Aviva Premiership 2014/2015: Round 18 Predictions

Northampton Saints vs London Wasps

The Saints coped pretty well with the international period, winning three league games and drawing one – the 33-33 extravaganza at Kingsholm – while their stars were away. North, Wood, Lawes and Hartley all return to their starting line-up this weekend, looking to help them continue the good work that has made them comfortable front-runners – they have a nine point cushion over Exeter in second. Wasps’ last outing in the league saw them surrender their unbeaten home record to Saracens, in a hammer blow to their play-off chances. They have been one of the most entertaining sides to watch this season, with free-running forwards Ashley Johnson and Nathan Hughes combining with electric backs Elliot Daly and Christian Wade, to name but a couple. Precocious but raw talent Alex Lozowski starts at fly-half in the injury-enforced absence of Andy Goode.

A Wasps win at the Gardens was always a long shot, but without the experience of Goode it’s even more unlikely. Northampton by 6.

Leicester Tigers vs Exeter Chiefs

The Chiefs have tasted victory at Welford Road already this month, beating the Tigers in the LV=Cup semi-final a few weeks ago. The teams are of course much changed from that game, but the likelihood of another Exeter win here is not too diminished. The Chiefs have their tails up after four wins in a row, and reignite the Slade-Hill-Nowell triumvirate that has served them so well in that winning run. The Tigers are also on a four game winning streak, but the type of free-flowing running that Exeter have been playing has been sparse at Welford Road this season. They name an imposing pack that welcomes back Tom Youngs, Cole and Parling, while Ben Youngs, looking to replicate his sublime international form domestically, directs matters from scrum-half.

The Tigers remain a tough nut to crack at Welford Road, and have a pack that is rarely bettered. The Chiefs can play more of the rugby but will they be allowed to? A narrow home win is the most likely outcome here. Leicester by 2.

London Irish vs Newcastle Falcons

The traditional St Patrick’s Day fixture is a little further removed from the day than is ideal this year, but there’s sure to be a party atmosphere at the Madejski anyway, with a much larger crowd than usual expected. On the pitch it should be a tight affair between two teams that have sat in limbo in the table this year, neither bothered by relegation nor threatening to push for a European spot. With both those factors in mind, it should make for an entertaining affair.

Irish dominate the recent history of this fixture, and having won at Kingston Park earlier this season they look a good bet to complete a double over the Falcons. London Irish by 9.

Saracens vs Harlequins

There’s plenty of returning England talent on show as Saracens and Harlequins do battle in a game at Wembley that will set the record for a domestic rugby crowd. The brothers Vunipola start for Sarries with Richard Wigglesworth on the bench, while Robshaw, Marler and Easter line up for Quins. The men from South West London are all but out of the race for the play-offs and Europe is now their goal, and while a win here would be a huge boost, they have a horrible record against Saracens, having not beaten them in the league since 2009. They have lacked grunt this season, which is far from ideal when facing the gargantuan Saracens pack.

Sarries might lose home advantage by taking the game to Wembley, but they should still be too good for a stuttering Quins side. Saracens by 12.

Sale Sharks vs Gloucester Rugby

Gloucester’s record in the North West makes for pretty grim reading – they’ve not won there since before 2008. They sit six points behind Sale in the league, and this is a fixture which could well define both sides’ season. Sale need a win to keep the pace with the other teams in the play-off mix, having slipped to eight points behind Bath in fourth. Should they lose, Gloucester will be breathing right down their necks. There’s some England intrigue with Danny Cipriani and Billy Twelvetrees – neither of whom were trusted with huge amounts of game time in the Six Nations – returning with plenty of points to prove.

Sale should further their good home record this season and in the process severley dent Gloucester’s hopes of European qualification. Sale by 5.

London Welsh vs Bath Rugby

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bath have rested all of their England stars for this one, with Attwood, Ford, Joseph and Watson rewarded with a week off after seeing considerable game time in the Six Nations. They are afforded that luxury as Bath have a guaranteed five-pointer this weekend, away at winless London Welsh. Ironically, the only point Welsh have to their name this season was for scoring four tries in the corresponding fixture at the Rec in round two. That’s unlikely to happen this time round, with Bath looking for maximum points to bolster their play-off charge after a run of three losses and one win in their last four games.

As always with London Welsh, it’s just a question of by how many they will lose. Bath by 45.

How do you see the weekend going?

By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images