Premiership round 9: preview and predictions

Bath v Harlequins:
Army boy Semesa Rokoduguni is in line to make his Premiership debut for the West Country side as they host the reigning champions at The Rec tomorrow in a remake of last week’s LV Cup clash at The Stoop.
The Fijian flyer, who scored two tries on debut a couple of weeks ago, starts at outside centre partnering the returning Matt Banahan in the midfield.
Up front, club captain Stuart Hooper returns to the starting line-up linking up with Dave Attwood in the second row while Charlie Beech and Anthony Perenise prop down deputising for Paul James and Dave Wilson away with Wales and England respectively.
In the back row, Josh Ovens makes his first Premiership start of the season on the blindside flank.
Meanwhile, Nick Evans returns from his ankle injury to start at fly-half as Ben Botica earns a well-deserved rest for Harlequins.
There are two more changes in the back line with Ugo Monye and Matt Hopper coming in for Seb Stegmann and George Lowe on the wing and at outside centre.
Up front, Nick Easter at No.8 and George Robson and Ollie Kohn at locks all return in the starting XV while Tom Guest moves to blindside to accommodate Easter.
Among the replacements, Jordan Burns will look to make his first senior appearance for the club.
Bath: Abendanon; Eastmond, Rokoduguni, Banahan, Biggs; Donald, Claassens; Beech, Mears, Perenise; Hooper (capt.), Attwood; Ovens, Mercer, Taylor.
Replacements: Sharman, Cotter, Palma-Newport, Day, Caldwell, Skuse, McMillan, Cuthbert
Harlequins: Williams; Monye, Hopper, Turner-Hall, Smith; Evans, Dickson; Lambert, Gray, Collier; Kohn, Robson; Guest, Wallace, Easter (capt.).
Replacements: Buchanan, Marfo, Sinckler, Browne, Trayfoot, Burns, Clegg, Stegmann.
Prediction: This is a tough one as both side are missing their starting props and whoever copes with better will have the upper-hand. The clash of the youngsters at 7 is also mouthwatering. I’d have to go with Quins though, they seem to win these close games lately.
Gloucester v Sale
Club captain Jim Hamilton returns from Scotland duty to skipper Gloucester against Sale Sharks in tomorrow’s early kick-off.
Speedster Charlie Sharples is also back having been with England for the past two weekends but Gloucester will be without No.8 Ben Morgan who will start for England tomorrow.
Shane Monahan retains his place on the wing and Mike Tindall and Billy Twelvetrees continue their partnership in midfield.
In the pack, Dan Murphy starts at loose head instead of Nick Wood and Sione Kalamafoni returns from injury to replace Morgan.
Bryan Redpath returns to Kingsholm where Sale will be looking to build on their first win of the season in the last round of the Premiership against London Irish.
Danny Cipriani and Dwayne Peel are the half-backs with Will Addison and Sam Tuitupou in midfield in a strong backline that also includes the experience of Mark Cueto.
Up front, Ross Harrison, Tommy Taylor and Tony Buckley make up the front row and big ball carriers Richie Vernon and Andy Powell start at Blindside and No.8.
Gloucester: Cook; Sharples, Tindall, Twelvetrees, Monahan; Burns, Cowan; Murphy, Edmonds, Harden; James, Hamilton (capt.); Savage, Qera, Kalamafoni.
Replacements: Britton, Wood, Knight, Buxton, Cox, Robson, Molenaar, Thomas.
Sale: Miller; Amesbury, Addison, Tuitupou, Cueto; Cipriani, Peel; Harrison, Taylor, Buckley; McKenzie, Myall; Vernon, Seymour (capt.), Powell.
Replacements: Ward, Lewis-Roberts, Cobilas, Holmes, Gaskell, Cliff, Macleod, Shepherd.
Prediction: Sale will be have been relived to get their first win in the Premiership last round against Irish but Bryan Redpath’s return won’t be a pleasant one against a strong Gloucester side who will be keep to hold up to their top four place. It’s going to be a bonus point win for Gloucester for sure!
London Irish v Exeter
London Irish have eight players away on international duty but Tom Homer, Chris Hala’ufia and Bryn Evans return to the starting line-up when they take on Exeter in the Premiership on Sunday.
Homer starts at full back with Topsy Ojo and Anthony Watson providing the pace out wide.
Sailosi Tagicakibau takes over at outside centre as Jonathan Joseph has been called up for England, he will partner Shane Geraghty in midfield.
After two excellent performances against London Welsh and Ospreys young Jack Nowell makes his first Premiership start on the wing as Argentine winger Gonzalo Camacho is away on international duty.
Hayden Thomas and Gareth Steenson make up the half-back pairing.
Prop Hoani Tui has recovered fully from his hamstring injury to sit on the bench alongside flanker Tom Johnson, who was released from England duty earlier this week.
Also returning from international duty is Fijian powerhouse Sireli Naqelevuki who also takes his seat among the replacements.
London Irish: Homer; Ojo, Tagicakibau, Geraghty, Watson; Humphreys, Allinson; Lahiff, Blaney, Halavatau; Garvey, Evans; Danaher (capt.), Gibson, Hala’ufia.
Replacements: Ellis, Palframan, Griffiths, Low, Gray, Gaston, Shingler, Moates.
Exeter: Arscott; Nowell, Dollman, Shoemark, Jess; Steenson, Thomas; Sturgess, Whitehead, Rimmer; Hayes (capt.), Hanks; Mumm, Scaysbrook, Baxter.
Replacements: Alcott, Moon, Tui, Muldowney, Johnson, Barrett, Mieres, Naqelevuki.
Prediction: Irish will be boosted by the return of key players such as Tom Homer as they look to drag themselves out of the depths of the league. Exeter are not the same force away from home but I think their gritty attitude may just inflict another disappointing defeat for the Exiles.
London Wasps v Leicester
Joe Simpson and Nick Robinson return to the Wasps starting line-up for Sunday’s game with Leicester Tigers are returning from injury.
Phil Swainston will earn his first Premiership start, lining up in the front row alongside Tim Payne and T Rhys Thomas. James Cannon and Marco Wentzel are the locks.
In the back row Jonathan Poff also returns from injury to start at open side with Ashley Johnson at blindside and Billy Vunipola at No.8 completing the pack.
Flyers Christian Wade and Tom Varndell are on the wings and captain Hugo Southwell is at fullback.
For the Tigers, Anthony Allen and Thomas Waldrom return from England duty to slot straight back into the starting line-up.
Waldrom played for England in the opening two Tests of the Autumn but returns to the Tigers No.8 shirt while EPS member Allen partners Matt Smith in the centre.
Notably, George Chuter, Louis Deacon, Jordan Crane and Mathew Tait are also included in the Tigers line-up.
George Ford get the nod at ten in the absence of Toby Flood but club captain Geordan Murphy is named among the replacements after missing the last three games.
Prop Michael Holford is on the bench as the Tigers are without international front rows Dan Cole, Martin Castrogiovanni and Marcos Ayerza, and the suspended Boris Stankovich.
London Wasps: Southwell (capt.); Varndell, Daly, Bell, Wade; Robinson, Simpson; Payne, Thomas, Swainston; Cannon, Wentzel; Johnson, Poff, Vunipola.
Replacements: Lindsay, McIntyre, Taylor, Brown, Jones, Davies, Bell, Thomas.
Leicester: Tait; Morris, Smith, Allen, Thompstone; Ford, Harrison; Harris, Chuter, Balmain; Deacon (capt.), Kitchener; Crane, Salvi, Waldrom.
Replacements: Hawkins, Holford, Brookes, Slater, Thorpe, Phibbs, Bowden, Murphy.
Prediction: This is a tough call. With all Leicester’s international absences they still, as always, appear to have a very strong line-up. However, with the boost of Wasps half-backs recovering from injury throwing get the ball wide could be the key. I think home advantage is just swinging it.
Northampton v London Welsh
Giant Saints prop Soane Tonga’uiha and his sibling centre Hudson Tonga’uiha, who is nearly five stone lighter and an inch shorter than his older brother will go head to head at Franklin’s Garden’s tomorrow.
Saints keep faith with Jamie Elliott on the left wing after his impressive recent performances and Martin Roberts get the nod at scrum-half.
Ryan Lamb starts ahead of Seven Myler at fly-half with the dangerous pairing of Dominic Waldouck and Ken Pisi outside him.
With full-back Ben Foden still out with injury, Tom May continues at full back.
England lock, Courtney Lawes returns from a knee injury to strengthen the Saints pack.
For Welsh, No.8 Adam Balding gets his first Premiership start as Lyn Jones makes nine changes to the side that lost to Gloucester last weekend in the LV= Cup.
Tonga’uiha will partner Sonny Parker, Tom Arscott starts at full back and Tyson Keats is named at scrum-half.
Franck Montanella and Neil Briggs coming back into the side, while Kirill Kulemin returns to the Welsh second row from international duty with Russia to partner captain Jonathan Mills.
Ed Jackson is named at open-side with former Saints back row Daniel Browne at blindside.
Northampton: May; Pisi, Waldouck, Burrell, Elliott; Lamb, Roberts; S. Tonag’uiha, Haywood, Mujati; Manoa, Lawes; Clark (capt), Dowson, Van Velze.
Replacements: McMillan, Waller, Doran-Jones, Sorenson, Oakley, Day, Myler, Artemyev.
London Welsh: Arscott; Caprice, Parker, H. Tonga’uiha, Scott; Ross, Keats; Montanella, Briggs, Ion; Mills (capt), Kulemin; Browne, Jackson, Balding.
Replacements: Bateman, Bristow, Tideswell, Corker, To’oala, Stephenson, Davies, Jewell.
Prediction: Saints will have been very disappointed to find themselves out of the top four and will be keen to force their way back into the playoff places. Welsh have proven they can compete so far this season, but I’m afraid they will not able to hold off Saints in their own back yard.
Worcester v Saracens
Head Coach Richard Hill has rung the changes as the Warriors face the nomads Saracens at Sixways tomorrow night.
There are three changes in the back line to the side that suffered league defeat to Exeter Chiefs three weeks ago as Joe Carlisle is named at inside centre, where he will partner Fiji international Josh Matavesi.
A new look combination out wide will see Nikki Walker recalled for his first league start since later September after impressing in the LV=Cup while Errie Claassens is also back on the wing.
Chris Jones makes a positional change as he moves into the second row to partner captain James Percival.
Two changes in the back row see former Ireland international Neil Best make his first league start of the season while big No.8 Semisi Taulava is also recalled after his heroics off the bench against Scarlets in the LV= Cup a fortnight ago.
Matt Stevens, Steve Borthwick, Ernst Joubert and Richard Wigglesworth all return for Saracens for the latest stop of their journey.
Stevens returns at loosehead with Joubert at No.8 and Borthwick captaining the side from the second row.
In the back, Wigglesworth starts at scrum-half while Ben Ransom is named at full-back for what will be his debut in the Premiership following his impressive start of the season with Bedord in the Championship.
Worcester: Pennell; Walker, Matavesi, Carlisle, Claassens; Goode, Hodgson; Ce. Jones, Shervington, Andress; Percival (capt.), Ch. Jones; Best, Kvesic, Taulava.
Replacements: Lutui, O’Donnell, Currie, Schofield, Betty, Arr, Grove, Short.
Saracens: Ransom; Strettle, Tomkins, Ratuvou, Taylor; Mordt, Wigglesworth; Stevens, George, Nieto; Borthwick (capt.), Hargreaves; Wray, Saull, Joubert.
Replacements: Smit, Auterac, Romano, Sheriff, Fraser, De Kock, Stanley, Short.
Prediction: There’s is no point mentioning home or away when it comes to Saracens. First, they have no home (yet) and secondly, their performance level is the same wherever they play. They are a well-oiled machine especially up front and I think they’ll get another away win.