Nineteen To The Dozen - Aviva Premiership Round 19 Preview

As we head into Round 19 of the Aviva Premiership there are just four full rounds of action remaining and only three tiny points are separating second and fifth position. Following, an intensive weekend of European action staying emotionally fresh for this domestic round will be critical for as we all know there isn’t any room for error, points mean prizes and this year, more than ever, every single point is vital.

Round 19 commences at Kingston Park where Dean Ryan’s Newcastle Falcons host Mike Ford’s Bath Rugby. Both sides tasted defeat on their European travels last weekend and both will be eager to rectify proceedings back in the domestic competition. Throughout the season the Falcons have built well, they now play expansive rugby mixed with purposeful physicality however they still lack that killer instinct to finish off teams and secure vital victories. Bath have made eight changes to face the Falcons and ones that include Sam Burgess gaining his first Premiership run out at blindside. Elsewhere Mike Ford has rotated his front row and Ollie Devoto takes Burgess  place in the centres. The Falcons start Simon Hammersley at Full Back and Rory Clegg takes the place of Tom Catterick in the middle. It will be an intriguing fixture on all counts and the manner in which Bath finished their Champions Cup Quarter Final will shout ominously to the Falcons for Ford’s side showed how impressive their ‘all court’ game can be when the execute it cleanly. 


The first game on Saturday afternoon will be played at The Stoop where Harlequins will host Gloucester Rugby. After a tough experience at the hands of Saracens in Round 18 Harlequins will have valued their extra time off and must run out at home with the objective of reminding their fans how well they can play rugby. This will not be an easy task for Conor O’Shea’s side due to the fact that their confidence is as low as their front row resources and they haven’t yet won successive home games this Premiership season. It will be interesting to see David Humphreys’ selection decisions for with their impending Challenge Cup Semi Final on the horizon will he decide to rest some of his key men and keep them fresh for the knockout fixture? Regardless the onus will be on both sides to execute their game plans cleanly and with precision and to keep errors at a minimum for when they do entertaining rugby is the output.

The second Saturday fixture is in North London where Saracens host the Leicester Tigers in what will be a intriguing and potentially season defining match up. Leicester have weathered some tough storms already this season, they have won their last five Premiership matches in a row and turning over a side on a high following a breathtaking Champions Cup performance would send a huge message out to the rest of the table. Mark McCall’s men are building, last year they adopted the lead from the front approach this year they are developing round on round and I don’t see any signs of this ceasing.  All of the usual areas will be critical in this game, two experienced front rows will go toe to toe, both sets of half backs have been flourishing and what a breakdown it will be with Wray, Salvi and co doing battle. This should be a classic match between two intensely physical and ambitious sides. 

(C) Paler Images

At Sandy Park the Exeter Chiefs host the Northampton Saints in what is an extremely important fixture for both sides. The contrast in their European trips couldn’t have been more stark; Exeter romped to victory against the Newcastle Falcons, they were physical, clinical and scored five tries in the process whereas the Saints were humbled and hurt in France. The question is how much of an emotional toll will that loss to Clermont Auvergne have on Jim Mallinder’s men? The best outcome is that they’ll have slept on the result and woken up on Sunday morning and been pumped to the hills to show that it was a one off nightmare. It is for this reason that Rob Baxter should be preparing for an onslaught, whether or not his side will be presented with one only time will tell. The Chiefs have only lost once at home in all competitions since September so the Sandy Park factor will play it’s role in what will be a crucial Round 19 contest. 

In Oxford London Welsh have their second to last Aviva Premiership home game of the season as they welcome Wasps Rugby to town. Wasps turned more than a few heads last weekend in the South of France as they pushed Toulon hard and whilst the challenge of London Welsh will be vastly different however they must attack the fixture with the same purpose. As always the home side will put their all into the game, there is no questioning the fact that I expect Wasps to gain five vital points from the fixture however I hope London Welsh continue to make inroads into their performances objectives.

The final of the Sunday offerings will be held at the Madjeski Stadium where London Irish welcome the Sale Sharks to town. The Sharks remain in touch of that precious sixth position in the table which would unlock to the door to another season of European action and with their closest points rivals Wasps heading to the Kassam Stadium a win on the road is vital. London Irish finished their Challenge Cup Quarter Final dejected after a valiant fight back from sixteen nil down and an inconclusive final grounding. Interim Head Coach Glenn Delaney will be focused on ensuring that his final games in charge set a positive platform going into their new regime however Sale are a tough cookie to crack, home or away.