Friday 18 April
17/2 Newcastle Falcons | Draw 43/1 | Northampton Saints 1/20
Falcons may feel the brunt of a confident Northampton unit when the sides clash at Kingston Park on Friday. With hot-headed coach Steve Diamond banned for six matches for verbally abusing match officials following his side’s March defeat at Exeter Chiefs, the players will have to lean on each other more than ever.
Saints eased past Castres in last week’s Champions Cup quarterfinal to give them some respite after their Premiership title defence went up in smoke against Leicester last month. They will look to take that momentum into this clash in Newcastle.
Verdict: Saints on the minus (-18.5) 19/20
Northampton to take advantage of vulnerable, coachless Falcons.
Saturday 19 April
33/10 Exeter Chiefs | Draw 25/1 | Bath 1/4
In this rematch of March’s Premiership Rugby Cup final, which also played at Sandy Park, Exeter will be hoping to exact some revenge on table-toppers Bath. Ninth-placed Chiefs come into this one off the back of a narrow defeat of Falcons, but will require all kinds of improvement to knock over Johann van Graan’s devastating outfit.
The visitors have opened up a 10-point lead at the summit of the Premiership standings and don’t look like being caught with five regular-season games to go. Having beaten Exeter twice already this campaign and coming off the back of their 61-26 Challenge Cup drubbing of Gloucester, they should have the necessary ammo to make it three from three.
Verdict: Bath on the board
Bath to maintain the pace at the top of the log.
6/10 Harlequins | Draw 21/1 | Sale Sharks 14/10
While many were quick to criticise Harlequins after their 62-0 Champions Cup thumping at Leinster, the Irish giants’ subsequent 52-0 hammering of URC champions Glasgow puts things into perspective. The truth is that Tabai Matson’s group aren’t nearly as bad as that aforementioned result suggests, and, currently three points off the top four of the Premiership in seventh place, are still very much in contention for a knockout berth.
Sale are two points off the playoff spots in fifth with a challenging fixture list ahead that includes the likes of Saracens (home), Tigers (away) and Bears (home). They pipped the reverse fixture with Quins in round one by a single point but may feel the heat from a side with a point to prove after coming under so much scrutiny of late.
Verdict: Quin on the board
Harlequins to hold off Sale and boost their knockout chances on Saturday.