Match officials for Premiership semi-finals, including Leicester vs Northampton referee
Rugby NewsThursday, 09 June 2022 at 22:02
The match officials have been confirmed for this weekend's Gallagher Premiership semi-finals, including the Leicester vs Northampton referee.
SARACENS V HARLEQUINS REFEREE
Referee, Luke Pearce during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Match between Harlequins and Wasps at The Stoop, Twickenham on 28 Sept. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK/Gallagher.
Referee: Luke Pearce (129th Premiership game, 3rd semi-final).
Assistant Referees: Christophe Ridley & Anthony Woodthorpe. TMO: Ian Tempest.
Citing Officer: Budge Pountney.
StoneX Stadium, 1.30pm – Live on BT Sport
**OPTA FACTS**
– Saracens have won six of their last seven Premiership matches against Harlequins (L1); additionally, they have also won their last 10 matches at home against Harlequins, including their only previous meeting in the play-offs (31-17 in the 2013/14 semi-finals).
– Saracens have won their last four matches in the play-off stages of the Premiership, scoring an average of 41 points per match during those victories; they have won five of their previous six semi-final ties at home, with their only loss during that period coming against Northampton Saints in May 2013 (13-27).
– Saracens lost their most recent league match (7-54 v Gloucester Rugby) after winning seven in a row previously; their 47-point margin of defeat against Gloucester was their second-heaviest defeat in the Premiership (10-60 v Wasps in February 2020).
– Harlequins have won their last two Premiership play-off matches after losing two in a row previously; their most recent semi-final victory also took place away from home (43-36 v Bristol Bears in June 2021); all four of their previous play-off victories came by margins of seven points or fewer.
– Harlequins have lost two of their last three Premiership fixtures (W1) after winning six in a row previously; this run includes losses in their last two away fixtures, however, both of those defeats came by margins of fewer than 10 points with Quins scoring over 30 points in each game.
– Saracens have the highest place-kicking success rate of any side in this season’s Premiership (79%); they’ve slotted more kicks than any other team overall this season (122) including a league-high 56 penalty goals.
– Harlequins (94%) and Saracens (92%) have won a greater percentage of their own scrums than any other side in this season’s Premiership; Saracens have also won a greater percentage of their opposition’s scrums than any other team in the league this term (17%).
– Harlequins have averaged 4.4 breakdown steals per game in the Premiership this season, the most of any team; individually only Bevan Rodd (17) has made more breakdown steals than Quins duo Andre Esterhuizen (15) and Alex Dombrandt (13, level with Julian Montoya).
– Saracens’ Max Malins is the top try-scorer in this season’s Premiership (16), while teammate Tom Woolstencroft is one of just three forwards to have scored 10+ tries this season (10); however, no player has assisted as many tries as Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care (17).
– Harlequins’ Andre Esterhuizen (234) and Tyrone Green (239) have made the most carries of any backs in this season’s Premiership; they rank third and fourth overall respectively, behind Ruan Ackermann (287) and Saracens’ Billy Vunipola (248). Esterhuizen also tops the charts for post-contact metres this season (793).
– Saracens have won their last four matches in the play-off stages of the Premiership, scoring an average of 41 points per match during those victories; they have won five of their previous six semi-final ties at home, with their only loss during that period coming against Northampton Saints in May 2013 (13-27).
– Saracens lost their most recent league match (7-54 v Gloucester Rugby) after winning seven in a row previously; their 47-point margin of defeat against Gloucester was their second-heaviest defeat in the Premiership (10-60 v Wasps in February 2020).
– Harlequins have won their last two Premiership play-off matches after losing two in a row previously; their most recent semi-final victory also took place away from home (43-36 v Bristol Bears in June 2021); all four of their previous play-off victories came by margins of seven points or fewer.
– Harlequins have lost two of their last three Premiership fixtures (W1) after winning six in a row previously; this run includes losses in their last two away fixtures, however, both of those defeats came by margins of fewer than 10 points with Quins scoring over 30 points in each game.
– Saracens have the highest place-kicking success rate of any side in this season’s Premiership (79%); they’ve slotted more kicks than any other team overall this season (122) including a league-high 56 penalty goals.
– Harlequins (94%) and Saracens (92%) have won a greater percentage of their own scrums than any other side in this season’s Premiership; Saracens have also won a greater percentage of their opposition’s scrums than any other team in the league this term (17%).
– Harlequins have averaged 4.4 breakdown steals per game in the Premiership this season, the most of any team; individually only Bevan Rodd (17) has made more breakdown steals than Quins duo Andre Esterhuizen (15) and Alex Dombrandt (13, level with Julian Montoya).
– Saracens’ Max Malins is the top try-scorer in this season’s Premiership (16), while teammate Tom Woolstencroft is one of just three forwards to have scored 10+ tries this season (10); however, no player has assisted as many tries as Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care (17).
– Harlequins’ Andre Esterhuizen (234) and Tyrone Green (239) have made the most carries of any backs in this season’s Premiership; they rank third and fourth overall respectively, behind Ruan Ackermann (287) and Saracens’ Billy Vunipola (248). Esterhuizen also tops the charts for post-contact metres this season (793).
LEICESTER VS NORTHAMPTON REFEREE
Referee Matthew Carley during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Match between Sale Sharks and Bath Rugby on the fourth weekend of the Return to Rugby campaign as rugby continues after COVID 19 lockdown at AJ Bell Stadium on 13 Sep. Photo: Steve Bond/PPAUK/Gallagher
Referee: Matthew Carley (121st Premiership game, 5th semi-final).
Assistant Referees: Craig Maxwell-Keys & Jack Makepeace. TMO: Stuart Terheege.
Citing Officer: Duncan Bell
Mattioli Woods Welford Road, 4.30pm - Live on BT Sport
OPTA FACTS
- Leicester Tigers have won three of their last four Premiership matches against Northampton Saints (L1) after winning just one of the previous five (L4); however, three of their last four defeats against Northampton Saints have come at home. The Tigers won their only previous home tie against Saints in the semi-finals of the Premiership (11-3 in May 2011).
- Leicester Tigers have lost their last four matches in the play-offs of the Premiership, however, each of those four losses came away from home; in fact, they have won all seven of their previous semi-final ties at home, without conceding over 16 points on any occasion.
- Leicester Tigers have won five of their last six Premiership matches (L1), including their last three in a row; they have won all 12 of their matches at home in the league this term, with those wins coming by an average margin of 15 points.
- Northampton Saints have lost their last two matches in the play-offs of the Premiership after winning three of their previous four (L1); they have won just one of their previous six semi-final ties away from home (v Saracens, 2012/13).
- Northampton Saints have won six of their last seven Premiership matches (L1) after losing four in a row previously; however, their only defeat during that period came in their most recent away game (38-42 v Saracens in Round 25). Saints have scored 32+ points in each of their last six matches
- Leicester Tigers have averaged 35 kicks from hand per game in this season’s Premiership, no other side has averaged 30+; consequently, they are the only side to average 1000+ kicking metres per game in the league this season (1091) – Northampton Saints rank third for kicking meters this term (835 per game).
- Leicester Tigers have conceded just eight 22 entries per game in the Premiership this season, fewer than any other side, while they’re also the only team to conceded fewer than two points per 22 entry (1.92).
- Northampton have recorded an average gain of 4.5 metres in the Premiership this season, no other side has averaged as many metres over the gainline per carry this campaign; Saints also rank 2nd for both line breaks (6.4) and offloads (8.3) per game.
- No player has averaged more points per 80 minutes than Northampton’s Dan Biggar (12.3) or Leicester’s George Ford (12.0), of players to feature for at least 600 minutes in the Premiership this season.
- Northampton Saints’ Alex Mitchell has been directly involved in 24 tries in the Premiership this season (11 tries, 13 assists), more than any other player, while he’s also been involved in the joint most line breaks (31, level with Tom de Glanville), making 17 himself and making 14 break assist passes.
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