By Charlie Elliott
The premier cup competition in English rugby has reached the knockout stage, with the Prem Rugby Cup quarter-finals taking place this weekend.
It is a tournament which provides Premiership and Championship clubs with the opportunity to test the limits of their squad depth, with much of the tournament happening during the international windows.
Some take it more seriously than others, but deep-down fans of every club want to win this prestigious trophy.
Bath v Harlequins
Harlequins might have been beaten twice by the other Prem team in their pool, Saracens, but a merry-go-round of other results meant that they won the group.
Ealing Trailfinders beat Saracens twice but because Quins beat Ealing twice, they finished top by virtue of having more bonus points.
The table-toppers played most of their campaign with a few starters playing, taking the competition more seriously than most, but have also been experimenting.
In the last game, back-row Alex Dombrandt featured in the centre and acquitted himself well.
Bath won all but their last game in the pools, losing to Bristol Bears 40-21 after beating them 78-19 earlier on in the tournament.
Johann van Graan has played quite a few fringe players, who are still good enough to get results, with a good dash of first-team talent mixed in.
South African coach van Graan has a stacked squad at his disposal and looks to be making a real push for success in the PRC.
Young forwards and experienced backs are the general formula, which is working with the talent coming through at The Rec.
This will be a close encounter, Bath by 7 is my prediction.
Newcastle Falcons v Gloucester
Falcons are arguably the team that takes this competition the most seriously and will be desperate to lift the trophy.
Against them are the current holders, Gloucester, who won last year at Kingsholm against Leicester Tigers.
In a season which has been difficult in the Prem, this cup provides a brilliant alternative to get Newcastle a chance at glory.
So close to a perfect run in the pools, Falcons lost in the last minute of the last match away at Sale Sharks but still finished first.
Steve Diamond will put out a strong side and the crowd in the north-east will be up for it.
The game will be played on Friday night and while the weather isn’t expected to be wet and windy as it seems to always be in these kinds of games, Gloucester will be up against it.
The Cherry and Whites were a comfortable second behind Exeter Chiefs after drawing one, losing one and winning the rest, finishing 12 points ahead of third placed Hartpury University.
It doesn’t look as if they will be playing many of their stars, especially with a few of the Welsh contingent playing against Ireland in the Six Nations.
For that reason, my prediction is that Falcons will win by a comfortable 13 points.
Exeter Chiefs v Sale Sharks
Every team who finished top (bar Northampton Saints) lost their last pool game. In fairness to Exeter, they had nothing to play for when Gloucester dispatched them 14-22, having secured top spot already.
The rest of the games were plain sailing, with five wins from five in the others, including a 68-7 win, a 54-3 win and a 43-7 win.
Like Newcastle, Chiefs know that they are struggling in the league this year and as a result have taken this tournament much more seriously than most.
There is a great opportunity in front of them to get their young guns a proper winning mentality that could well translate into the Premiership.
Sale, on the other hand, were the complete opposite of plain sailing.
Poor for large portions of the pool stage, it took a last-minute try from Ben Bamber to secure a win against Newcastle in the last game and become the second best third-placed team.
Last year’s finalists, Leicester Tigers, were knocked out as a result and a couple of fixtures changed in an instant, with it being the last game played on the weekend.
In many ways, it papered over the cracks, as Sharks stuttered to most of their wins and even lost to Championship side Doncaster Knights in the penultimate round.
The depth doesn’t look to be there for Alex Sanderson’s side, and they will be much more focused on finishing in the top four of the Premiership.
A Chiefs win by 14 is my prediction.
Northampton Saints v Ealing Trailfinders
Ealing Trailfinders have been a huge success story for the Championship and have been the team who has had the most success in this competition from the second tier.
As mentioned in the Harlequins game, they were beaten twice by Quins but managed to surprisingly do the double over Saracens, which saw them through as the highest ranked second placed team.
With a strong squad that is currently a comfortable top of the league, 13 points ahead of second placed Bedford Blues, Trailfinders are clearly a cut above the rest in that league.
An away game at Franklin Gardens is a real opportunity for a statement win that proves that they are potentially ready for Premiership rugby.
Saints are another Prem team who have been rotating for the cup but have a squad that is good enough to compete on multiple fronts.
Their England internationals will likely not play, so Henry Pollock being left out of England U20s and A duties will be a great addition.
Ealing winning would be brilliant for the neutral, but Saints should be too good for them. Northampton by 20 is my prediction.
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