SATURDAY 18TH NOVEMBER
East Midlands Derby – Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints (15:05 KO, Welford Road)
Considered to be the most intense rivalry in the Premiership, the East Midlands derby between Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints takes centre stage in the Saturday afternoon slot. The Tigers have had an underwhelming start to their Premiership campaign, and took their fourth loss in five games last time out. The narrow defeat to Harlequins has ushered in a sense of frustration at Leicester, who will enjoy the cathartic release of a physical battle with their old rivals.
Northampton enter the derby off the back of three consecutive Premiership wins, seeing them topple Newcastle, Bath and Exeter in recent weeks. The Saints are certainly ‘Marching In’, and eye up this derby as an opportunity to enhance their league standings, and secure the local bragging rights to boot. Fly half Fin Smith continues to make a name for himself amongst England’s top halfbacks, and had a stellar performance in last weekend’s win over the Chiefs.
Smith astutely ran his back-line, and sent 14 points through the posts to secure the win. Speaking to Northampton Saints ahead of his first East Midlands derby, Smith said; “I can’t wait, I’ve never played in a Saints versus Tigers derby. It’s a first experience for me, from chatting to my teammates, it’s something you can’t really appreciate unless you’re there. It’s such a big game, there’s so much tension and there’s so much on the line. We’re chomping at the bit.”
Leicester Tigers stalwart scrum-half Ben Youngs will make history on Saturday, as adds another accolade to an incredible career. Already England’s all-time most capped men’s player, Youngs will become the most-capped player in the history of the East Midlands derby, as he runs out for his 28th appearence against Northampton Saints. Elsewhere in the Tigers squad, England hopefuls Guy Porter (outside centre) and Ollie Hassell-Collins (left wing) return to the starting line-up.
There are some noteable appearences on the Saints replacements bench, with 18-year-old Henry Pollock looking to make his Premiership debut. Also, centre Rory Hutchinson is bringing up the century mark, as he makes his 100th Premiership appearence.
RUCK PREDICTION: Leicester Tigers 24 – 18 Northampton Saints
LEICESTER TIGERS
15. Freddie Steward 14. Josh Bassett 13. Guy Porte 12. Solomone Kat 11. Ollie Hassell-Collins 10. Handré Pollard 9. Ben Youngs 1. James Cronin 2. Charlie Clare 3. Joe Heyes 4. Cameron Henderson 5 Ollie Chessum 6 Hanro Liebenberg (c) 7 Tommy Reffell 8 Jasper Wiese
16. Archie Vanes 17. Francois van Wyk 18. Dan Cole 19. Sam Carter 20. Matt Rogerson 21. Tom Whiteley 22. Jamie Shillcock 23. Matt Scott
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
15. George Furbank 14. George Hendy 13. Tommy Freeman 12. Fraser Dingwall 11. James Ramm 10. Fin Smith 9. Alex Mitchell 1. Alex Waller 2. Curtis Langdon 3. Trevor Davison 4. Alex Moon 5. Chunya Munga 6. Alex Coles 7. Tom Pearson 8. Lewis Ludlam (c)
16. Sam Matavesi 17. Ethan Waller 18 Elliot Millar Mills 19. Tom Lockett 20. Henry Pollock 21. Tom James 22 Rory Hutchinson 23. Ollie Sleightholme
London Derby – Harlequins vs Saracens (17:30 KO, Twickenham Stoop)
Saturday’s late kick-off is the London derby between Harlequins and Saracens. Despite not holding the ‘Show Down’ moniker of their meetings at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, this match-up between the reigning Premiership Champions and the current league leaders has all the makings of an instant classic. The head-line match-up sees Marcus Smith go tee-to-tee with Owen Farrell, as the two England fly-halves look to lead their London club’s to victory.
Harlequins have a significant milestone coming up in the front row, as Joe Marler runs out for his 200th Premiership appearence. Amongst the England internationals, Rugby World Cup winner Andre Esterhuizen adds some South African strength into the Quins midfield. Harlequins Director of Rugby Billy Millard said: “We’re excited for Saturday. It’s a great challenge for our squad. It’s always good to get back to The Stoop in front of our supporters and we’re under no illusions what is required to get the result.”
Saracens have brought a stacked squad down across the nation’s capital, with numerous international talents making the trip from North to West London. Whilst Harlequins come into the match on a four match winning streak, Saracens are looking to curtail the form, and make it four in a row for themselves. England World Cup stars Farrell, Maro Itoje, Jamie George, Billy Vunipola, Elliot Daly, Theo Dan and Ben Earl have all been named in the match-day 23.
Saracens openside flanker Andy Christie said; “It’s always a brilliant game against Quins, and it’s a really big week for us. There’s a bit more edge to these fixtures so we know the boys will properly rip in on Saturday night. They have had a good start to the season and it will be a tough test but we can’t wait to get out there and get stuck in.”
RUCK Prediction: Harlequins 22 – 30 Saracens
HARLEQUINS
15. Nick David 14. Tyrone Green 13. Oscar Beard 12. Andre Esterhuizen 11. Louis Lynagh 10. Marcus Smith 9. Will Porter 1. Joe Marler 2. Jack Walker 3. Will Collier 4. Joe Launchbury 5. George Hammond 6. Dino Lamb 7. Will Evans 8. Alex Dombrandt (Captain)
16. Sam Riley 17. Fin Baxter 18. Dillon Lewis 19. Chandler Cunningham-South 20. James Chisholm 21. Danny Care 22. Jarrod Evans 23. Will Joseph
SARACENS
15. Alex Goode 14. Alex Lewington 13. Alex Lozowski 12. Nick Tompkins 11. Elliot Daly 10. Owen Farrell (c) 9. Ivan Van Zyl 1. Mako Vunipola 2. Jamie George 3. Marco Riccioni 4. Maro Itoje 5. Hugh Tizard 6. Juan Martin Gonzalez 7. Andy Christie 8. Billy Vunipola
16. Theo Dan 17. Eroni Mawi 18 Alec Clarey. 19. Tom Willis 20. Ben Earl 21. Aled Davies 22. Olly Hartley 23. Tom Parton