There's three Premiership games on Saturday before two take place on Sunday, with the Leicester versus Northampton derby standing out.
Saturday
Gloucester vs Harlequins
Jason Woodward returns for Gloucester having missed out at Exeter as the Cherry and Whites make half a dozen changes to their starting line-up for the visit of Harlequins.
Woodward takes his usual spot at full-back in one of four changes to the backline. Henry Trinder, making his 100th Premiership appearance, moves to the left wing instead of Tom Marshall and Billy Twelvetrees comes into the midfield at outside centre.
Callum Braley starts at scrum-half and Billy Burns at fly-half in a new look half-back partnership, with Willi Heinz and Owen Williams both sidelined due to injury.
Meanwhile, in the pack, Jeremy Thrush gets the nod to partner Ed Slater in the second-row – the latter taking over the captaincy – while Jake Polledri starts in the back-row in place of Ruan Ackermann, who is named amongst the replacements.
Quins come to Kingsholm off the back of a heavy defeat at home to London Irish last weekend and subsequently announced the departure of director of rugby John Kingston at the end of the season.
It’s been a tough season for the Stoop-based outfit, but Gloucester head coach Johan Ackermann is wary of a potentially wounded side.
“It has been a tough season for them, but our season is also not where we want it to be and obviously, after Sunday, we were all disappointed at the result. It’s going to be a tough old game,” he said.
“To be fair to them, they’re an unknown factor, we don’t know what team they pick or how they will turn up. There’s a lot to play for, we can’t underestimate them but, first of all, we have to get our own performance right. We must come out of the blocks and perform.
“If we can start well and put them under pressure, then the cracks might start to appear. But if we give them a lifeline, give them some soft tries etc, then it will give them some camaraderie and belief.
“They still have a lot to play for with things like England touring places up for grabs and we can’t discount them. They’re a team who have achieved great heights and who will always be competitive.”
For Harlequins, there are five changes to the starting XV from last week's encounter with London Irish.
In the backs, Jamie Roberts comes in to partner Joe Marchant in the centres as Francis Saili misses out (shoulder). Alofa Alofa also starts, to form the back three alongside Mike Brown and Charlie Walker.
In the forwards there are three changes, with Joe Gray starting at hooker. There is a brand new second row as club captain James Horwill packs down with George Merrick in the engine room. Merrick starts for the first time since January following his recovery from injury.
In the replacements, Elia Elia will look to feature for the first time since January.
Form: Gloucester won seven of their first ten matches in Aviva Premiership Rugby this season but since have won only three more, at home to Sale and Leicester and away at London Irish. Gloucester’s two home defeats in any competition this season were to Pau in round six of the European Challenge Cup and to Newcastle in round 17 of Premiership Rugby. Harlequins have picked up just four league points from their last six Aviva Premiership Rugby encounters, all from a 20-5 victory at home to Bath on 4 March. The Londoners have been defeated in their last nine away games in all tournaments since beating Saracens by a single point in the first round of the Anglo-Welsh Cup, whilst their only away win in Premiership Rugby this season was at Wasps in round three. Harlequins have lost only one of their last seven fixtures with Gloucester in Premiership Rugby: 6-28 at Kingsholm in February 2016. Quins won on their most recent visit to Kingsholm in March 2017 but have not achieved successive victories at the famous venue this century.
The teams:
Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Billy Twelvetrees, 12 Mark Atkinson, 11 Henry Trinder, 10 Billy Burns, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Jake Polledri, 5 Jeremy Thrush, 4 Ed Slater (c), 3 John Afoa, 2 James Hanson, 1 Josh Hohneck
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu’u, 17 Paddy McAllister, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Tom Savage, 20 Freddie Clarke, 21 Ruan Ackermann, 22 Ben Vellacott, 23 Tom Hudson
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Charlie Walker, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Alofa Alofa, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 Mat Luamanu, 7 Chris Robshaw, 6 Jack Clifford, 5 James Horwill (c), 4 George Merrick, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Joe Gray, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Elia Elia, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Will Collier, 19 Stan South, 20 Luke Wallace, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 James Lang, 23 Gabriel Ibitoye
Venue: Kingsholm
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe, Jonathan Healy
Television match official: Graham Hughes
Leicester vs Northampton
Leicester Tigers make two changes to the starting line-up for Saturday’s derby clash with Northampton Saints at Welford Road as Tom Youngs and Matt Smith return to the team.
Club captain Youngs exchanges places with Tatafu Polota-Nau who starts among the replacements this weekend, while Smith comes into midfield following injury to Mathew Tait during last week’s triumph over Bath at Twickenham.
The only other changes after a fifth successive league win last week are on the bench where there are places for Ben Youngs and Jonah Holmes after their recovery from injury and for George Worth.
There are some notable landmarks in the starting team too with Sam Harrison and Graham Kitchener making their 150th appearance for the club and a 50th game in Tigers colours for back-rower Luke Hamilton.
Tigers head coach Matt O’Connor said: “We’re getting some bodies back from injury which allows us to pick from a position of strength for the run-in and that is going to be important in such a tight competition.
“We’ve been on a decent run of results and had a good win at Twickenham last week but it means nothing if we don’t back it up against a very committed Northampton side.”
Meanwhile, Australian centre Rob Horne will lead out Northampton for the very first time.
Following a stunning 24-11 victory over Tigers at Franklin’s Gardens back in September, Saints are chasing their first season’s double over Leicester since the 2003/04 season.
Interim head coach Alan Dickens and technical coaching consultant Alan Gaffney welcome two key Saintsmen back onto the bench from injury, as well as making five changes to the line-up that started last time out against Saracens.
Ben Foden returns to the starting XV, with Wales international George North on the opposite wing and Ahsee Tuala at full-back to complete the back three.
Skipper Horne once again partners Piers Francis in the centres with pivot Stephen Myler and scrum-half Cobus Reinach both also retained.
Mikey Haywood returns from injury at hooker with props Campese Ma’afu and Paul Hill either side of him, and Saints welcome back front-rower Alex Waller to the squad who will look to make an impact from the bench.
James Craig replaces the injured Christian Day in Northampton’s second row, partnering Api Ratuniyarawa, while number eight Mitch Eadie also comes into the starting line-up – Teimana Harrison shifting to flanker with David Ribbans missing out through injury.
And there’s also room on the bench for returning centre Luther Burrell, who joins Alex Mitchell and Tom Collins amongst the replacements.
“There’s nothing bigger than a local derby, whether it be at Franklin’s Gardens or up the road at Leicester, to get the players going,” said Dickens.
“We’ve got to stick together as a team, and match Leicester physically. We responded in a big way from a defeat the last time we played Tigers, and the players put in an attritional performance at home.
“The players have looked at themselves hard this week, as our last performance was not a reflection of what we can do. We are certainly looking for a reaction.”
Form: Leicester Tigers are the best team in Premiership Rugby on current form having gained 24 league points from their last six encounters. Tigers have lost three times in Premiership Rugby at Welford Road this season, and have only once before suffered four home defeats in any league campaign – in 2003/04. Northampton Saints have slipped to four straight Premiership Rugby defeats since their 25-17 win at home to London Irish on 17 February. The Saints only away victory in the last twelve months of Premiership Rugby was 40-25 at London Irish in round four. Northampton’s 24-11 victory over Leicester at Franklin’s Gardens in round two ended a run of seven defeats to Tigers in all competitions. The Saints have only once before achieved a Premiership Rugby season double over their great East Midland rivals – in 2003-04.
The teams:
Leicester: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Matt Smith, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Sam Harrison, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Luke Hamilton, 6 Valentino Mapapalangi, 5 Graham Kitchener, 4 Mike Fitzgerald, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Greg Bateman, 18 Logovi’i Mulipola, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Will Evans, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 George Worth, 23 Jonah Holmes
Northampton: 15 Ahsee Tuala, 14 Ben Foden, 13 Rob Horne (c), 12 Piers Francis, 11 George North, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Mitch Eadie, 7 Teimana Harrison, 6 Jamie Gibson, 5 James Craig, 4 Api Ratuniyarawa, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Mikey Haywood, 1 Campese Ma’afu
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Ehren Painter, 19 Michael Paterson, 20 Ben Nutley, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Luther Burrell, 23 Tom Collins
Venue: Welford Road
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant referees: Tom Foley, Paul Dix
Television match official: Sean Davey
Wasps vs Worcester
Director of rugby Dai Young has made two changes to the starting XV that faced Sale last Friday for the visit of Worcester Warriors in Saturday’s Round 20 Aviva Premiership clash.
Behind the scrum, influential South African international centre Juan de Jongh has completed a full week’s training and starts in the home midfield.
Elliot Daly therefore switches to the left wing role in which he has recently starred for both England and the British & Irish Lions.
Danny Cipriani and Josh Bassett have both successfully completed return-to-play protocols following head injuries sustained in the last five minutes at the AJ Bell Stadium.
They respectively wear the number 10 and 23 shirts, and Bassett is joined on a powerful bench by Fijian centre Gaby Lovobalavu, whose suspension is now complete.
Young’s second change sees Will Rowlands and Kearnan Myall switch bench and starting roles in the second-row.
Prop forward Simon McIntyre will make his 150th Wasps appearance when he emerges from the replacements.
Young said: “We have two home games coming up against teams below us who will be scrapping for their lives, so we know how difficult that is going to be.
“Worcester had a good win against Newcastle last weekend. That helped us, but now we have to look after ourselves and concentrate on getting a result against them.
“Right across the board Worcester do basic things well. They have got a good set piece, some threatening players behind the scrum and a lot of spirit within their team.
“Worcester will come all guns blazing wanting to get a win. We’re expecting a really physical game and we know if we’re not accurate they will pounce on any mistakes we make.”
Meanwhile, scrum-half Michael Dowsett and fly-half Dorian Jones have been handed starting berths ahead of Worcester’s Premiership trip to Midlands rivals Wasps.
The half-back duo impressed off the bench last weekend as Warriors battled back from 13-6 down to beat Newcastle Falcons 27-13.
And director of rugby Alan Solomons gives them the chance to shine once again, as they both make their first Premiership starts of the season.
The rest of the starting line-up remains unchanged as Chris Pennell makes his 199th club appearance alongside Bryce Heem and Josh Adams in the back three, while Jackson Willison and England star Ben Te’o are in the centres.
Ryan Bower keeps his place at loosehead to partner Jack Singleton and Nick Schonert in the front-row with Darren Barry and Will Spencer continuing their second-row partnership.
David Denton, Sam Lewis and skipper GJ van Velze start in the back-row while Ethan Waller returns to the squad among the replacements after recovering from a shoulder problem.
Form: Wasps only victory in the last four rounds of Aviva Premiership Rugby was 24-16 at home to London Irish on 4 March. Wasps only defeat at Ricoh Arena in Premiership Rugby since October was to Saracens in round 13. Worcester Warriors ended a three games losing streak with their 27-13 victory over Newcastle at Sixways last weekend. Warriors have won just twice away from home in Premiership Rugby in the last two years, but both were notable scalps, at Leicester and at Exeter. Wasps have won their last eight fixtures against Exeter in all tournaments since the Warriors 29-23 victory at Sixways in Premiership Rugby in March 2013. The last time Worcester were triumphant on Wasps turf was 6-0 at Adams Park on New Year’s Day 2012.
The teams:
Wasps: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jimmy Gopperth, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Guy Thompson, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Jack Willis, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 2 Tom Cruse, 1 Matt Mullan
Replacements: 16 Tommy Taylor, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 Marty Moore, 19 Kearnan Myall, 20 James Haskell, 21 Craig Hampson, 22 Gaby Lovobalavu, 23 Josh Bassett
Worcester: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Ben Te’o, 12 Jackson Willison, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dorian Jones, 9 Michael Dowsett, 8 GJ van Velze (c), 7 Sam Lewis, 6 David Denton, 5 Will Spencer, 4 Darren Barry, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Ryan Bower
Replacements: 16 Kurt Haupt, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Gareth Milasinovich, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Marco Mama, 21 Jonny Arr, 22 Jamie Shillcock, 23 Dean Hammond
Venue: Ricoh Arena
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant referees: Adam Leal, Wayne Falla
Television match official: Stuart Terheege
Sunday
London Irish vs Exeter
London Irish make one change for this Sunday’s Premiership Round 20 fixture against Exeter Chiefs at the Madejski Stadium, with Sebastian De Chaves coming into the second-row alongside skipper Franco van der Merwe.
The Exiles welcome Rob Baxter’s men to the Madejski on the back of last week’s impressive 35-5 victory at Harlequins, a result which has given Irish a fighting chance of preserving their top-flight status.
Piet van Zyl starts at scrum-half in an unchanged Irish backline, the South African having scored a brace against Harlequins last weekend. James Marshall retains the 10 jersey to complete the half-back pairing.
Samoan international Ofisa Treviranus keeps his place at eight and partners Max Northcote-Green in the back-row, the 24-year-old scoring the Exiles’ third try at The Stoop. Josh McNally moves to blindside flanker from the second-row.
Tom Fowlie’s bonus point try ensured that Irish took maximum points from Round 19, and he gets the nod at centre alongside fellow academy graduate Theo Brophy Clews. Another result of the London Irish production line, Johnny Williams, remains sidelined following a late withdrawal through injury from last Saturday’s starting XV.
A formidable back three sees Tommy Bell start at full-back following a successful outing on kicking duty last weekend, with Joe Cokanasiga and Alex Lewington occupying the wings. Ben Franks, David Paice and Ollie Hoskins make up an unchanged front-row.
Meanwhile, Exeter head coach Rob Baxter has rotated his options with several notable changes to the starting line-up from that of last weekend.
In the pack, Ben Moon, Mitch Lees and Dave Ewers are all promoted from the bench to start at the Madjeski Stadium, while behind Gareth Steenson will skipper the side from fly-half; Ian Whitten moves into the centre alongside Henry Slade; and international duo Santiago Cordero and Jack Nowell, fresh from scoring two last weekend, both start on the wings.
On the bench, Harry Williams, Moray Low and Thomas Waldrom all return to first-team duties, whilst Tom O’Flaherty is also named as a replacement having impressed recently during the club’s Anglo-Welsh Cup success.
Form: London Irish achieved only their third Aviva Premiership Rugby victory of the season last weekend, with two of those coming against Harlequins. The Exiles did not open their winning account at Madejski Stadium this season until they beat Krasny Yar there on 13 January, but have now won three of their last five fixtures at the venue. Exeter Chiefs have won their last six matches in all competitions since their 7-13 defeat at Wasps in round 15 of Aviva Premiership Rugby. The Chiefs have lost four times on the road in Premiership Rugby this season, at Gloucester, Leicester, Newcastle and Wasps. Exeter have lost only one of their last ten encounters with London Irish in Premiership Rugby: 26-28 at Madejski Stadium in January 2015.
The teams:
London Irish: 15 Tommy Bell, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Tom Fowlie, 12 Theo Brophy Clews, 11 Alex Lewington, 10 James Marshall, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Ofisa Treviranus, 7 Max Northcote-Green, 6 Josh McNally, 5 Sebastian De Chaves, 4 Franco van der Merwe (c), 3 Ollie Hoskins, 2 David Paice, 1 Ben Franks
Replacements: 16 Dave Porecki, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Petrus Du Plessis, 19 Josh Basham, 20 Jake Schatz, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Fergus Mulchrone, 23 Aseli Tikoirotuma
Exeter: 15 Lachie Turner, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Santiago Cordero, 10 Gareth Steenson (c), 9 Nic White, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Don Armand, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Mitch Lees, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ben Moon
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Moray Low, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Thomas Waldrom, 21 Stuart Townsend, 22 Sam Hill, 23 Tom O’Flaherty
Venue: Madejski Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant referees: Hamish Smales, Nigel Carrick
Television match official: David Sainsbury
Saracens vs Bath
Chris Wyles will make his 250th appearance for Saracens this weekend when Bath visit Allianz Park on Sunday.
The veteran USA international made his debut for the club 10 years previous as a replacement against Sale Sharks in September 2008.
He forms part of a backline which has one change from the win at Northampton Saints last Saturday – Richard Wigglesworth reinstated at nine.
Dom Day and Schalk Burger come into the pack with Maro Itoje and Blair Cowan rested from the matchday squad.
South African Michael Rhodes (hamstring) returns from a lengthy spell on the sidelines and is joined on the bench by Ben Earl and Alex Goode.
The match comes too soon for Billy Vunipola (arm) and Vincent Koch (ankle).
Meanwhile, Bath have made one change to their team to face Saracens.
Tom Ellis comes in for the injured Matt Garvey at blindside flanker, with Charlie Ewels wearing captain’s armband.
Tom Dunn, who crossed the whitewash at Twickenham last week, is joined by Beno Obano and Shaun Knight in the front-row.
Ewels and Elliott Stooke make up a physical second row, with Ellis joined in the back-row by Francois Louw and Taulupe Faletau.
Kahn Fotuali’i and Rhys Priestland continue their partnership in the half-back combination, with Aled Brew and Matt Banahan lining up on the wings.
Ben Tapuai lines up alongside Jonathan Joseph in the midfield, and James Wilson completes the starting XV at full-back.
Form: Saracens have lost just twice in the last nine rounds of Aviva Premiership Rugby, at home to Leicester in round 16 and away at Exeter in round 17. Saracens have won five of their last six home games in all tournaments. Bath Rugby have slipped to three straight Aviva Premiership Rugby defeats but have not lost four in succession in the tournament since season 2011-12. Bath’s only victory in their last five away games in Premiership Rugby was 46-25 at Worcester in round 13. Bath beat Saracens 31-21 at the Recreation Ground in round 2 and have not achieved a Premiership Rugby season’s double over them since 2003-04. Bath’s only victory on Saracens’ soil in Premiership Rugby since 2006 was 16-14 at Vicarage Road in February 2010.
The teams:
Saracens: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Alex Lozowski, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 5 George Kruis, 4 Dominic Day, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Kieran Longbottom, 19 Michael Rhodes, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Duncan Taylor, 23 Alex Goode
Bath: 15 James Wilson, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Aled Brew, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Kahn Fotuali’i, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Tom Ellis, 5 Elliott Stooke, 4 Charlie Ewels (c), 3 Shaun Knight, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Beno Obano
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Lucas Noguera, 18 Victor Delmas, 19 James Phillips, 20 Paul Grant, 21 Max Green, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Tom Homer
Venue: Allianz Park
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant referees: Christophe Ridley, Peter Allan
Television match official: Geoffrey Warren
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