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It is round 3 of England’s Gallagher PREM Rugby, and it is derby weekend, with teams up and down the country facing local rivals.
The action starts on Friday, and here is what ATR thinks you should keep a look out for.
Sale Sharks v Newcastle Red Bulls, Friday 19.45 (all times local)
Alex Sanderson’s side have one obvious area to clear up from their defeat away to champions Bath in round 2, their discipline. They conceded 13 penalties at The Rec, and one of their later ones did more than most to leave them without a point.
WillGriff John had already got away with a dropped shoulder into a ruck, but he wasn’t so lucky the second time and was sent to the sinbin for the remainder of the match. More pertinently it came on Bath’s line, with Sale pressing hard for a fourth try that would have garnered at least one point. The moment called for cool heads. John’s was anything but.
Newcastle Red Bulls need a win, but form says they are unlikely to claim one. They were thoroughly turned over by Exeter Chiefs last time out and it is all feeling a bit familiar. With Steve Diamond gone, it isn’t abundantly clear who the figurehead is, but for whoever it is, another weekend without a point will continue to erode their pre-season optimism.
Bristol Bears v Exeter Chiefs, Saturday 15.00
Time for Bristol Bears’ understudies to make their mark with AJ MacGinty, Tom Jordan, Harry Randall, Gabriel Ibitoye, and Louis Rees-Zammit out with injuries. They will receive no sympathy from Exeter Chiefs who are two points off top spot and looking reinvigorated.
Two players have been key to their upturn in form. The first is wing Immanuel Fayi-Waboso, who has already scored five tries, including a hattrick against Newcastle Red Bulls. He is a player who gets fans off their seats, and he appears to have put his injuries behind him. It would be a surprise to end all surprises if he doesn’t figure in Steve Borthwich’s England plans.
The other is Italy second row Andrea Zambonin, who is there for his bulk and power, though he has pinched three lineouts this season. His Azzurri teammate Ross Vintcent is growing as a number eight, as his 124 metres carried shows, and it is helping Chiefs fans forget about the oft-longed for Sam Simmonds.
Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers, Saturday 15.05
Will the real Northampton Saints please stand up. Twice they’ve raced into early leads, only to fall off drastically in the second half. It cost them a win against Exeter Chiefs in week one, and they got away with it in week two, holding on to win away to Gloucester.
The good news is that they are in a good position with eight points, two behind joint leaders Saracens and Bath, and they welcome back their Lions quartet to boost the team. You can see Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell and Tommy Freeman going straight into the team, but such have been Anthony Belleau’s performances that flyhalf Fin Smith may have to pull bench duty for a week or two.
Leicester Tigers are two points behind their East Midlands rivals, and they have started well considering their loss off Julian Montoya, Handre Pollard, Ben Youngs and Dan Cole over the offseason. Freddie Steward was one of the players identified as filling their leadership roles, but so far, he has zero tries and zero line-breaks. He needs to improve.
Bath v Gloucester, Saturday 17.30
There’s no doubt who holds bragging rights in the west country derby. One lot are reigning champions and joint top with 10 points from 10. The other is eighth with two points after defeats in their opening two rounds.
Furthermore, Gloucester fans will see two former stalwarts of their backline in Bath colours. Fullback Santiago Carreras and centre Chris Harris swapped cherry and white for blue, black and white over the summer, though neither are obvious starters. Still, it illustrates where players see their fortunes improving these days.
Gloucester have an obvious area to improve and that is lineout. A week ago, they won 71 percent against Northampton Saints. They also failed to get hold of the ball in the final 10 minutes and only enjoyed 29 percent possession as they chased the win. The two aren’t unrelated, and they undermine Gloucester’s good work in other areas of the pitch.
Harlequins v Saracens, Sunday 15.00
Harlequins could be in for one of those seasons that gets away from them quickly. Two defeats, albeit to last season’s champions and runners-up, mean they have only one point and are one place above bottom side Newcastle Red Bulls.
A good starting point would be turning Twickenham Stoop into a fortress. They have won a solitary match from their last five home fixtures and are on a losing run of three home PREM matches. A fourth against the table-topping Saracens would be the first time since February 2023 that they’ve lost four in a row at home.
The good news is that Lions tourist Marcus Smith is back, while number eight Alex Dombrandt is one try away from his PREM half-century. Time for them to roll back the years.
Max Malins return to Saracens this season was timely, after Alex Goode’s retirement and Liam Williams departure. He evens looks like Goode when he attacks, and so far, he has beaten four defenders and scored a try.