan, Tommy Taylor and Phil Swainston. James Haskell, Thomas Young and Nathan Hughes start in the back row.
Ashley Johnson, Simon McIntyre and Marty Moore provide the front row reinforcements, while Kearnan Myall and Guy Thompson will also be ready to make a big contribution in the pack. Alapati Leiua, Frank Halai and Joe Simpson will all be relishing the impact they can make from the bench, with Simpson also in line for his 150th Premiership appearance on Saturday.
For Exeter, Baxter has stuck with virtually an unchanged line-up for the game. The sole change in personnel comes in the back division where Exeter Player of the Year Woodburn returns from a hamstring injury to take the place of Short on the wing.
Otherwise, the Chiefs – who will be led out by skipper Gareth Steenson, one of three survivors in the matchday squad from that night at Bristol – are unchanged.
Players to Watch: Beale's injury means that Willie le Roux steps in at full-back for Wasps, with the Springbok tasked with a key role in the side's attack. Le Roux of course is a top-level player, but Wasps supporters will still be remembering his failed try attempt against Leinster in the Champions Cup quarter-final. Time to make amends, and on a very big stage.
It is almost four years since Geoff Parling came into the Lions Test team alongside Alun Wyn Jones and was a revelation in the third Test, and the former England lock will say goodbye to the Chiefs after the final whistle at Twickenham before he heads overseas. One of the smartest lineout operators the Premiership has ever seen.
Form: This is Wasps' fifth appearance in the Premiership Rugby Final, winning all four previous attempts, in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008. Wasps have actually won the last ten finals they have contested in all tournaments since Saracens beat them at Twickenham in the Tetley’s Bitter Cup in 1998. Wasps only defeat in their last eight Premiership Rugby fixtures was 13-32 at Harlequins on April 28.
Exeter Chiefs have reached their second successive Aviva Premiership Final, going down 20-28 to Saracens at this stage last year. The Chiefs have lost their last three final appearances in all tournaments since beating Northampton Saints 15-8 in the final of the Anglo-Welsh Cup at Sandy Park in 2014. Exeter are unbeaten in their last sixteen Premiership Rugby matches and another victory would tie Leicester’s all-time record in the competition set between 1999 and 2000. The Chiefs have visited Twickenham on six previous occasions and have yet to record a victory.
The two clubs have met on three occasions this season with Wasps winning in Round 1 of Premiership Rugby at the Ricoh Arena, Exeter Chiefs winning at Sandy Park in the Anglo Welsh Cup and the two clubs drawing 35-all at Sandy Park in Premiership Rugby in February.
Prediction: The loss of Beale is significant, even if most clubs would bite their hand off for Wasps' Plan B. But a wiser, tougher Exeter pack and the fact that Exeter are going for a 17th straight Premiership win, off the back of that dramatic win over Saracens, gives them a slender edge. Exeter by 3.
The teams:
Wasps: 15 Willie Le Roux, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Jimmy Gopperth, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Thomas Young, 6 James Haskell, 5 Matt Symons, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 3 Phil Swainston, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Matt Mullan
Replacements: 16 Ashley Johnson, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 Marty Moore, 19 Kearnan Myall, 20 Guy Thompson, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Alapati Leiua, 23 Frank Halai
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Gareth Steenson (c), 9 Stuart Townsend, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Don Armand, 6 Kai Horstmann, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Dave Dennis, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ben Moon
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Carl Rimmer, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Mitch Lees, 20 Sam Simmonds, 21 Will Chudley, 22 Henry Slade, 23 Michele Campagnaro
Date: Saturday, May 27
Venue: Twickenham
Kick-off: 15:00 local (14:00 GMT)
Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley, Luke Pearce
TMO: Rowan Kitt