Round
20 is the round that no-one can afford to lose... it is a weekend filled
with humongous Aviva Premiership clashes that mean absolutely
everything to the teams involved... it is a round that needs no further
introduction so let’s dive straight into the full preview;
Bath
Rugby certainly had their fair share of
drama to deal with last weekend and will be hoping for a spot of normality to
resume at The Rec in Round 20... by normality I mean a few less cards and a
spot of the beautiful rugby that we know that they are capable of. This week Matt Garvey said that his
team have earned the right to be serious title contenders and personally I am
inclined to agree with that statement however only if they
secure a win at the very least this weekend. Their opponents the Worcester
Warriors will be a huge handful... Dean Ryan’s players are now just as
steely and tenacious as their Director of Rugby and they won’t be daunted by a
trip to The Rec. On paper Bath are the stronger side, their individual and
collective wealth is greater with the likes of Ford, Abendanon, Garvey, Houston and more within their ranks however Worcester have a lot to lose and you know that they
will put every bit of their hearts and souls into this fixture as they continue
to fight for the Premiership lives.
Exeter
Chiefs' fans have experienced a fair
amount of drama themselves this season due to their team’s undulating form and in
Round 19 their nerves were tested again thanks to a resurgent Warriors side.
Rob Baxter hailed their victory as one of their most critical however this
weekend is just as important, if not more so, for his side who currently lie in
7th place just one point ahead of London Wasps. The European play off has added a huge amount of spice to the middle section of
the table and their opponents Sale will certainly want to rain
of the Chiefs' parade on Saturday afternoon. Last weekend Sale stuttered
slightly and lacked energy however this should have been rectified by a slightly lighter week of
training and a few words from the coaching team. I expect Sale to be back with a bang and ready for this monstrous away fixture because if the Sharks do win then they will be guaranteed a place in Europe next year and that is a
HUGE deal!! The fans at Sandy Park this Easter weekend will be in for a real treat as both sides aren't afraid to throw the ball around and equally both teams build their games on solid physicality and forwards pressure.
This
weekend London Wasps have the honour of calling Twickenham
Stadium home as The Stinger arrives in town! The match is a huge event
for the club and over 35,000 people are expected at HQ to enjoy what will be an
intense encounter between two clubs that know each other very well; this will their fourth encounter this season in various competitions. Both teams are vying for
that 7th place finish and like so many others this weekend neither can
afford to lose. London Wasps may be boosted by the return of Tom Varndell
however that all hinges on a late fitness test although rumour has it that
things are looking fairly positive on that front! I have absolutely no doubt
that Gloucester’s discipline will be much improved this
weekend, referee Wayne Barnes is experienced and I’m sure that he will lay down
the law to both teams early on in the match however let’s park that for the moment and
focus on their playing strengths. Although we haven’t really seen them really open
up this year we know that when they do get it right they can make waves and
really ask questions of their opposition; it is vital that Tindall, Trinder, May and
Sharples get into the game and take advantage of the sizable Twickenham pitch.
It will be interesting to see Dai Young’s squad selection after he made 6
changes in Round 19 that in my eyes proved to be
fairly successful ones... will he stick with that starting XV or
will he make a number of changes again for this critical encounter at
Twickenham?
The Northampton Saints return to Franklin's Gardens with a job to do against London Irish, they have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions and have the Leicester Tigers, in third place, breathing down their necks. Their final 15 minutes against Saracens illustrated their quality and fighting spirit and they will need to show this for the full eighty in order to drive for the necessary bonus point victory. It was great to see Stephen Myler back last weekend and his expertise will be a critical platform to drive off for the home side. London Irish are a different prospect than Saracens and whilst their form has improved in recent weeks I think that they will be brushed aside against a frustrated Saints team. Irish notched up an impressive number of tries last weekend and certainly will wish to play at the same tempo at Franklin's Gardens. Due to injury they will be without James O'Connor however expect big bruising games from Blair Cowen, who has been a standout individual for them this season, and of course captain George Skivington. The Saints know that points mean prizes and they must be careful not to force the game however with the experience of Foden, Dickson, Dowson, Myler, North and more within their ranks I can't really see this one going any other way than theirs.
The
final game on Sunday afternoon is at Kingston Park where the Newcastle
Falcons welcome Saracens to town. Looking at the
visitors first, Mark McCall was extremely pleased with his side’s performance
against Northampton concluding that it was 'as good as they'd played all season' and I totally agree him. Saracens may have let Saints back into the match
however for much of the game they looked in control and played some
outstanding rugby. McCall's men have their place in the Premiership Semi
Finals in the bag already however don't expect them to take their foot off
the gas just yet; yes they will employ their rotational policy so expect a few
different starters however their level of intensity will remain the same.
The Newcastle Falcons certainly have a job on their hands
having lost their last thirteen Aviva Premiership matches in a row and last
weekend didn't go according to plan for the full eighty minutes. Their first
half was described by Dean Richards ‘the worst first half of rugby
that he had seen ever however he did praise their endeavour and effort in the
second which will be some consolation for his men. Worcester are still battling
to catch them so it is vital that they come away with at least a point from the
fixture if not more... Sinoti and Cato certainly need to produce some magic and
collectively their forwards must be prepared for an onslaught of physicality
from the Wolfpack and try to return it with equal measure.
So
there you have it the Aviva Premiership Round 20 preview... it is the round
that no-one can afford to lose and that means that we are in for a huge, huge
treat of the rugby variety this Easter weekend.
