The Gallagher Premiership weekend got underway exclusively live on BT Sport at the AJ Bell this Friday night as Sale Sharks kept their 100% start in a 37-14 win over London Irish while Alex Sanderson’s men went ahead.
After two West Country derbies last time out, there’s another on Matchday 6 as Gloucester meets Bristol in our televised game on Saturday.
Elsewhere on the day, Northampton Saints play from midfield against Newcastle Falcons and Saracens, who lead in Round 6 and face bottom-placed Bath.
Unfortunately, the Wasps’ game against Exeter Chiefs will not go ahead as the Coventry-based club are set to enter administration ‘within days’, a grim repetition of the fate that befell Worcester Warriors.
Wasps currently owe bondholders £35m after moving from London to the West Midlands and also have an outstanding £2m tax bill.
Rounding out the weekend is our live game on Sunday as defending champions Leicester Tigers travel to 2020/21 champions Harlequins.
Read on for a preview of each Round 6 match, including live stream information for our televised matches.
Gloucester vs Bristol – 2.30pm (3pm KO), BT Sport 1 and Ultimate
Gloucester and Bristol met mixed fortunes in their respective West Country derbies last weekend.
The Cherry and Whites fended off Bath to earn a 21-17 victory after leading 21-7 while Pat Lam’s men suffered a 50-14 thrashing by Exeter.
Man of the match Ruan Ackermann – who made 12 carries and 22 tackles – after the game in rec praised his side’s character, who “fought to get the ball off the field” to seal the win, with the flanker admitting that the guests may have “taken their feet off the gas” shortly after the break.
Bristol have lost their last three league and cup games, scoring 115 points. Lam regretted missed opportunities to take the game by the neck against Exeter, praising the quality of the opponents and also identified the two yellow cards chosen by his charges and the time spent in his own half as determining factors in the loss.
View highlights: Bristol Bears 14-50 Exeter Chiefs
Bristol’s squad has been strengthened with the arrival of Joe Batley, who played for Worcester before the contracts of all players and staff were terminated last week.
However, Lam announced on Wednesday that Harry Randall, after tearing a hamstring following a tackle on Jack Nowell, will be out for three to four months after undergoing surgery, ruling him out of England’s autumn campaign.
To offer some comfort to Warriors season ticket holders who are devastated by their club’s uncertain future, Gloucester are offering 50% discount on Premiership and Premiership Rugby Cup game tickets for the remainder of the season starting this weekend in Kingsholm .
Gloucester enter their second West Country within a week of beating Bath
Northampton Saints v Newcastle Falcons – 3pm KO
In Chris Boyd’s last season as rugby director, Northampton qualified for the play-offs for the first time in three years before being knocked out by eventual winners Leicester in the semi-finals.
Successor Phil Dowson has to sort out the inconsistencies that have characterized the club’s performances in recent seasons and has already had to deal with the news that the influential Dan Biggar will leave Saints at the end of 2022/23.
Fin Smith was quickly drafted in as heir to half the Welshman’s throne, with the 20-year-old becoming available after Worcester’s sad death and in the frame to play against Newcastle.
The team responded to the announcement of Biggar’s departure with a thrilling win at Wasps on Sunday when Courtnall Skosan rushed over with a red watch to secure the win.
Watch highlights: Newcastle Falcons 14-34 Saracens
Another difficult year looks likely for Newcastle, although it hasn’t been an easy start given the opening four games of the league season against Harlequins, Leicester, Bristol and Saracens.
The flair of Matteo Carreras and the consistency of hooker extraordinaire George McGuigan are just two reasons to be optimistic as a Falcons fan, but wins that add to the one against the Bears have to come sooner rather than later.
Fin Smith has been tasked with filling Dan Biggar’s big boots from next season
Saracens v Bath – 3pm KO
It’s hard to predict anything other than a Saracen victory here.
The north Londoners look in ideal shape to clinch their first Premiership title after the salary cap debacle that rocked sport and damaged the club’s reputation.
Mark McCall’s men, along with Sale, are the only teams in the division to have an unblemished record this season.
Max Malins appears determined to end his career at Sarries with a bang before making a permanent move to Bristol in the summer.
The wing has six tries and nine clean breaks this season (both league-leading) while Billy Vunipola has made just fewer carries than Exeter’s Alec Hepburn.
Watch highlights: Bath 17-21 Gloucester
While the Saracens have a 100 per cent record, Bath are yet to record a win under new rugby director Johann van Graan.
However, some green shoots of recovery were seen against Gloucester as a rousing second-half performance reduced the deficit to four points before the final whistle conspired against them.
The club have pulled out all the stops to strengthen the squad in recent days, bringing in sacked Worcester quartet Valeriy Morozov, Fergus Lee-Warner, Ollie Robinson and Ted Hill.
All four men should add much-needed quality, with Lee-Warner fourth in most tackles in the league this season.
Sunday October 16th
Harlequins vs Leicester Tigers – 2pm (3pm KO) on BT Sport 1 and Ultimate
The last two Premiership champions face off in the stoop to round off another thrilling weekend.
Two losses in early October mean the Tigers are now eighth after losing Ellis Genge and George Ford in the summer.
What worries Steve Borthwick about the recent defeat – at home to Sale – will be that his side failed to score after the break – leading 16-12 – with two converted goals from the visitors meaning the hosts missed out on a losing bonus point like they did against Saracens last Saturday.
Watch Highlights: Leicester Tigers 16-26 Sale Sharks
Tabai Matson will certainly have identified defense as an area where the Harlequins can improve; The south-west Londoners have conceded more than 33 points per game in the league this season, a figure only better than Bath.
On the other end of the playing field, however, they offer plenty of thrills for supports and neutrals alike.
Calls for Cadan Murley to be called up for England are mounting by the week, with the 23-year-old’s outrageous display against Northampton making jaws drop.
Tyrone Green was only surpassed by Alec Hepburn and Henry Arundell in carries and yards gained in the league, while Jack Kenningham continued to prove his value on the lineout and Irne Herbst proved an inspired buy from Benetton and excelled in the league tackle department.
Last season there were two exciting matches between these English rugby encounters. Expect something similar here again.
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