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England’s Gallagher Premiership enters Round 17, the penultimate round.
England’s Gallagher Premiership enters Round 17, the penultimate round.
With Bath 10 points clear at the top, attention will be focused on the lower playoff places, with six teams jostling for position and still able to finish alongside them in the top four.
Two teams that have hit the heights this season, but who have also inexplicably slumped without warning.
Fourth-place Sale need the win with Saracens breathing down their necks and level on 49 points.
Bristol in third, and three points ahead enjoyed a strong showing against Bath in Cardiff last week, but with George Ford racking up eight try assists in Sale’s last six matches, they know the threat they will have to shut down.
Bears hooker Gabriel Oghre will need to match his defence from Round 16, when his 23 tackles went a long way to ensuring victory.
The great entertainers head north where a victory is vital to staying in contention with Sale Sharks and Saracens who are three points ahead.
Newcastle Falcons hopes of turning Kingston Park into a fortress haven’t materialised and the one-point loss to Northampton Saints a month ago will continue to sting.
A strong set-piece will be essential, and while Jamie Blamire has the third-best lineout record in the Premiership with 143 lineout throws, a team coached by ex-second row George Skivington won’t be pushovers.
Falcons can’t let Gloucester’s runners get going. Last weekend, Christian Wade scored a try after a clean break, the 10th time he’s made a clean break in his 12 appearances this season.
If he isn’t going to do the damage, then there’s Santiago Carreras and Max Llewelyn who hold the joint third most clean breaks with 25.
A clash between the last two Premiership champions, albeit the hosts are likely to be understrength with their playoff hopes over and the Investec Champions Cup Final next weekend.
That will suit Saracens who need all the points going to leapfrog Sale and join the top four.
It’s likely to mean more work for Saints’ defence, who have already made the most tackles this season with 2,453 and have the highest tackle success rate with 80.1%.
Saracens’ Juan Martin Gonzalez may have scored his first Premiership hattrick last weekend, but don’t expect Mark McCall’s team to totally unleash their attack.
Scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl saw six of his kicks retained last weekend, which takes his season’s total of retained kicks to 49. Box kicks will feature.
At the dawn of professionalism this was the big clash, and with these two occupying the top two playoff places, could we see a repeat at Allianz Stadium in June?
Bath will be licking their wounds after losing to Bristol Bears, but know they have a guaranteed home semifinal.
For Leicester, depending on what the Bears do, even a draw could be good enough to ensure a home semi too.
Bath wing Joe Cokanasiga is making his case for a place in the England tour squad. He made over 100 metres against Bristol, the third time he’s done so this season.
Leicester will again look to Handré Pollard. The South African World Cup winner scored 19 points last weekend and was 100% off the tee.
There won’t be a dry eye in the house when Danny Care, knee permitting, runs out for Harlequins one last time.
At 38, the scrumhalf has slipped behind Will Porter and Lucas Friday, as time and injures have caught up. Expect a farewell as long as a opera diva’s (on-stage) death.
For Exeter fans the hope is Rob Baxter’s return as head coach will have a galvanising effect after an underwhelming season.
Quins may have an outside hope of reaching the playoffs. They too have underperformed, and it will be interesting to see if Marcus Smith’s place in the British and Irish Lions squad will bring out his best.
Last week Harlequins wing Cadan Murley showed he was back to the form that earned him an England debut this season with a hattrick against Gloucester, and along with the rest of the back three - Tyrone Green, and Rodrigo Isgro – made 12 of Harlequins clean breaks.
If anyone will lift Exeter out of their pall it’s Josh Hodge. He assisted three tries and made four clean breaks last weekend, and with five tries, is the only Chiefs player with more than one Premiership try this season.
