Premiership round 7: preview and predictions

Premiership round 7: preview and predictions
Bath v Exeter
Bath will be looking to push on from their last-gasp win over Agen last week when they take on Exeter at the Rec on Saturday.
Argentina international Horacio Agulla could make his first appearance from the bench for Bath after completing his in duty in the Rugby Championship.
Back row Carl Fearns returns to the side teaming up with Francois Louw and Ben Skirving while Paul James and David Wilson will start at prop after being named in the Wales and England squad earlier this week.
Among the replacements, Stuart Hooper could make his first appearance after four weeks out with injury.
Meanwhile Rob Baxter has made changes to his side with Australian international Dean Mumm, who was forced to miss last weekend’s game because of family reasons, returning in the second row in place of club captain Tom Hayes.
Bruised and battered following their European exertions against Leinster and Clermont, the Chiefs see the return of Puma Gonzalo Camacho who makes his first appearance of the season as he gets the nod over Ulsterman Ian Whitten on the wing.
Whitten is joined on the bench by scrum-half Kevin Barrett, who comes in for the injured Will Chudley, whilst Academy product Dave Ewers offers options in the back-row.
Bath: Abendanon; Eastmond, Hipkiss, Williams, Biggs; Donald, Claassens,; James, Mears, Wilson; Day, Attwood; Fearns, Louw (capt.), Skirving.
Replacements: Sharman, Catt, Perenise, Hooper, Skuse, McMillan, Vesty, Agulla.
Exeter: Arscott; Camacho, Dollman, Shoemark, Jess; Steenson, Thomas; Sturgess, Alcott, Rimmer; Mumm, Hanks; Johnson, Scaysbrook, Baxter (capt.).
Replacements: Whitehead, Moon, Budgen, Muldowney, Ewers, Barrett, Mieres, Whitten.
Prediction: As weird as it may sound after two loses they are in good form and have proved that the step-up to the Heineken Cup wasn’t too big for them. And even though Bath are coming along nicely though, I think the Chiefs will get their first ever Premiership win against their neighbours.
Northampton v Saracens
With just two points separating the teams in the standings, Northampton boss Jim Mallinder has named an unchanged backline for Saturday’s encounter with Saracens at Franklin’s Gardens.
However, there are three changes in the pack with GJ Van Velze replacing Rhys Oakley at No.8 and Mark Sorenson coming in for Samu Manoa at lock.
Paul Doran-Jones gets the nod over Brian Mujati at tighthead who drops to the bench.
Saracens travel to Franklin’s Gardens knowing they have lost just once to Saints in their last seven Premiership fixtures.
They will also be on a high after their 30-13 Heineken Cup win over Racing Metro in Brussels last weekend.
Fresh from his England call-up, Mako Vunipola starts the game in the front row and Alistair Hargreaves is given a start ahead of Mouritz Botha who is named on the bench.
He will join Charlie Hodgson as Owen Farrell moves in to fly-half and Joel Tomkins comes in to partner Brad Barritt in midfield.
Academy prop Nick Auterac is named on the bench with Ernst Joubert also returning to the squad after missing the last two games through injury.
Northampton: Myler; K. Pisi, G. Pisi, Waldouck, Artemyev; Lamb, Dickson; Tonga’uiha, Hartley (capt.), Doran-Jones; Lawes, Sorenson; Dowson, Wood, Van Velze.
Replacements: Haywood, Waller, Mujati, Manoa, Oakley, Roberts, May, Burrell.
Saracens: Goode; Ashton, Tomkins, Barritt, Strettle; Farrell, De Kock; Vunipola, Brits, Stevens; Borthwick (capt.), Hargreaves; Brown, Fraser, Wray.
Replacements: Smit, Auterac, Nieto, Botha, Joubert, Wigglesworth, Hodgson, Wyles.
Prediction: Saracens seems to have reached a new level in recent weeks (they now score tries!) and the usually so reliable Saints scrum has been under pressure. It could be another away for the homeless Saracens.
Gloucester v Leicester
In-form Freddie Burns returns for Gloucester when they take on Leicester this weekend after sitting out the last two outings in the Amlin Cup.
Nigel Davies makes five changes to the side that beat Bordeaux-Begles last week, Burns’ return means Twelvetrees move to the centre alongside captain Mike Tindall.
The only other change in the backs sees Rob Cook replace Martyn Thomas at full back.
Up front, Nick Wood and Rupert Harden return at loosehead and tighthead respectively while Tom Savage replaces the injured Jim Hamilton in the second row.
Leicester will be keen to continue their momentum in the Premiership especially with one eye on the effects of the international period coming up.
The experienced pair of Geordan Murphy and Louis Deacon return to the starting line-up with Scott Hamilton moving to the wing and Graham Kitchener dropping to the bench.
Club captain Murphy has recovered from a knee injury suffered in the draw with Saracens in round 3, while Deacon made his long awaited return last week as a replacement against the Ospreys.
Gloucester: Cook; Sharples, Tindall (capt.), Twelvetrees, Simpson-Daniel; Burns, Cowan; Wood, Edmonds, Harden; Savage, James; Kalamafoni, Qera, Morgan.
Replacements: Britton, Murphy, Knight, Buxton, Cox, Robson, Thomas, Monahan.
Leicester: Murphy (capt.); Hamilton, Tuilagi, Allen, Goneva; Flood, B. Youngs; Mulipola, T. Youngs, Cole; Deacon, Parling; Mafi, Waldrom, Crane.
Replacements: Chuter, Ayerza, Castrogiovanni, Slater, Kitchener, Harrison, Ford, Smith.
Prediction: The Cherry and Whites might have the upper hand in the back row battle but the Tigers‘ front five is very powerful and no doubt they’ll want to kick on from last week. This will be crucial and I think Leicester will show the doubters they’re back to from.
London Irish v Harlequins
Declan Danaher will make his 250th appearance for London Irish this Sunday when he leads the side out against Premiership champions Harlequins at the Madejski Stadium.
Danaher will Captain the side from the blindside alongside Jamie Gibson and Chris Hala’ufia while the Exiles record try-scorer Topsy Ojo will start in the back three along with Sailosi Tagicakibau and England U20 flyer Anthony Watson, who will start a Premiership match for the first time in his career.
Irish have hit some good form for the last three week to record three wins on the trot but face an Harlequins side on the back of two convincing win in the Heineken Cup to put them in a great position for a home quarter-final.
The reigning champions made three changes to the side which defeated Connacht in Galway last week with Ugo Monye, Tom Casson and Tom Guest all coming in the starting line-up.
Monye returns from injury to start on the wing while Casson makes his first senior appearance of the season replacing Jordan Turner-Hall in the midfield as Ben Botica continues at fly-half for Nick Evans who is expected to return next week.
In the forwards, Guest swaps with Maurie Fa’asavalu to start at blindside alongside captain Chris Robshaw and Nick Easter in the back row.
London Irish: Watson; Ojo, Joseph, Armitage, Tagicakibau; Humphreys, O’Leary; Lahiff, Paice, Aulika; Evans, Garvey; Danaher (capt.),Gibson, Hala’ufia.
Replacements: Lawson, Griffiths, Halavatau, Low, Treviranus, Gray, Shingler, Allinson.
Harlequins: Brown; Williams, Hopper, Casson, Monye; Botica, Care; Marler, Buchanan, Johnston; Kohn, Robson; Guest, Robshaw (capt.), Easter.
Replacements: Ward, Lambert, Collier, Matthews, Fa’asavalu, Dickson, Clegg, Stegmann.
Prediction: This is a very tough one. Both teams are in very good form but I wonder if Quins will pay for their Heineken Cup effort having selected pretty much the same team. They are a well-oiled machine though and they might spoil Danaher’s party.
London Wasps v London Welsh
Dai Young makes nine changes to the starting side from last weekend as Wasps resume their Premiership campaign against London Welsh at Adams Park on Sunday.
Joe Simpson starts at scrum half after being rested last weekend, with Nick Robinson coming in at ten.
Tom Varndell and Christian Wade will provide the pace out wide with Marco Wentzel returning to the second row alongside Joe Launchbury.
Billy Vunipola returns at No.8 to join Ashley Johnson and James Haskell in a barn-storming back row.
Tom Voyce makes his first start for London Welsh after the former Wasp back agreed a deal with the Exiles earlier this week.
Voyce, who is named at full-back in place of the injured Tom Arscott, is one of 12 changes made by head coach Lyn Jones to the side that provided the club with its first-ever victory in Europe in Prato last week.
Lock Martin Purdy, who won Heineken Cup and Premiership medals during a seven-year career at Wasps, flanker Michael Hills and Seb Jewell, another former Wasp, are the only survivors from that team.
Sonny Parker returns from injury at outside centre along with Gavin Henson who start at No.10 again instead of Gordon Ross.
London Wasps: Southwell (capt.); Varndell, Masi, L. Thomas, Wade; Robinson, Simpson; Payne, Lindsay, Taulafo; Launchbury, Wentzel; Johnson, Haskell, Vunipola.
Replacements: R. Thomas, Swainston, Staibano, Cannon, Poff, Davies, Bell, Daly.
London Welsh: Voyce; MacKenzie, Parker, Jewell, Scott; Henson, Keats; Montanella, Briggs, Ion; Purdy , Corker; Mills (capt.), Hills, Jackson.
Replacements: George, Bristow, Joly, Kulemin, To’oala, Runciman, Lewis, Ajuwa.
Prediction: This will be fierce up front and both teams will have to look after the ball properly as they proved they can score from anywhere. But if the front five produce good ball for the back row, Wasps should come on top.
Worcester v Sale
Worcester captain Dean Schofield has been dropped to the bench as the Warriors prepare to face his old side tonigh.
He is replaced by Craig Gillies at while Matt Mullan will captain the side from prop.
Semisi Taulava is recalled at No.8 as Sam Betty and Matt Kvesic move across the back row to accomodate him.
Scrum-half Paul Hodgson is given a first league start for the Warriors while Errie Claassens also starts his first Premiership game of the campaign after a try-scoring return last week in their 90-3 thumping of Rovigo.
England U20 prop Ross Harrison makes his first start for Sale in a side that shows nine changes from the one that lost in Montpellier last week.
The Sharks tasted victory for the first time two weeks ago against Cardiff and will hope to do the same as they resume their Premiership campaign deeply rooted at the bottom of the table.
Danny Cipriani retains the No10 shirt with Nick Macleod starting at full-back and last year Premiership top-try-scorer Rob Miller on the bench.
Jonny Leota and Sam Tuitupou returns to the centres while Scot Richie Vernon and Welshan Andy Powell will line up in the back alongside captain David Seymour.
Worcester: Pennell; Claassens, Grove, Matavesi, Lemi; Goode, Hodgson; Mullan (capt.), Lutui, Andress; Percival, Gillies; Betty, Kvesic, Taulava.
Replacements: Shervington, Jones, Currie, Schofield, Jones, Arr, Carlisle, Fatiaki.
Sale: Macleod; Brady, Leota, Tuitupou, Cueto; Cipriani, Willis; Harrison, Taylor, Buckley; Gray, McKenzie; Vernon, Seymour (capt.), Powell.
Replacements: Ward, Lewis-Roberts, Cobilas, Myall, Gaskell, Fowles, Miller, Addison.
Prediction: Despite the opposition, 175 points scored in two games for Worcester can only boost the moral while Sale lost again last week after resting some key players. Maybe they didn’t want to build too much momentum! Worcester should win this one.