NORTHAMPTON SAINTS VS GLOUCESTER
I like that the season is start as the last one finished, with Northampton playing a team in red. The champions are settled and ready to go hard against the much changed Cherry and Whites. Much has been written about the changes that have gone on behind the scenes and on the pitch for Gloucester, but I'd like to start by saying a farewell. James Simpson-Daniel has sadly had to announce his retirement this week, and I think that this will be a strong motivator for Gloucester to say farewell to one of their key men. He will look back on his career fondly, but with a sadness for being robbed of a chance to claim more England caps. He has been a true servant for Gloucester, and they will miss him.
The teams this week aren't that surprising. David Humphreys and Laurie Fisher have given debuts to five players, Richard Hibbard, John Afoa, Greig Laidlaw, James Hook and Jacob Rowan, with only the later having played in the Premiership before. By contrast, the Saints have one debutant on the bench in Jon Fisher. Both teams have had relatively successful pre-seasons, though both teams lost their last game against a Welsh region last week. Pre-season form can be taken with a pinch of salt, but I would say Northampton will be further ahead in their team cohesion.
KEY BATTLES
Front rows are always an interesting topic, and with the quality both teams have in their packs, it's tough to call. On the Saints side, they have Corbisiero, Hartley and Ma'afu; a Lion, England starter and a former Wallaby. For Gloucester, Murphy, Hibbard and Afoa; a former All Black and the Lions starting hooker. It's hard to call, but Northampton should dominate here. Even if the front row class is evenly matched, the second rows of Lawes and Day will add an extra bulk to push them through.
Half Backs will see the longest running partnership in the Premiership go up against a brand new formation. Dickson and Myler may not have played together in the pre-season, but you just don't forget that bond. However, Northampton are playing it safe for the first time I've seen for a long time. Myler took a knock during the pre-season and so Will Hooley, who played for 110 minutes in the double header against Leinster and Moseley, is sat on the bench with Ben Foden, who is also recovering, though possibly for his TV appearance on Celebrity Pressure Pad. (Watch it on iPlayer, James Wilson and Jamie Elliott could make up the worst pub quiz team in the world.) The experience of Dickson and Myler, with the class of Fotuali'i on the bench, will see the Saints push past their Scottish and Welsh rivals.
So my prediction. The Cherry and Whites could shock the Saints, having finally got a pack which will be able to tangle with the best of the Premiership, and that will allow them to let the fast backs of May, Cook and Sharples loose. But the Champions will not fold against the pressure of the much revamped side, and it will take the Cherry and Whites time to get in synch with each other. The Saints will, therefore, push on to win by at least 5 points to start their campaign.
SARACENS VS WASPS
So soon after their heartbreaking defeat, Saracens return to Twickenham to seek a return to the form that had them as leading the table throughout the majority of the season. By contrast, the Wasps, under a new captain, and an old banner, will be hoping to return to the days of yore, where they were kings of England. Thinking about it, both teams are being led out by new captains on Saturday, and both will want their first game to be a win. Incredibly, the six debutants for Wasps have managed to leave out the try sniper of Tom Varndell, which shows that this backline of Wasps must be feared. Interesting that Owen Farrell is set on the bench for Saracens, but the stable hands of Charlie Hodgson means the Saracens will be just as controlled as we are used to.
KEY BATTLES
A welcome return for Christian Wade and a debut for Sailosi Tagicakibau shall see the challenge of the wings, with Wade's England challenger, Chris Ashton, and former England strikeman, David Strettle, will test the defences of both sides to the limit.
The Back Row battle shall be very interesting, with Johnson, Haskell and Hughes challenging Brown, Fraser and Vunipola. With Hughes qualifying for England in the next year, and Haskell, Vunipola and Fraser recently joining up with the England camp last month, they will all be niggling at the mind of Stuart Lancaster and his team.
PREDICTION
This will be a very close contest, with the potential for tries to be scored left, right and centre at HQ. But looking at the benches of the two sides, I predict that Saracens will push ahead early, and win by more than 3 points, if conditions allow for the free running rugby.
SALE SHARKS VS BATH
The "Most Improved" against the "Most Potential." Sale have lost some big names this year, and Bath have recruited well with their biggest name still to come. The beaten Amlin Cup finalists will be looking to improve their season from fifth, and with a plan to oust Harlequins from their seat in the semi finals. Sale have the same goal, but with so many of Sale's big names leaving for other clubs, there may be some issues when it comes to the scrum. Bath's front row consists of three international players in James, Webber and Wilson, and with all three looking to improve their standings in the eyes of their respective head coaches, I can imagine we wont be seeing the same length of reset scrums as we did last season.
KEY BATTLES
Predictably, the main focus of this match will be on the fly-halves Danny Cipriani and George Ford, both hoping to press themselves into the England shirt. Cipriani's experience and Ford's youthful exuberance, teamed with some fantastic running lines, should be an interesting contest. For me though, I'm more interested in seeing how Luke McLean and Luke Arscott get on in their debuts.
PREDICTION
Sale have home pitch advantage, but the big names missing from the pack will mean the settled pack for Stuart Hooper, and we should see Bath push through some Shark infested water. Bath by 7
LEICESTER TIGERS VS NEWCASTLE FALCONS
Anybody want to guess what's going to happen at Welford Road on Saturday afternoon? There's no disrespect to Dean Richard and his men, but Leicester have the experience of being top men in recent years, they have Lions quality oozing out from their changing rooms, and they've been severely unlucky to have so many injuries to their key men. But Tom Croft and Manu Tuilagi are back now, and fighting fit. Croft will be lethal, having spent so much time in the stands in the last two seasons, and he'll be looking to push himself back into an England shirt at the expense of Tom Wood and Chris Robshaw. The most prolific try scorer, Goneva, will be looking again to push himself over the line, along with the full force of the Leicester pack, looking to help Mr P. Try become the top try scorer. New flyhalf Freddie Burns will want to make a good show of himself, with Owen Williams now back from suspension, and now the pressure is on him to carry on the form he had in the first test against the All Blacks in the summer. A debut for Seremaia Bai also sees a new 10/12 axis. Will the unfamiliar pairings across the backs make things difficult for Leicester? The test experience of Youngs and Burns from the summer tests will hopefully help them, and with Goneva and Tuilagi around, Leicester should comfortably set the pace.
KEY BATTLES
Flankers will likely set the tone, with the sharpness of Croft coming back to the front, pilfering balls from early rucks, and forcing the Falcons to defend the counter-attacks. His opposite man, Richard Mayhew, will have to fight to keep Croft's mitts off his ball. The excitement to see Alesana Tuilagi return to the premiership will make the battle of the Back Three very interesting, but barring an injury, he wont be joining the field until the second half.
PREDICTIONS
There is a potential for Leicester to slip as the centre partnership and the half-back axis may provide some difficulties for the Tigers, but frankly, we're all expecting a Tigers win. Leicester by 8.
LONDON IRISH VS HARLEQUINS
With so few signings, the second stage of the Twickenham double header sees a virtually unchanged Harlequins side to that which lost to Saracens in May. With the exception of Tim Molenaar departing and Marland Yarde coming in, the Quins have set up their stall with their trusted combinations. New skipper Marler will be looking to make sure his team do not have as shaky a start as they had last year, with the last minute penalty hitting the bar. Their opening weeks see them playing all three London based clubs, with
Saracens at the Stoop next week. With Saracens the favourites for earlier on, the Harlequins will want to gather the momentum from the roars of the national stadium. By contrast, Irish are starting off with 5 new summer signings and the return from long injuries of two.
KEY BATTLES
Fullback will be an interesting contest. The return from injury for Tom Homer and the slipped form of Mike Brown during the test series will highlight how the two sides will challenge from deep, using the speed of the wings to break through the defences.
PREDICTION
Harlequins know they have to be sharp. They had a scare this time last year, then lost out to Northampton a week later. If they want to keep Bath and Gloucester out of their top 4 spot, they have to beat the Exiles comprehensively to get enough momentum to bypass Saracens next week. If they don't turn up, they will be pushed around. Harlequins by 5.
LONDON WELSH VS EXETER CHIEFS
Well where to start? Firstly, welcome back London Welsh, we missed you. This contest is between the two sides to gain "Underdog" status when they first joined the Premiership. With the huge turnover from the Exiles, they will be looking to emulate their rivals and stay in the Premiership as they did. 9 debuts for the Exiles sees Piri Weepu, Olly Barkley and Tim Molenaar, amongst others, starting their life at the Kassam. The first time these two met at the Kassam, the Exiles beat the Chiefs by a single point to set their campaign off. The LV= cup champions will be cautious, despite their unbeaten pre-season run. They've lost some big names through either injury or to other clubs, and with some impressive signings, the Chiefs will hope to set their stall out early.
KEY BATTLES
Centres will be a key contest here. The youth of Sam Hill and Henry Slade against the experience of Tim Molenaar and Tom May. Henry Slade is playing somewhat out of position, probably out of necessity, but the two young Saxons will want to make an impression. Meanwhile, the two gentlemen of the Premiership will quietly go about their business, and will have forgotten more strategies than their opposite men will have ever thought of.
Half backs again are vital in this contest and the top level experience of Barkley and Weepu may see the pairing of Haydn Thomas and Gareth Steenson throughly confused.
PREDICTIONS
This is the toughest one to call, but I'm going to stick my neck out and say I think the Exiles will need a couple more weeks to gel properly. They may join up fantastically, and if they do, then Welsh will bully the Chiefs in later weeks. This week though, I'll say that Exeter will win by a very very narrow margin. Exeter by 1.
No comments:
Post a Comment