'Tis The Season For Rugby - Aviva Premiership Round 11 Preview

Season’s Greetings to one and all, I hope that this Aviva Premiership preview finds you in jolly good spirits and ready for a superb festive season! As we rest up and enjoy eating our body weight in food our Aviva Premiership players will be exercising restraint as for them it is just another working week with Round 11 at the end of it.

The round kicks off on Boxing Day at The Madjeski Stadium where London Irish host London Welsh. London Irish’s only victory in their last eight fixtures in all competitions was at against Cardiff Blues in the European Challenge Cup. London Welsh, as we all know, have yet to win a match. London Welsh have beaten the Exiles before, 15-9 at the Kassam in December 2012 and what a Christmas present it would be if they did it again. Both sides know how important this match is and that will translate into the intensity on the pitch. The side that is precise in their actions and the most clinical with their possession will be victorious and at this moment in time you expect that to be London Irish. It may not be beautiful but it will be striking, festive battle awaits on a day that is traditionally a little sluggish in its manner. 

On Saturday we will enjoy a heated affair in the West Country as Bath Rugby welcome the Exeter Chiefs to town. Bouncing back will be the order of the day for Rob Baxter’s men who were uncharacteristically bullied by a strong Sale Sharks side last Friday night. For the home size ‘more of the same’ will be their festive motto as they continue to impress us all with their depth and finesse. As you might have guessed already I’ll be focused on two of the most talented young men in the Aviva Premiership; George Ford and Henry Slade whilst the breakdown battle will be extremely interesting with two quality back rows likely to be selected. Exeter should raise their game back to the standard that they have set themselves, as long as they hold their discipline, and that will make it into a cracker of a fixture (Christmas pun intended)!

At the same time in Manchester the Sale Sharks will be facing off against the Leicester Tigers. Sale’s assured performance turned heads last week as they looked better than they have done all season. The Tigers, well we all know what happened to them at Franklin’s Gardens and not for the first time I wouldn’t have wanted to be part of their analysis session yesterday. Speaking to Jamie Gibson today he shared the desire that the players have to 'do themselves and the club's history justice' and that should show from the first whistle. The AJ Bell Stadium isn’t an easy place for any side to travel to and Cockers will reflect that in his selection. In my eyes this has the makings to be one of the matches of the round.

At Kingston Park the Newcastle Falcons will enjoy a Christmas with a difference as they will be able to play a festive match without wallowing knee deep in mud thanks to their new hybrid pitch. Saracens are their opponents and the last time they met it was a close fought encounter  however Mark McCall's men will breeze into town oozing with confidence following their biggest ever victory in the Aviva Premiership in Round 10. Newcastle are another side that are looking to channel some frustration into a fixture as last weekend they gave away a game that they should have won. Personally I’m not betting against the depth of Saracens, they should win this game and win it comfortably if they field a full strength XV, whether they will or not is another question!?

At Twickenham Stadium Harlequins will host their Big Game 7; Harlequins have a great record at Twickenham Staduim having won on their last 6 visits there however their opponents the Northampton Saints are something else! Northampton’s Round 10 performance was one of the performances of the season and they did so with 14 players, with 15 they should replicate a performance akin to their last outing on the Twickenham turf. This season Harlequins’ Aviva Premiership form hasn’t been of the champagne variety, Nick Evans is set to return to the starting XV which will make a huge difference. O’Shea’s men must be inspired by the occasion and they must find a way to make clean breaks and penetrate the Saints’ defensive line, if they don't then it won't be a happy occasion at 'The Big Stoop' for Saints will punish them. 

The final game of the weekend is at Kingsholm where Gloucester Rugby will want to give their fans something to cheer about as they welcome Wasps to town. Gloucester’s home record remains worse than they would like having lost three of their last four matches there however it is a place that Wasps find notoriously difficult to travel to.  David Humprehy’s will have stressed to his side about the importance of converting possession into points and accuracy will be their key focus for the match. Wasps, well Wasps will simply want to replicate their second half performance from Round 10 in which they were dynamic in defence and utterly clinical in attack. If I was Dai Young I wouldn’t change my selection, bar injuries, to give that starting XV the opportunity to press on together. If Wasps pull it together an away victory is a distinct possibility but not if Gloucester stifle them from the word go and then let the Shed get involved!