The Gallagher Premiership is back this weekend, with the pick of the bunch seeing Leicester Tigers clash with Exeter Chiefs at Welford Road on Sunday.
Friday 14 April
Gloucester 38/100 | Draw 22/1 | Bath 2/1
The Cherry and Whites put up a fantastic effort at La Rochelle recently in their Champions Cup round of 16 tie before ultimately narrowly going down 26-29. They’ll look to take that confidence with them into the tail end of their campaign, with the playoffs now effectively out of reach.
Bath’s last outing came in their fantastic 36-19 win over Chiefs at The Rec which lifted them off the bottom of the standings. They’ll be out to bag as many wins as possible from here on out to avoid finishing with the wooden spoon, though Gloucester should have their number here.
Verdict: Gloucester (-12) 17/10
Bristol 6/5 | Draw 20/1 | Sale Sharks 7/10
Bristol may be 10-points adrift of the playoff running this season, but they’ll be eager to get as close as possible as the round robin phase winds down. It seems unlikely that Bears will force their way into the top four, but stranger things have happened and a win over Sale here could give them the boost they need.
Paul Deacon’s charges remain despite an indifferent run of results lately, though they’re now just three ahead of next-placed Leicester and five above Irish. They face a tricky test at Ashton Gate here, and they could find themselves having surrendered their lofty position come the end of the week.
Verdict: Sale (+4.5) 4/9
Saturday 15 April
Northampton v Saracens
Fifth-placed Saints are just three-points off the playoff berths and can take a big step towards semi-final qualification with a positive result here. Unfortunately for them, they could be on the receiving end of a Sarries backlash on Saturday.
Mark McCall’s side were completely outmatched in a 10-24 defeat to La Rochelle at the Marcel Deflandre in their Champions Cup quarterfinal and, with just the Premiership to play for, it’s difficult seeing anyone standing in their way. They should be back with a vengeance at Franklin’s Gardens.
Verdict: Saracens win
Harlequins 2/17 | Draw 33/1 | Newcastle Falcons 9/2
Harlequins are winless from their last three games in all comps and require a major turnaround if they’re to get a semi spot, although it is tough to see them clawing their way back from eighth spot and 10-points off.
Falcons are now 11th after their recent four-game losing run. They’ll be aiming to avoid a bottom-placed finish this season but they could struggle at The Stoop against a good Quins lineup.
Verdict: Quins (-14.5) 5/6
Sunday 16 April
Leicester Tigers 26/100 | Draw 28/1 | Exeter 13/5
Tigers’ Champions Cup quarterfinal loss to Leinster brought an end to their winning streak, which stretched an impressive six Prem matches and has seen them rise as high as third. The defending champs have a great shot at a second-placed finish, and a subsequent home semi-final, if they can keep collecting the domestic Ws. Chiefs though, will be as tough as they come.
Exeter pumped the Stormers last week to earn safe passage to the semi-finals of the Champions Cup where they’ll travel to La Rochelle. Chiefs are sixth, eighth off fourth and need a big push in their final four games to get there. Unfortunately for them, they should come unstuck at Welford Road here.
Verdict: Chiefs (+5.5) 6/4
