This weekend the Premiership Rugby Cup hits the semi final stages, with matches being played on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. London Irish host Northampton Saints at the G-tech Community Stadium, and Sale Sharks make the trip down to Devon, as they take on Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the weekend, including each sides’ road to the semi final.
Semi Final 1: London Irish vs Northampton Saints – Friday 19:45 Kick Off, G-tech Community Stadium
The G-tech Community Stadium will be lit up with the ‘Friday night lights’, as London Irish look to make their way to back-to-back Premiership Rugby Cup Finals. After suffering the most excruciating defeat to Worcester last time around, with the Warriors winning by tries scored at the end of a 25-25 extra time draw, Irish are back in the hunt for silverware.
Road to the Semi-Final:
After a narrow 28-26 defeat to Irish in the Premiership Cup pool stages, Northampton Saints will be looking to come back stronger on their return to Brentford. An 80th minute penalty try was the difference, with London Irish reaping the rewards in the final moments.
London Irish finished at the top of Pool 3, with a perfect record of winning form. The Exiles defeated their London rivals Harlequins and Saracens, and upcoming semi final opponents Northampton Saints, to take the top spot. Irish then secured their home semi final, with a 26-7 win over Bath.
It was the forwards who scored for Irish against Bath, as breakthrough hooker Matt Cornish crossed over twice in the Exiles home win, as did replacement lock and Wales U20 star Ed Scragg. Isaac Miller also got on the scoreboard for the hosts, with short drives, and rolling mauls being the try-scoring order of the day. Three out of four successful conversions from Jacob Atkins sent Irish sailing through to the semi-finals.
Northampton too secured wins over the London duo of Saracens and Harlequins, to come second in Pool 3. They then had to endure the away trip to the North East, as they took on Newcastle Falcons. A thrilling end-to-end contest saw the Saints come away with a 28-31 bonus point win.
Two early tries saw Geordie Irvine and Brandon Nansen score for Saints within 10 minutes. Courtnall Skosan added a third before the break, with hooker Robbie Smith’s 51st minute score extending the away lead, which was too great for the Falcons. The accurate kicking of fly half Joel Matavesi kept the Saints points tally ticking over, and took them into the semi finals.
Semi Final 2: Exeter Chiefs vs Sale Sharks, Sunday 13:00 Kick Off, Sandy Park
Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks both finished top of their respective Pools 1 and 2, and are set to meet in the semi-final this Sunday afternoon at Sandy Park. With England’s Six Nations match against Italy taking centre stage for Sunday, this fixture will have an earlier kick-off time of 1pm.
Road to the Semi Final:
Exeter Chiefs had a successful pool stage, showcasing the latest young talents that Devon and Cornwall have to offer. Like London Irish, the Chiefs topped their group as underfeated winners, recording dominant victorious over West Country rivals Gloucester and Bristol Bears, and a narrow 25-22 win over Bath.
Cornish Pirates loanee Rus Tuima has impressed greatly for the Chiefs so far in the competition. The number eight scored in the tight victory over Bath, and grabbed a brace in the 50-33 thriller against Gloucester. Under contract with the Chiefs, Tuima is one such player who is impressing Rob Baxter and thriving in the Premiership Rugby Cup. This is demonstrating the benefits of the academy-focussed competition.
Sale make the long journey down to Devon, after securing an automatic pass to the semi final by topping Pool 2. The mid-season withdrawals of Worcester Warriors and Wasps created such irregular circumstances. Having already failed to qualify for the knockouts, Bristol Bears played Sale to end their Premiership Cup campaign, in what was a dead-rubber fixture.
The resulting match was an exciting one, with Sale and Bristol playing their inexperienced younger stars, in what was essentially a friendly match. Bristol ran away with the match in the latter stages, racking up seven tries in a 43-19 victory. Sale’s biggest takeaway was witnessing the return of George Ford. In his first match since he ruptured his Achilles when playing for Leicester Tigers in the Gallagher Premiership Final, Ford made his Sharks debut at half time.
The final is in sight for all four teams, who will be hoping to secure a piece of illusive silverware. It is lining up to be an exciting weekend of Premiership Rugby Cup action, and the games are being shown live on BT Sport. These fixtures are not to be missed amongst the Six Nations fanfare, and will give a glimpse into the future of the Premiership’s next stars.