Trapdoor drama set to grip England

For the first time in a couple of campaigns, the Guinness Premiership's survival dog fight is poised not to be the usual forgone conclusion.

For the first time in a couple of years, the Guinness Premiership's survival dog fight is poised not to be the usual forgone conclusion.

The past two seasons have seen Bristol and the formerly known Leeds Tykes fall down to Championship level without so much as a whimper following their rather dismal record of picking up just four domestic wins between them.

Yet this term England's top flight has been markedly different going into the run-in.

And for that reason, our team at Planet Rugby felt this was the perfect time to break down each team's chances ahead of the final seven rounds.

Here is how the Guinness Premiership table looks going into Round Seventeen…

1 Leicester … 49
2 Northampton … 48
3 Saracens … 45
4 London Irish … 43
5 Wasps … 39
6 Bath … 34
7 Gloucester … 31
8 Harlequins … 28
9 Newcastle … 27
10 Worcester … 24
11 Sale Sharks … 23
12 Leeds Carnegie … 23

Leeds Carnegie:

Neil Back seems to be leading something of a well-timed revival up in Yorkshire – since Round Ten they have lost three games very narrowly and won three. And with momentum set to be vital in who survives the run-in, Leeds certainly have that and will be looking to outfight teams with battling performances.

Next up are Saracens at home before some tough domestic games are interrupted by a key one against Worcester at Headingley Carnegie. Relegation decider?

Remaining fixtures: Saracens (Home), Gloucester (Away), Northampton (Home), London Irish (Away), Worcester (Home), Bath (Away).

Worcester:

Worcester seem to always be there or thereabouts when it comes to this stage of the season. And despite Chairman Cecil Duckworth OBE being as committed to the cause as he is, the Warriors could be the outfit to drop due to them arguably having the toughest seven games on their schedule.

Next up are Harlequins away with points then hard to come by elsewhere before that aforementioned trip to face the league's basement dwellers. Our choice to drop.

Remaining fixtures: Harlequins (Away), Leicester (Home), Sale (Away), Wasps (Home), Leeds (Away), Gloucester (Home).

Sale:

Something is not quite right in Stockport and their thumping at Gloucester could have done more damage than many would expect. Missing the likes of Mathew Tait and Mark Cueto does not mean they are badly hit by international call-ups but last week showed their recent weak spot is found up front. One plus they may be able to draw on is that their next opponents are without Euan Murray and Dylan Hartley.

But with home games against Worcester and Newcastle coming up, it is hard to see the Sharks having a worse run of form than that of the Warriors.

Remaining fixtures: Northampton (Home), London Irish (Away), Worcester (Home), Bath (Away), Newcastle (Home), Harlequins (Away).

Newcastle:

Steve Bates has built the Falcons team around his forward pack this season and why not, he does own one of the world's best in captain Carl Hayman. Had they beaten relegation rivals Worcester on Friday instead of losing, their late-season sights might have been on the top four instead of the drop. However, the latter seems to now be the case and it honest to say that Newcastle have the toughest seven games remaining. They should be safe.

The likes of Jimmy Gopperth and Tane Tu'ipulotu need to shine while the team must take their chances, something they did not do against the Warriors last week.

Remaining fixtures: Bath (Home), Saracens (Away), Harlequins (Away), Leicester (Home), Sale (Away), Wasps (Home).

Harlequins:

The team furthest away from the drop were flying high at this point last season, particularly in the Heineken Cup. How things have changed. Injuries have been a hindrance at the Stoop after losing the likes of Gonzalo Tiesi, Mike Brown, Will Skinner and Tom Williams at varying points in the season. That has made it a tough year for Quins following the debacle that was 'Bloodgate' and then Dean Richards' exit but surely relegation is not on the cards.

Remaining fixtures: Worcester (Home), Bath (Away), Newcastle (Home), Saracens (Away), Leicester (Away), Sale (Home).

Let us know who you think will finish bottom…

By Adam Kyriacou