Welcome to Round 6! From my point of view normal service is resumed after a little sojourn to Barcelona last weekend for a family event I'm back on the rugby beat and can't wait to see how the final round before Europe unfolds.
Once again we've had a week that's been filled with news and most of it has centred upon England's training camp in Brighton and the injuries that occurred at it with Sam Jones' fractured fibula and Anthony Watson's broken jaw. Eddie Jones himself said prior that it was going to be a testing camp to see who could cut the mustard and of course accidents do happen in training but his intense camp has perturbed some Premiership clubs. Prior to this point the relationship between club and country was going well but you get that feeling that a few feathers have been ruffled. For now I'm going to park this one, I'm sure that the discussion will continue for a while, and instead look ahead to this weekend's Premiership action.
Todd Blackadder’s Bath have the honour of kicking off Round 6 and underneath their Friday night lights they will be looking to put in a strong performance to finish this opening block of fixtures. Sale should arrive in a confident mood and the fact that they’re able to welcome back Sam James and potentially have the firepower of Mike Haley off the bench only adds to their weaponry. Bath did exactly what they needed to against Gloucester in their derby day last weekend and in Round 6 Jonathan Joseph’s return to fitness is key. JJ is the man that will help boost their creativity and make things happen from the mighty fine half-back partnership of Fotuali’i and Ford. Sale have lost 3 of their last four against Bath but this one won’t won’t be a walk in the park either way. Both have strong packs, both have firepower to launch in attack and I’m expecting a great contest to kick-start the weekend. Two to watch: Keep your eye on the two outside centres and the Kahn Fotuali’i and Mike Phillips duel. 
Next stop on the Premiership road are two clubs that both have a spot pressure on their shoulders. Exeter’s home record last season was almost impeccable but already Saracens have shown how to beat the Chiefs at Sandy Park. The Chiefs blew a 13-0 lead at Franklin’s Gardens and need a result in Round 6 to keep them on track after a tough opening run of fixtures. Gloucester’s derby at Kingsholm was another bitter pill to swallow and they have to focus on delivering the right standard of output for the full 80 minutes. The most important thing from a Cherry and White point of view is cutting out their errors, errors simply cannot be present against a motivated Exeter side. In the face of recent adversity Gloucester could be galvanised and deliver a big performance but last weekend’s output leads me to believe another difficult result could be on the cards. Two to watch: Charlie Sharples making his 200th competitive appearance for Gloucester Rugby and Olly Woodburn continuing his fine form. 
Leicester Tigers return to Welford Road after a loss on the road and one that didn’t sit comfortably with their Director of Rugby. Conversely Worcester gained the home victory that they’ve been searching for but know that Leicester are a completely different kettle of fish. Carl Hogg has asked his players to head to Welford Road and ‘puff their chests out and express themselves’ and that’s exactly the right attitude to take. Selection wise Ben Youngs and Dan Cole have been rested, likely due to their involvement with England’s camp this week, but their replacements will do a job. In 13 previous visits Worcester haven’t won at Welford Road and the home side will want to prove another point in front of their home fans before heading on the European road. Two to watch: Keep an eye on Ellis Genge taking his starting opportunity and Worcester’s Jamie Shillcock.
At Kingston Park Newcastle Falcons host Bristol Rugby off the back of a match in which they frustrated themselves as they didn’t take all of their opportunities. Bristol’s outing against Saracens was always going to be a challenging one and I wonder if there will be any psychological damage having been nilled? Dean Richard's’ selection is a largely consistent and I believe the message will be ‘go out and show what you're made of’. For Bristol Rugby this is a big match, I don’t like to frame it as a relegation duel because we’re only in Round 6, but it is an important match for both. David Lemi’s return should have an impact from a leadership point of view as well as the return of his outstanding feet. Bristol need to march confidently up to Kingston Park, if they don't feel it they have to fake it, and irk their hosts from early doors. Two to watch: Jordan Williams is a handful from full back and how effective can David Wilson be on his first start back at the club?
Harlequins’ suffered badly at the hands of the form team in the competition last weekend but they need to put that behind them and remember the good times of Round 4 at The Stoop. Northampton’s victory against Exeter was vital and they need to work from the very significant positives that were present in that match; notably George North’s brilliance and Louis Picamoles showing his International class. The hosts welcome back Nick Evans and his presence always adds such experience and assurance in the middle. Saints bring Luther Burrell back into their starting XV and I’m keep to see what he’ll create for them because Harry Mallinder performed well last weekend. The visitors have won their last seven encounters with Harlequins in all competitions and all Quins fans will remember the manner in which they finished their last meeting at The Stoop with Ben Botica’s clanger!! Can Harlequins start to re-adress that winning record in Round 6? They'll need to deliver across the park and not just rely on one or two big performances from their internationals. Two to watch: Both returning fly-halves will be vital; Stephen Myler and Nick Evans.
The weekend will finish with what should be the game of the round as Saracens host the form team of the opening five rounds Wasps. Wasps are able to welcome back Joe Launchbury to their bench and shift Ashley Johnson to the back row given the injuries to Sam Jones and Guy Thompson. Memories of their European semi-final defeat will be fresh in their minds and Dai Young’s side know that they’re in form and ready to take it up a gear again. Saracens fit Sean Maitland into their full back jersey as Alex Goode remains injured and sadly there’s still no sign of Owen Farrell in their match day 23. Saracens bounced back against Bristol but this is a different test completely. If I start listing eye catching head-to-heads then I’d just end up writing down the majority of both teams so instead I’ll simply say make sure that you are in front of a television or at Allianz Park for this one because it promises to be a belter. Two to watch: It will be a big day for Wasps’ back row to ensure they match Saracens’ trio’s physicality.
