On Cloud Nine - Aviva Premiership Round 9 Preview

Welcome to Round 9 of the Aviva Premiership, the last round of the International window and indeed the final round before we pause for a short two week European interval. We have some fascinating clashes this weekend so let's dive straight into the preview; 

The first game of Round 9 is at The Rec, it was already going to be one of the matches of the weekend however with the news that Sam Burgess may be unleashed for the first time in the Aviva Premiership (off the bench)the profile of this game just raised up a level! Bath have lost just one of their last nine matches in all competitions and once again are boosted by the release of Kyle Eastmond and Semesa Rokoduguni from England duty. Harlequins must find a spot of go forward and press on from their Round 8 performance if they are to take anything away from The Rec, a Captain's performance from Nick Easter is needed with a touch more precision all around than 7 days ago. Naturally tomorrow's team news at 12pm will be closely watched by all and should Sam be on the list our eyes will rest firmly on which number he will have on his back? Whether or not Sam plays, the form book says that Bath should record their third consecutive Premiership victory.

On Saturday afternoon the Leicester Tigers host Wasps at Welford Road in what will soon be a local derby match. In Round 8 the Tigers recorded a fairly scrappy win over London Welsh at the Kassam Stadium and I expect Richard Cockerill and his new head coach Aaron Mauger will have given the squad a firm talking to this week already. Wasps’ Round 8 game was of a similar fashion and equally harsh words will have been traded in their analysis meeting. Putting in a performance will be the focus for both sides; the clash at the scrum time will be interesting to see and it could be Bell vs. Bell if both Tommy and Chris are selected for their respective sides. Wasps have not been victorious at Welford Road in the Aviva Premiership since on 26th September 2008 the question is will that record continue?

As the sun sets on Saturday evening at Sandy Park fans will be ready for an absolute cracker of a match as the Exeter Chiefs welcome Saracens to town. Captain Dean Mumm said to me at the beginning of the season that this year was going to be about converting their chances and turning near misses into wins and this match will be the ultimate test of their confidence and composure. Mark McCall’s side were another that did not give a good account of themselves last weekend however they did manage to turn things around in the second half of their match. Saracens are a proud side and they have not gone three games in succession without a victory since the end of the 2008/09 season, so expect their performance level to be back up to scratch this weekend. What a statement it would be if Exeter could pull off their first win over Saracens at Sandy Park since 2012, only 80 mintues of rugby will tell if they can do or not?

The Madjeski Stadium opens its doors once again and as the Exiles welcome Gloucester Rugby to Reading. Both sides haven’t enjoyed strong recent Aviva Premiership form having slipped to four (Irish) and three (Gloucester) straight defeats respectively. Irish have back their contingent of South Sea Islanders and the prolific Blair Cowen who also renewed his contract this week until 2018 and that will make a huge difference, providing go forward, defensive security and physicality. Gloucester have won on their last three visits to Reading and must set out their case from early on in order to play off a platform of confidence . All in all an arm-wrestle is expected at the Madjeski...

At the Kassam Stadium it doesn’t get any easier for London Welsh as they now face the Northampton Saints. Personally I agree with Justin Burnell when he said they did make inroads last weekend, however the worry is whether or not they can sustain that level? Welsh’s defensive structure was stronger and as per usual Seb Jewell added sparkle in attack. The Northampton Saints excelled in the first forty against Saracens last weekend and if they produce that level of performance again in Round 9 it could be another long day at the office for the home side. Welsh’s injury list is extensive and unless they have an additions to this I expect their line up to remain the same whilst for the Saints it is bitter sweet that Luther Burrell is available but England’s loss is of course their gain. 

The final game of the weekend is at Kingston Park where the Newcastle Falcons take on the Sale Sharks. Newcastle have not won three games in succession at their home ground in the Aviva Premiership since March 2009 and this match against Sale will test them to their limits. In London last Friday night to Sharks’ rock solid defence and the leadership of Dan Braid led them to victory and I expect the same game plan to be unleashed on the Falcons. Sale continue to ramp up their form, slowly but surely and they’ll certainly see this weekend as an opportunity to stamp their authority back onto the Aviva Premiership before a double European header against Saracens.