Premiership round 6: preview and predictions

Exeter v Harlequins
Wallaby lock Dean Mumm will make his Chiefs debut tomorrow as Exeter seek to return to winning ways after their 30-8 defeat at Welfrod Road last week.
Club captain Tom Hayes and James Scaysbrook have both been given tomorrow off, as has fellow forward Chris Whitehead.
Mumm will replace Hayes at lock while Ben White and Simon Alcott come in for Scaysbrook and Whitehead at openside and hooker respectively.
In the back line, Gareth Steenson takes over in the No.10 jersey from Ignacio Mieres and Phil Dollman is given the nod ahead of Sireli Naqelevuki in the midfield.
Harlequins suffered their first defeat of the season last week against Saracens and they will be looking to regain confidence before a crucial clash against Biarritz in the Heineken Cup next week.
There are two changes in the starting line-up with Karl Dickson and Mark Lambert coming in at scrum-half and loose-head for Danny Care and Joe Marler on the bench.
After an unusual average kicking display, Nick Evans retains the reins at No.10 with Chris Robshaw captaining the side from openside to face Tom Johnson in a mouthwatering clash of the back rows.
Exeter: Arscott; Whitten, Dollman, Shoemark, Jess; Steenson, Thomas; Sturgess, Alcott, Rimmer; Mumm, Hanks; Johnson, White, Baxter (capt.).
Replacements: Clark, Moon, Budgen, Muldowney, Ewers, Chudley, Mieres, Naqelevuki
Harlequins: Brown; Stegmann, Hopper, Turner-Hall, Monye; Evans, Dickson; Lambert, Gray, Johnston; Kohn, Robson; Guest, Robshaw (capt.), Easter
Replacements: Buchanan, Marler, Collier, Matthews, Fa’asavalu, Care, Clegg, Lindsay-Hague
Prediction: Both team want to strike back after their defeats last week but you’d feel Quins are in a better to do so. Marler, Fa’asavalu and Care coming off the bench will be key for them.
Gloucester v Bath
All Black scrum-half Jimmy Cowan is named amongst the replacements for Gloucester who welcome local rivals Bath to Kingsholm tomorrow.
The 31-25 victory at the Kassam Stadium moved Gloucester up to fifth place in the table but their West Country rivals are breathing down their necks, just one point behind in sixth place.
Back into the starting line-up come Henry Trinder, Huia Edmonds and Ben Morgan. Morgan’s return sees Sione Kalamafoni move across from No.8 to blindside flanker.
Sam Vesty will make his first start of the season for Bath partnering Dan Hipkiss in the midfield with Stephen Donald slotting back into his preferred role of fly-half, filling the hole left by Olly Barkley who moved to France earlier this week.
Stuart Hooper injured his hamstring last Saturday so Dominic Day partners former Cherry and White Dave Attwood in the engine room.
Gloucester: Cook; Monahan, Trinder, Twelvetrees, Simpson-Daniel; Burns, Robson; Wood, Edmonds, Harden; Savage, Hamilton (capt.); Kalamafoni, Qera, Morgan.
Replacements: Britton, Murphy, Knight, James, Evans, Cowan, Tindall, Thomas.
Bath: Abendanon; Eastmond, Hipkiss, Vesty, Biggs; Donald, Claassens; James, Mears (capt.), Wilson; Day, Attwood, Fearns, Skirving, Taylor.
Replacements: Batty, Catt, Perenise, Spencer, Skuse, McMillan, Devoto, Cuthbert.
Prediction: As all derby it will be won up-front but once the game opens up, I think Gloucester will use their lethal backline to put one over their biggest rivals.
London Irish v Northampton
Bryn Evans will captain London Irish against Northampton Saints tomorrow while George Skivington and Matt Garvey also start in the Irish pack.
Former Tiger Skivington and Evans will form the second row combination with Garvey moving to blindside in place of club captain Declan Danaher.
Steven Shingler starts at full back replacing Tom Homer in a familiar looking back line.
This is Saints’ best ever start to a Premiership season and they have named an unchanged backline from last week’s victory over Wasps.
Dylan Hartley is out with a fractured eye socket so Mike Haywood comes into the front row joining Brian Mujati who pushes Paul Doran-Jones to the bench.
Phil Dowson returns to captain the side while Mark Sorenson starts in the second row as Christian Day is ruled out with a leg injury.
London Irish: Shingler; Ojo, Joseph, Tagicakibau, Yarde; Humphreys, O’Leary; Lahiff, Paice, Aulika; Skivington, Evans (Capt.); Garvey, Gibson, Treviranus.
Replacements: Malton, Yanuyanutawa, Cotter, Low, Hala’ufia, Armitage, Geraghty, Moates.
Northampton: Wilson; Pisi, Waldouck, Burrell, Artemyev; Myler, Dickson; Tonga’uiha, Haywood, Mujati; Manoa, Sorenson; Lawes, Wood, Dowson (Capt.).
Replacements: McMillian, Waller, Doran-Jones, Harrison, Oakley, Roberts, Lamb, May.
Prediction: I’ve tipped Irish for the first five rounds and it didn’t pay off. They can’t seem to put a good performance for long enough to win a game and against Saints it will be a long day if they don’t front up. It’ll be six from six for the Saints after this one.
London Welsh v Saracens
Gavin Henson will make his first Premiership start for London Welsh against Saracens at the Kassam Stadium on Sunday
Henson, who replaces Gordon Ross at No.10, is one of six changes made by head coach Lyn Jones who also hands a premiership debut to James Lewis.
Hooker Dan George and centre James Lewis replace Neil Briggs and Sonny Parker, who both picked up injuries against Gloucester.
Canadian international Phil Mackenzie comes in on the ring wing, with Tom Arscott reverting to full-back and Seb Jewell named on the bench.
Mike Denbee returns to the side following the injury he sustained against Exeter and replaces Michael Hills at openside flanker.
For Saracens, Charlie Hodgson, David Strettle and James Short all return to the backline with Alex Goode, Brad Barritt and Chris Ashton among those rested on rotation.
In the forwards, John Smit starts at hooker with second row George Kruis and flanker Andy Saull both getting their first start of the season.
On the bench, flanker Nick Fenton-Wells could make his Saracens debut while Kameli Ratuvou is also in line for his first appearance of the season.
London Welsh: Arscott, MacKenzie, Lewis, Tonga’uiha, Scott; Henson, Keats; Montanella, George, Ion; Mills (Capt.), Corker, Browne, Denbee, Jackson.
Replacements: Bateman, Bristow, Joly, Kulemin, To’oala, Runciman, Davis, Jewell.
Saracens: Wyles; Strettle, Tomkins, Farrell, Short; Hodgson, Wigglesworth; Gill, Smit, Stevens; Borthwick (Capt.), Kruis; Fraser, Saull, Wray.
Replacements: George, Vunipola, Nieto, Botha, Fenton-Wells, De Kock, Ratuvou, Taylor.
Prediction: London Welsh will go into this game confident of their ability to dominate up front but this Sarries pack is in very good form. The 2011 Champions will be too much for the minnows.
London Wasps v Worcester
Scot Hugo Southwell returns after his hand injury to captain Wasps from full-back as the men in black look for redemption following two consecutive defeats against Gloucester and Northampton.
Southwell is one of three returnees to the Wasps backline, with Stephen Jones taking the No.10 shirt and Tom Varndell returning to the wing in the place of James Bailey, who broke his leg on his debut last week.
Up front, Simon McIntyre replaces the suspended Tim Payne at loose-head in the only change to the pack. On the bench Phil Swainston, Jonathan Poff and Ashley Johnson come into the match-day squad for the second Wasps clash at Adams Park this season.
But Wasps face a Worcester side full of confidence after securing their first win of the campaign last week against London Irish for their second consecutive try bonus-point.
New signing Jon Clarke, who made a try-scoring debut last week, get his first start on the wing in the only change to the starting XV.
There are three changes on the bench however with former England scrum-half Paul Hodgson joining Fijian Ravai Fatiaki and former Pirate Blair Cowan among the replacements.
London Wasps: Southwell ( capt.); Varndell, Masi, Bell, Wade; Jones; Simpson; McIntyre, Lindsay, Taulafo; Palmer, Wentzel; Launchbury, Haskell, Vunipola
Replacements: Thomas, Swainston, Staibano, Poff, Johnson, Davies, Robinson, Daly
Worcester: Pennell; Clarke, Grove, Matavesi, Lemi; Goode, Arr; Mullan, Lutui, Andress; Percival, Schofield (capt.); Jones, Betty, Kvesic
Replacements: Hayes, Jones, Currie, Gillies, Cowan, Hodgson, Carlisle, Fatiaki
Prediction: Both teams can score tries and the defence lines can be lenient. We could see a lot of tries. Wasps have to put on a good performance but Worcester proved they will go the distance. I’m going for two try-bonus points but Worcester to clinch it.
Sale v Leicester
Scotland internaltionals Richie Gray and Richie Vernon comeback into the pack at lock and blindside flanker for Sale who are still chasing their first win of the season.
In the back, Will Addison also return to the starting XV replacing the suspended Tom Brady.
Danny Cipriani remains on the bench to see Nick Macleod retain the fly-half jersey while Andy Powell start at No.8 after he escaped a ban but was fined for foul language and offensive hand gesture at The Rec last week.
George Ford will make his first start of the season at fly-half for the Tigers and will partner Ben Youngs who returns from a shoulder injury to start at scrum-half.
Richard Thorpe will make his Tigers debut while his former Exiles teammate Adam Thompstone carries on on the wing after his hat-trick debut at Welford Road last week.
Leicester also see the return of Manu Tuilagi at outside centre after the England star missed the last two games through injury.
Sale: Miller; Addison, Leota, Tuitupou, Cueto; Macleod, Willis; Lewis-Roberts, Taylor, Buckley; Gray, McKenzie; Vernon, Seymour (capt.), Powell.
Replacements: Ward, Harrison, Cobilas, Myall, Gaskell, Fowles, Cipriani, Jennings.
Leicester: Morris; Thompstone, Tuilagi, Allen, Goneva; Ford, Youngs; Mulipola, Youngs, Castrogiovanni, Slater, Kitchener; Crane (capt.), Thorpe, Waldrom.
Replacements: Chuter, Stankovich, Cole, Andrew, Deacon, Harrison, Flood, Smith
Prediction: Sale can’t afford to lose anymore but the Tigers are always going for the kill when they smell blood and even if it’s close come the hour mark, Leicester bench will win it.
NICK VERDIER