Preview - Gallagher PREM Round 8

Gallagher PREM Rugby will wave farewell to 2025 and will aim to do so in the way it has done so week in, week out, with thrilling matches and fans flocking to the action.

It has been a memorable year with Bath setting new standards as they ended their 29-year wait to become champions, and bumper figures for fans attending matches and watching on television.

The 10 teams have one last chance to show their dominance or lay down a marker for the rest of the season, and here is what ATR thinks you need to keep a look out for as the curtain falls on 2025…

Sale Sharks v Harlequins – Friday 19.45 (all times local)

Two teams for whom a victory can’t come soon enough. Last week both came off a win and defeat in the Investec Champions Cup but underwhelmed massively when they returned to PREM action. Three points separate the Sharks in seventh and Quins in eighth, so there is plenty of incentive to raise their performance.

Sale may be missing two of their main stars in George Ford and Tom Curry, not to mention Tom Roebuck, but there is something nibbling away beneath the surface. Marco Bortolami’s departure hints at a clash of ideology with Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson, but if that was the case why bring him in in the first place?

Quins are no more confused. Danny Wilson’s departure at the start of the season is still being felt with the Jason Gilmore and Toby Booth combination struggling to make their mark. Neither side is without quality, but at least Sale have the dogged edge in the pack, something that Harlequins have lacked on multiple occasions this season, and it should be enough to give the hosts the edge.

Bristol Bears v Newcastle Red Bulls – Saturday 15.00

The last thing Newcastle needed after shipping 50 points at home to Bath, is a visit to a west country club that starts with a B, especially one buoyed by their 40-point showing against Harlequins at Allianz Stadium.

Alas, that is what greets the bottom side, who will be desperate to avoid finishing the year with zero points. Where will the points come from though? The forwards are the most likely place to look, with the Red Bulls pack responsible for their two tries against the reigning champions a week ago. The trouble is the starting pack looks puffed by the hour mark, there aren’t enough reinforcements on the bench, and the backline doesn’t provide enough of a cutting edge.

The Bears will be champing at the bit to go again. Since their swathe of injuries at the start of the season, Pat Lam has had to introduce greater structure to their performance. It has worked wonders. They are playing wonderful rugby with as much flair as ever in attack but are disciplined when things get tough.

If it weren’t for the injuries, we wouldn’t have seen Louis Rees-Zammit at fullback. He revelled in the greater freedom, and responded with a try, 14 carries, and three linebreaks. The Welshman will be licking his lips this week, and it won’t just be at the thought of pigs in blankets on Saturday evening.

Gloucester v Saracens - Saturday 15.05

Two teams that are having underwhelming seasons. A few weeks ago, Gloucester looked as though they were back on track after a wobbly first few weeks, but their last two showings – away to Munster in the Champions Cup, and against Leicester Tigers in the PREM - have brought out their familiar failings.

There was a distinct lack of structure and while they retained their ability to play off the cuff, against a side that always has a good structure to it, they were always going to be in trouble. In particular their defence was in rags, just watch Billy Searle’s try for confirmation and to that end it is little surprise that when it came to missed tackles, seven of the top 10 were in cherry and white. It is clear what is top of head coach George Skivington’s New Year resolutions.

As for Saracens, they looked good in patches against Exeter Chiefs, but there is a definite lack of cutting edge in their backline, Noah Caluori aside. Max Malins returned from Bristol Bears to play fullback but is mainly on the wing with Elliot Daly at 15. Both add plenty, but not that razor sharp edge that the best teams possess, and until they fill that gap, then the top honours are likely to pass north London by again.

Bath v Northampton Saints - Saturday 17.30

Let’s get the seasonal cliché out of the way early; this looks set to be a right Christmas cracker. Champions of the past two seasons, but whose cracker will go bang, and who will be left with soggy mince pies?

This is box office, and the Rec will be jumping. There are head-to-heads galore, especially at inside centre. Fraser Dingwall isn’t everyone’s cup of tea at international level, but for most of this year he looks to have finally solved a problem that has haunted English coaches since Will Greenwood’s retirement. Then came injury, Max Ojomoh’s player of the match showing against Argentina, and Steve Borthwick’s cup is now overflowing.

Then there is Ben Spencer versus Alex Mitchell at scrumhalf, Finn Russell versus Fin Smith at flyhalf, Henry Arundell versus Tommy Freeman on the wing, and Henry Pollock versus Sam Underhill and Guy Pepper in the back row.

But watch out for Alfie Barbeary versus Tom Pearson in the back row. Both have brushed alongside international honours without become fixtures in the England squad. Borthwick isn’t short of options, but injuries and unexpected twists happen, and a big performance will do their chances no harm whatsoever.

Exeter Chiefs v Leicester Tigers - Sunday 15.00

Two teams who can look back on the year and raise a glass that is more than half full after their performances.

Exeter Chiefs were not without their problems, but after bringing in Director of Rugby Rob Baxter in from the cold like a 1960’s spy, restructuring their coaching team, and filling some key positions, they have bounced back from a miserable 2024-25 season, and now sit comfortably in second place.

Sandy Park has become a fortress again, and the EPCR Challenge Cup should be in their sights as well as the PREM title.

Tigers couldn’t quite get over the line in the PREM final, but being there was more than could be expected in what was supposed to be a transition year under head coach Michael Cheika. That they replaced Cheika with Geoff Parling, who had impressed as a player and coach in Australia was a massive coup.

The ex-Chief and Tiger is slowly getting to grips with his task, and while there is quality across the board there is no clear first choice flyhalf since Handre Pollard departed in the summer. Parling has juggled James O’Connor, Billy Searle, and Orlando Bailey, and while all three have delivered when called upon, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the Tigers coach hoped to find a gift-wrapped, world class 10 in his stocking.