Last week proved to be a bit of a horror show in the Gallagher Premiership as not many of our tips landed. Let's try change that this week!
Friday 18 February
Worcester 47/20 | Draw 22/1 | Bristol 7/20 (21:45)
Well, if this game is anything like last week’s opener then we are in for an absolute treat. Both Worcester and Bristol currently find themselves at the wrong end of the table with the Warriors in 12th spot and the Bears sitting in tenth.
While the Warriors would expect to be occupying a spot in the lower echelons of table, this is not the territory rugby pundits would have pictured Bristol lying in after they finished the 2020/21 regular season at the summit of the Premiership standings.
Last Friday’s defeat to London Irish was one of the worst defeat’s Bristol have suffered since returning to the Premiership. To go down 32-49 to the Exiles at home is unacceptable and Pat Lam would have given his chargers the hair-dryer treatment following the loss.
Worcester also come into this one off the back of a defeat but they take encouragement from that 36-12 loss to the Sale Sharks as they were right in the contest until late in the second half when the floodgates opened and Sale were able to add some gloss to the scoreline.
While do expect an improved showing from Bristol, Worcester have proved to be a tough nut at home. I expect this to be a close-run thing and I can see the hosts just edging it.
Saturday 19 February
Harlequins 93/100 | Draw 22/1 | Wasps 93/100 (17:00)
Next up we have the makings of a cracker with fourth-placed Harlequins taking on fifth-placed Wasps. Only a solitary point separates the sides on the standings and this could be a crucial fixture with only ten rounds of the regular season remaining.
Wasps continued their resurgence last weekend as they beat Bath 41-24. While this wasn’t their most impressive victory of the season, it did extend their run of domestic wins to four on the trot.
While Wasps have been in solid touch, ‘Quins have dropped off the boil in recent weeks with last week’s 19-10 defeat to Saracens being their third domestic loss in succession. They really need to turn things around ASAP or they could well miss out on a semi-final spot.
Wasps have been in sensational touch and I can’t help but back them to make it five Premiership wins in a row.
Bath 38/10 | Draw 25/1 | Leicester Tigers 17:00
Continuing with Saturday’s action now and our next fixture pits last-placed Bath up against log-leaders, the Leicester Tigers.
The hosts are getting closer to pulling away from the foot of the table with only seven points separating them and the 12th-placed Worcester Warriors.
They gave a decent enough account of themselves last week as well putting in a gutsy display at the Ricoh Arena where they went down 41-24 to a bang in form Wasps outfit.
Leicester enjoyed a very positive Round 16 as they racked up their 13th win of the campaign beating the Northampton Saints 35-20.
While Bath are moving in the right direction, I can’t see them getting one over a well-drilled Tigers outfit.
Northampton 33/20 | Draw 20/1 | Sale Sharks 52/100 (17:00)
We head to Northampton for our next fixture which will see the Saints play host to a resurgent Sale Sharks outfit.
The two sides enjoyed contrasting fortunes in the last round with the Saints beaten 35-20 by Leicester and the Sharks registering a 36-12 win over the Worcester Warriors.
Both teams have a lot to work on heading into this one with the Saints leaking some soft tries against Leicester, while it took ages for Sale to get going against Worcester last week.
I really do fancy the visitors here. They’re playing some really good rugby when they move through the gears and if they can get out the blocks quicker than last weekend, then they should be able to claim the spoils here.
London Irish 2/1 | Draw 25/1 | Saracens 42/100 (17:00)
The penultimate game of the weekend sees an always entertaining London Irish side take on Saracens.
The hosts put in a spectacular display of running rugby last Friday evening as they beat a much-fancied Bristol Bears side 32-49. This was their second domestic win of the year with the other seeing them beat Exeter 18-14.
Saracens continued their solid run of form last week with the men from North London making it three wins from five starts in 2022 with a 19-10 victory over Harlequins.
I expect we’ll see a number of tries in this one but Saracens should come out on top by a comfortable enough margin.
Sunday 20 February
Newcastle Falcons 43/20 | Draw 21/1 | Exeter Chiefs 4/10 (17:00)
We bring things to a close at Kingston Park where the Newcastle Falcons will take on the Exeter Chiefs.
Both sides have been extremely inconsistent this season with the hosts winning five and drawing one of their 14 games while Exeter have won eight and lost seven.
The Falcons will come into this one well-rested as while the Chiefs were claiming a hard-fought 24-15 win over Gloucester, the Falcons were enjoying a bye week.
I know the Chiefs have really struggled to back wins up this season but I do fancy them here. They need to start claiming wins if they are to make the semi-finals and that desperation should make them a lot more dangerous near the back end of the season.
