Following the bans imposed on Worcester and Wasps, an 11-team Gallagher Premiership limps on. The highlight of the weekend action sees Exeter welcome Saracens to Sandy Park on Saturday afternoon.
Friday 21 October
London Irish 10/11 | Gloucester 3/4 (20:45)
We kick things off with a clash between the great entertainers, London Irish, and a Gloucester side that is laden with attacking talent.
The hosts currently lie ninth on the table and have won two of their opening fixtures. One of their three defeats came last weekend where they went down 37-14 to a bang-in-form Sale Sharks side in Manchester.
While Irish had their moments in the clash against Sale, they made far too many handling errors which cost them points. They will need to eradicate those from their game this weekend if they are to register their third win of the season.
Gloucester have enjoyed a slightly better start than their opponents and sit fifth on the standings. They managed to bag a win in Round 6, although it was a close run thing as a 76th-minute penalty from Adam Hastings giving the Cherry and Whites a narrow 31-28 win over Bristol.
I do fancy the hosts here. They tend to turn on the style at home and I reckon they may well take this one at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Saturday 22 October
Exeter 4/6 | Saracens 21/20 (16:00)
Saracens will be looking to maintain their unbeaten streak when they take on a dangerous Exeter side. Games between these two tend to be hard-fought affairs and we could be in for an absolute belter at Sandy Park this Saturday.
Exeter will be ruing the fact that their game against Wasps was called off last weekend. They had seemingly started hit their stride as they hammered the Bristol Bears 14-50 in Round 5. The Chiefs looked absolutely lethal in that fixture and if they play as well as they did at Ashton Gate, then they will cause Saracens problems.
Unlike their opponents for Saturday, Saries were in action last weekend as they held off a late surge from Bath to run out six-point victors at the StoneX. They have gone about their business in typical style this season, with their measured approach to games reaping dividends.
I reckon there’s big value on Saracens to get the job done here at shade over even money.
Bath 5/4 | Northampton 11/20 (16:00)
Cellar-dwellers Bath will continue their search for their first win of the season when they take on the Northampton Saints at the Rec.
The hosts put in a mammoth shift against log-leaders Saracens this past weekend, narrowly going down 37-31. Centre ollie Lawrence was at the forefront of Bath’s impressive display and he will be crucial in their bid to beat the Saints this weekend.
Northampton have enjoyed a far more fruitful start to the campaign than their opponents and currently sit fourth on the standings. They managed to grab a win last weekend, albeit a rather scrappy one, as they held off a late surge from the Newcastle Falcons to cling on for a 32-31 victory.
They have come oh so close to breaking their duck in their last couple of games. This should be a tight encounter, so I’ll be taking Bath on the (+3.5) handicap at 87/100.
Sunday 23 October
Sale 27/100 | Harlequins 23/10 (16:00)
The final game of the weekend will see second-placed Sale play host to eighth-placed Harlequins.
The Sharks continued their unbeaten run last weekend registering a comfortable 37-14 victory over London Irish. They were clinical with ball-in-hand yet again and their forward pack was on fire. They could well cause this hit-and-miss Harlequins outfit all sorts of problems this Saturday.
‘Quins had a tougher time of it in Round 6 as they went down 19-27 at home to the Leicester Tigers. The scoreline actually flattered Harlequins as a late try made things look a lot more competitive than they actually were.
‘Quins are struggling at the moment and I cannot see them keeping pace with this bang-in-form Sale outfit. There’s some value in backing Sale on the (-6.5) First Half Points Handicap at evens. That will be my play here.
