Premiership Round 15 Talking Points: Bath have the chance to secure top spot

By Charlie Elliott

Only four games are left in the Premiership, and things are really heating up. 

Five teams are battling for the final three spots of the top four, two of whom, Sale Sharks and Saracens, play each other on Friday night. 

Bath can secure their status at the top of the table with a bonus point win over Newcastle Falcons, and the rest of the top four race will have to avoid slip-ups to try and stay well within the conversation. 

A defeat for Harlequins last week against Sale has effectively put them out of the race, and other teams will see them as a cautionary tale of staying focused in every game. 

Plenty of ups and downs are expected to happen, but here are the biggest talking points from each game. 

For exclusive stories and all the detailed rugby news you need, subscribe to The Rugby Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.

Sale Sharks v Saracens: Injury issues for Sarries 

In possibly the biggest game of the weekend in terms of deciding the top four, fourth-placed Sale host fifth-placed Saracens on Friday night under the lights. 

Both teams have put out strong lineups, but there are quite a few noticeable omissions from the visitors, who have eight first-team players injured. 

Many of them, including Alex Lozowski, Liam Williams and Toby Knight, are out for the whole season. 

With that in mind, it is understandable that Mark McCall effectively threw in the towel for European rugby to focus on the Premiership, with such a thin squad. 

The forward pack for Sarries, especially, is still quite heavy despite the absentees, and it looks as if they are going to front up a physical Sharks pack. 

A win for either would be a huge statement and would seriously boost their top-four hopes. 

Bath v Newcastle Falcons: Bath to secure top spot? 

Top v bottom may seem like a foregone conclusion, but Newcastle tends to have a habit of upsetting the apple cart when they need to. 

Bath could secure their status as top dogs going into the playoffs if they were to win with a bonus point. 

With three games to go after this one, it would be a remarkable achievement and shows just how dominant they have been so far this season. 

If they were not to prevail in the playoffs, many would see it as a huge injustice to come away from such a good campaign without Prem silverware, and it could very well raise debates as to whether the playoff system is a fair one. 

Falcons love an us against them situation and will be using the added motivation of trying to stop the party to try and secure a first away victory in the league this season. 

Leicester Tigers v Harlequins: Return of away ends 

With Quins losing to Sale last week to fall behind, and Tigers looking firm enough in the top four, it isn’t a game with as much riding on it as would have been expected a few weeks ago. 

Off the pitch, it will provide another interesting experiment in terms of being only the second match in Prem history to have designated away ends for fans. 

After Saracens v Gloucester received mixed reviews from some people who enjoyed the rowdier approach from the travelling fans, and others who thought it was too similar to a football atmosphere, it will be interesting to see how Quins fans approach the game. 

Whatever happens on the pitch, the atmosphere off it will likely be the main talking point. 

Northampton Saints v Bristol Bears: Battle of the backlines 

Defence may be optional in this game, with Pat Lam’s Bristol side having the second worst and Phil Dowson’s Saints having the fifth worst, in terms of points conceded. 

Those stats are not entirely reflective of a huge lack of quality in defence, but more to do with the faith that both head coaches have put in their backs to simply score more points than the opposition. 

Most of England‘s backline in the Six Nations came from Saints, and Bears have adopted an attack-at-all-costs mentality that has seen them wow crowds all season. 

The likelihood is that this game is not going to turn into a physical, attritional affair and instead will have some free-flowing rugby being played. 

Expect a lot of points scored in this one. 

Gloucester v Chiefs: New signings boost  

Both Gloucester and Chiefs announced a signing each for next season, with fans now looking forward to seeing their new men in action. 

While obviously neither Ben Redshaw nor Len Ikitau will play this weekend due to still being at their former clubs, it has given the fan bases a reason to be excited and will boost the moods after a few tough weeks for both teams. 

Gloucester are on a poor run of form for their standards and have dropped out of the top four, while Chiefs still sit second bottom after only three wins all season. 

The announcements will give current players a bit of a kick, and they will have to make sure to end the season well to avoid being replaced. 

Wallabies star Ikitau, especially, is a huge statement and shows that the Chiefs mean business next season. If they were to end the season on a high, their current crop of players would back themselves to have a huge upturn in results next campaign.