Welcome along to Round 22 and of course we all know that this isn’t just any round, it the season finale and so many of our Premiership teams still have plenty to play for.
In the past some final rounds of the regular season haven’t had too much riding on them but that’s definitely not the case today. Two home semi-finals, fourth position and the last automatic Champions Cup qualification place are all up for grabs. If you’re heading out to a match today then do enjoy it, especially if it’s likely to be your last live club rugby until the pre-season matches in August. August seems a long time away but with the Premiership play-offs, England v Barbarians, England's tour to Argentina and the British & Irish Lions en route we will have plenty to keep us occupied before a little holiday in July! Before we jump too far ahead let’s dive into today's matches shall we?
Worcester v Leicester Tigers
Sixways will wave goodbye to Phil Dowson as he makes his final appearance for them before heading back to Northampton Saints and wouldn’t it be fitting to give such a great rugby man a victory on his final outing? Under Gary Gold Worcester have been progressing nicely, a loss at Kingston Park last weekend wasn’t ideal but back on home soil they’ll want to prove a point on the last day of the season. Leicester require two league points to guarantee participation in the play-offs for the 13th successive season and they’ve actually only lost one of their last six first team matches. Freddie Burns and Owen Williams take the 10 and 12 jerseys respectively and opposite them I expect Ben Te’o to want to up his game again to silence a few Lions doubters. On paper this should be a straight-forward Leicester victory however Worcester have the potential to niggle at their visitors. That said personally I expect the experience of Tigers' squad to come to the fore at Sixways and knockout rugby be secured.
Match Stat: Leicester have won their last fourteen matches against Worcester since the Warriors 23-19 victory at Sixways in March 2008.
Sale Sharks v Bath Rugby
At the AJ Bell Stadium again it’s the visiting side that have to go for broke. Bath started the season with real consistency but the last few months have been more erratic results wise then they would have liked. Five points will be their target to give them any chance of fourth place and it will be all about replicating the way in which they attacked the game against Gloucester last weekend. On the whole the Sharks’ season hasn’t really been one to write home about yet they’ve lost only one of their last six matches in all competitions at the AJ Bell. If Taulupe Faletau and Kahn Fotuali’i replicate their performances from The Rec then Sale will have plenty to think about because Bath on the front foot know how to do plenty of damage.
Match Stat: Bath have not won away from home in the competition since a visit to Exeter on 30 October but their only defeat in their last five fixtures with Sale was in April 2016.
Gloucester Rugby v Exeter Chiefs
David Humphreys’ side are welcoming the Chiefs to town and there’s plenty to play for at Kingsholm. Gloucester have two routes into the Champions Cup, the first is if they win the Challenge Cup then they automatically go into the play-off match instead of the seventh club in the Premiership. The second is to finish as the seventh Premiership club so that they’ll head into the play-off regardless of their Challenge Cup final result against Stade. For Exeter it’s all about getting a home semi-final and, seeing that they’ve not lost in the competition since October and have notched up a new record when it comes to try scoring bonus points and maximum point wins, it looks good for them. Personally I’m looking forward to seeing Jack Nowell let loose from full-back, he could cause devastation if Gloucester aren’t on the money defensively. Needless to say the home side must pull their socks up after last weekend’s derby.
Match Stat: Exeter have been victorious on three of their last five visits to Kingsholm in Premiership Rugby.
Wasps v Saracens (BT Sport 2)
The Ricoh Arena is set to welcome over 30,000 today as Wasps and Saracens take part in a straight shootout for a home semi-final. While Wasps have coped a bit of criticism of late having not flown as they were earlier in this season they are still the only side in the tournament with a perfect played ten, won ten record at home this season. Joe Simpson and Danny Cipriani will take the reins in the half-backs while Saracens have mixed things up across the park. I’m not surprised by this in the slightly and actually think that it’s a very sensible move from Mark McCall. Saracens know how to win away from home so their Champions Cup final next weekend takes precedent because I’d back them to win at Wasps or Exeter in a Premiership play-off anyway. Wasps have to use Saracens changes to fuel their fire and I expect the Ricoh Arena to be absolutely rocking for this final game of the regular season.
Match Fact: Saracens’ only defeat in their last twelve fixtures against Wasps in all competitions was 23-64 at Allianz Park in February 2016. Sarries
Northampton Saints v Harlequins (BT Sport 3)
Franklin’s Gardens will be another intense atmosphere as these two sides battle for sixth position and that final guaranteed Champions Cup spot. Here’s the deal… if Northampton are to overtake Harlequins then they will need to obtain four more league points than their rivals in this match. That’s not an easy thing to do when the Saints have lost their last four Premiership matches and Harlequins come off the back of a solid win. From a Saints’ perspective they have to hope that the away side burnt themselves out emotionally last weekend and use the power of home support. Harlequins have to use Round 21 as their benchmark and find the same intensity levels. George North and Tim Visser duelling on one wing should be a great watch alongside Mat Luamanu clashing with Louis Picamoles. It’s a tricky one to call… Harlequins could fly but equally Saints could pull something massive out of the bag. I’ll refrain from predicting and just see what unfolds on BT Sport later!
Match Stat: Harlequins won 20-9 at Twickenham Stoop in Round 6 to end a seven game losing run to the Saints in all tournaments. They have not achieved a season’s double over the East Midlanders since 2012-13.
Bristol Rugby v Newcastle Falcons
The final game will be at Ashton Gate where Bristol must deliver one final Premiership performance against the Falcons. Emotionally it can’t be easy to have to run out knowing that Championship rugby beckons again and so soon since the last time that they were there. So, in that regard and the fact that many are representing the club for the last time, a tough afternoon awaits. The Falcons will know why this fixture was scheduled for the final round and will want to show that they’re really going places by making it one way traffic. Newcastle have an outside chance of taking that seventh spot and therefore potentially gaining a Champions Cup play-off place but it requires quite a number of results to go their way. This will be the Falcons first visit to Ashton Gate and they’ll look to start their record there with a bang.
Northampton Saints v Harlequins (BT Sport 3)
Franklin’s Gardens will be another intense atmosphere as these two sides battle for sixth position and that final guaranteed Champions Cup spot. Here’s the deal… if Northampton are to overtake Harlequins then they will need to obtain four more league points than their rivals in this match. That’s not an easy thing to do when the Saints have lost their last four Premiership matches and Harlequins come off the back of a solid win. From a Saints’ perspective they have to hope that the away side burnt themselves out emotionally last weekend and use the power of home support. Harlequins have to use Round 21 as their benchmark and find the same intensity levels. George North and Tim Visser duelling on one wing should be a great watch alongside Mat Luamanu clashing with Louis Picamoles. It’s a tricky one to call… Harlequins could fly but equally Saints could pull something massive out of the bag. I’ll refrain from predicting and just see what unfolds on BT Sport later! Match Stat: Harlequins won 20-9 at Twickenham Stoop in Round 6 to end a seven game losing run to the Saints in all tournaments. They have not achieved a season’s double over the East Midlanders since 2012-13.
Bristol Rugby v Newcastle Falcons
The final game will be at Ashton Gate where Bristol must deliver one final Premiership performance against the Falcons. Emotionally it can’t be easy to have to run out knowing that Championship rugby beckons again and so soon since the last time that they were there. So, in that regard and the fact that many are representing the club for the last time, a tough afternoon awaits. The Falcons will know why this fixture was scheduled for the final round and will want to show that they’re really going places by making it one way traffic. Newcastle have an outside chance of taking that seventh spot and therefore potentially gaining a Champions Cup play-off place but it requires quite a number of results to go their way. This will be the Falcons first visit to Ashton Gate and they’ll look to start their record there with a bang.
Match Stat: Newcastle’s only defeat in their last five fixtures with Bristol was 14-19 at Kingston Park in the Championship in April 2013
