Can you believe that we are approaching the final Aviva Premiership round before the first European break? As we all know momentum is king in this business and a strong final victory in the domestic competition will make a big difference in terms of the opening European rounds. The weekend is filled sublime match ups so without any further introduction let's dive straight into the Round 4 preview.
Harlequins have the honour of kicking off proceedings at The Stoop against the Sale Sharks. The home side have started this Aviva Premiership season extremely strongly and are looking confidence and robust. After their shock in round one Steve Diamond’s Sharks have grown into they season and their performance last weekend against Saints will have given them confidence heading on the road. Personally I’ll be focused on the Nick Evans versus Danny Cipriani battle at fly-half, both are critical to their side’s success with Nick slotting 63 points so far in three Rounds and Danny being instrumental in every positive Sale attack. The breakdown will be another area of scrutiny with Chris Robshaw and his back row likely to be up against the dual threat of David Seymour and Dan Braid. Sale must succeed in niggling Quins and preventing their quick ball however if Quins continue as they have done we may see another strong home victory for Conor O'Shea's men. Key Men - Harlequins' Nick Evans and Sale Sharks' Danny Cipriani 
On Saturday afternoon London Irish will host Bath Rugby at the Madjeski Stadium. It is a fixture that always contains a bit of bite ever since a number of former Exiles headed down the M4 and this weekend both sides will be on edge. London Irish are yet to record a win this season and Bath Rugby haven’t performed anywhere near their potential so far and have had a lot to deal with this week regarding Sam Burgess. In difficult circumstances Bath Rugby need to find their spark on the road and really put their attacking game plan on the park. In terms of selection Mike Ford said this week he'll resting a few individuals with Eurpoe ahead, because if you don't do it now when can you? Also it will be interesting to see if Niko Matawalu starts at 9 or whether Chris Cook is given the nod given in my opinion Niko isn’t quite in sync with the Bath way yet. Irish have to focus on the positives from their performance against Saracens and express themselves on home soil - all in all this should be an intriguing match. Key Men - London Irish's Blair Cowen & Bath Rugby's Stuart Hooper
At Sixways the Worcester Warriors welcome the Newcastle Falcons to town and it is set to be a huge clash between the two sides currently placed in 10th and 12th in the Aviva Premiership table. The Falcons’ start to the season hasn’t been ideal with poor discipline plaguing them in the opening two rounds and major defensive lapses against the Exeter Chiefs. The Worcester Warriors have enjoyed a stronger start than many thought with their opening victory and two close losses after that. Personally I hope that both sides don’t tense up knowing that this is a huge fixture and instead play some rugby. This is exactly the game in which I believe Chris Pennell will flourish and with Worcester having all five of the top tacklers in the competition the Falcons will need to be on their game to score the points required to take something away from home. Key Men - Worcester Warriors Phil Dowson & Newcastle Falcons Nili Latu
At Sandy Park the side that have impressed me the most in the opening three rounds, the Exeter Chiefs, will host the Leicester Tigers. In spite of their narrow round one loss the Chiefs are confident and delivering some outstanding rugby both home and away. Rob Baxter is a content man after three rounds and shared with me that it is his sides' defensive prowess that is particularly pleasing him. In attack their ball players are enjoying themselves and the double kicking threat of Gareth Steenston and Henry Slade makes their opponents think. The Tigers have also impressed me, more than I thought that they would, given the number of new players and a shake up at the top. Aaron Major’s impact was starting to show against Wasps and their pack is pleasingly purposeful in spite of not having the household names they used to boast. The Chiefs have been beaten just one in the competition at Sandy Park since Round 2 last season however the Tigers are a hardy bunch and aren’t phased heading on the road. Key Men - Exeter Chiefs' Luke Cowan-Dickie & Leicester Tigers' Tom Youngs
