Greetings everyone and welcome to Round 5 of the
Aviva Premiership, I trust that you all are well and have settled nicely back
into swing of all things domestic rugby related? It has been quite the start
to the season, teams have been nil’ed, wonder tries have been scored and with
the EPS squad announcement later than ever before it is pushing our players to
greater and greater heights week on week.
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Rounds 5 starts with a bang on Friday night as Bath Rugby host Saracens. Bath are unbeaten at The Rec in their
last five matches in all competitions however Saracens' only away defeat this
year in the Aviva Premiership came in Round 22 at Welford Road so we know that
playing on the road doesn’t faze them in the slightest. Bath were slow
to react against the Saints however they finished with huge intensity and the type
of intensity that they must show from minute one on Friday
Night. Saracens look cool, calm and collected led by the ferocious Wolfpack and
the man that is ageing like a fine wine, Charlie Hodgson they are looked sharper
and more clinical than ever. Bath are starting to reach the heights that they
expect from themselves in terms of their performances however Saracens’
stifling line speed as said it will be a tough test of character. All in all it
has every ingredient possible to deliver for an epic Friday Night Aviva
Premiership encounter..JPG)
On Saturday afternoon The Stoop opens its doors
again as Harlequins host London Welsh. Neither side enjoyed Round 4 as Welsh imploded on 60 minutes whilst Conor O’Shea’s side had a testing day at Sandy
Park. A reaction is required from both and it should result in a heated and
feisty Derby fixture in South West London. Logic points towards a comfortable Harlequins win and if Harlequins side play to
their potential then they should achieve that... however so far this year they
haven’t. This week at the Surrey Sports Park there will have been a huge focus
on the fundamentals and stripping their game back to its core in order to deliver
a cleaner and more polished output on Saturday. London Welsh’s overarching
problem is fitness, can that be changed in a week? I think not, however they must find a
way around it, whether it is utilising the bench at different times or players
simply putting themselves in holes as opposed to giving up because their lungs are screaming. Justin Burnell’s side have the hardest task in the Aviva Premiership
because being absolutely pummelled every single weekend hugely takes its toll. Their bodies and minds are being battered on a weekly
basis and bouncing back takes a huge amount of strength and determination..JPG)
For London Irish there isn’t
time to celebrate their historic victory at Welford Road for this weekend they
have the challenging task of entertaining the Northampton Saints. The last time Irish beat the Saints at the Madjeski was on 6th October
2012 and Jim Mallinder's side has lost just one match in any tournament since mid April.
Personally I believe that this game has the makings of a decent game of rugby for London Irish
are riding on a spot of confidence and should be able to make it a competitive
fixture. The Exiles’ backs are firing nicely and their forward power has been
their strength from day 1. The Saints, well the Saints are gritty, determined
and full of flair from 1 to 15 and it will certainly be a test of just how much
Irish have progressed over a short period of time. There is likely to be a
particularly tasty clash up front between Dylan Hartley and David Paice and it
will be interesting to see how Shane Geraghty handles the Burrell and Pisi
partnership. An intriguing match at the Madjeski Stadium awaits...
Gloucester Rugby hosting the Leicester Tigers will be an
absolutely fascinating watch given the current condition of both clubs. In
Round 4 Gloucester finished the job against Welsh however it wasn't a complete or perfect performance whilst Welford Road was shocked to it's foundation by the Exiles. Leicester
haven’t been defeated in three successive Aviva Premiership Rugby matches since
October 2011 and I expect that it was an honest and tough time for all in the
East Midlands this week. In my eyes the lay of the land in terms of this match all depends on
players’ fitness, if Leicester welcome back Mulipola up front as well as Allen
and Tuilagi in the backs then you simply can't write off them off. However if they
are forced to put out the same XV as last weekend then there must be a large
question mark against them. Focus and discipline will be critical for both
teams, with the characters that are likely to be on the field it will be quite
a fiery match, I’m expecting quite a few handbags and a very, very vocal Shed!
On Sunday afternoon Steve Diamond’s Sale Sharks host Wasps at the AJ Bell Stadium. The visitors don’t have the best
track record against the Sharks as their one solitary victory on Sale soil in
their last 10 visits was in October 2010, at Edgeley Park. In saying that
matches between the two sides are usually extremely close; less than four
points have separated them on their last three Premiership encounters. There
are a number of individuals that will want to prove themselves playing against their former sides; Chris Bell, Rob Miller and James Gaskell
are three former Sharks whilst as we all know Danny Cipriani was once a Wasp
and could, if you read the papers, be one again in the future!! The two sides have both shown flair with the
ball and produced physical defensive displays so far this season and against each
other I expect to see these two elements amplified and a scintillating
encounter is on the horizon. 
The final match of the weekend is 'up north' as the Newcastle Falcons
host the Exeter Chiefs. The Falcons’
losing record continues, 20 on the bounce and it is now the third worst losing record in
Aviva Premiership history. The underlying factor for the Falcons is that that their basics are letting them down, certainly against Wasps last weekend that was clear to see; there were too many unforced errors handing their opposition back possession through knock ons and forward passes. If Dean Richards fixes them then W might arrive. Exeter, oh Exeter, they are
maturing before our very eyes and it is great to see. The Chiefs are developing
the complete package; they are showing us all that they can play the power game
and an up tempo game with their hugely exciting backs! It will be great to see
Rob Baxter’s side let loose on the artificial turf, they have won all six
previous Premiership clashes with Newcastle and I believe that this will be
their seventh.