After 17 full rounds of Aviva Premiership action the table is precariously poised with just two tiny points separating second place and fifth place and hardly any breathing space after that. It is the time of the season where the terms; run in, home stretch and business end of proceedings shoot to the top of my vocabulary, so forgive me for that however I do believe that they all are essentials at this point of the season!
The round kicks off at the home of the Champions and league leaders the Northampton Saints as they welcome Wasps to town. Jim Mallinder’s men have a comfortable 9 point cushion at the top of the table and their sole task will be to secure a home Semi Final as quickly as possible, however the boys in black and gold won't make things easy for them. Wasps have been delivering some delightful rugby this season however they have struggled with true consistency and if they are to really push for a Top 4 spot that is what they will need. The Saints’ have lost just once at home in the Premiership since March 2014 and only 10 of Wasps' 48 league points have been scored on the road. Both side's have points to prove, to themselves and to those around them so expect the round to kick off with a bang on Friday night.
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| The Tribe will travel in number to Welford Road |
On Saturday afternoon Welford Road is in for a repeat of the recent LV Cup Semi Final as the Leicester Tigers host the Exeter Chiefs. Personally I think that this is one of the most riveting clashes of the weekend and I’ll share why. Over the first 17 rounds Exeter have exceeded expectations however their run in is the toughest of them all and a victory on the road will go a long way towards providing the confidence they will need to face into it. By their own admission the Leicester Tigers were only just getting into their stride prior to the domestic break, they have most of their injured men back and with the emphatic form of the Youngs brothers and Geoff Parling in the RBS 6 Nations the immediate future looks bright. Like a broken record I cannot wait to see the influence that Henry Slade has on this match for his expected match up against Freddie Burns will be just one of a number of pivotal battles.
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| Irish throwback |
In Reading the Newcastle Falcons will join London Irish for their annual St Patricks Day party and the Exiles will be desperate to continue to ride the recent luck of the Irish. Glenn Delaney’s side haven’t had the best of seasons at the Madjeski Stadium, having won just two of their Premiership home games and in front of their largest crowd of the season they’ll have to work extremely hard to make it a hat-trick. The Newcastle Falcons will be hugely frustrated with their eleventh place in the table for they have been playing rugby to a standard that far exceeds that, however their issue has been finishing off matches. It was an issue that haunted Exeter last season and look where they are now so Dean Richards and his side will be focused on his ending the year with purpose.
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| Last year's pre-game huddle - Wembley |
At the same time around forty miles East Saracens will be running out for their annual Derby Day fixture at Wembley Stadium. Harlequins have had a tough season, it will definitely be placed in the ‘development/ground work’ category however with the return of the England men they should look a little more comfortable in Round 18. Throughout the year Saracens have looked confident and assured and in recent weeks you can see them going up through to gears with ease. Last year Conor O’Shea was criticised for resting his England men for this fixture and speaking to Chris Robshaw directly after the France game he is expecting to play this weekend and rest the following week. It should be a brutal head to head for the 80,000 plus spectators and a showcase of the intensity and fluidity of the Aviva Premiership.
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| DC will be raring to go |
On Sunday rugby returns to the AJ Bell stadium for the first time since February as the Sale Sharks host Gloucester Rugby. This season the trip to Manchester is turning into a particularly tough one for any side to make and with the Sharks still in touching distance of the Top 6 they’ll be going hell for leather from moment one. Gloucester’s last Aviva Premiership outing against the Northampton Saints was one of their best performances of the season and that has to be their benchmark going forwards. Precision will be king for both sides as they each have the talent to throw the ball around and play at pace and tempo. Naturally all eyes will be on the tens with the expected match up on Danny Cirpriani versus James Hook and with wheels galore out wide tries should be the order of the day.
The final game of the weekend is at the Kassam Stadium where London Welsh welcome Bath Rugby to town. Bath delivered an important victory over Sale in Round 17 to head into the break in third position and poised with the most ‘comfortable’ run in of them all. London Welsh’s last victory at the Kassam was in the first leg of last year’s Championship playoff and whilst their new Head Coach, Rowland Phillips, would dearly love to start this tenure with a victory, with respect I don’t expect that to be the case. If I was Mike Ford I’d put out a strong starting XV for the fixture and task them with finishing the game by half time. After that, I’d bring on the full bench for the second half and preserve the big names. Precision and power will be Bath’s buzz words whilst Welsh must continue to set their own targets and focus on delivering that 80 minute performance that they have yet to do.
