Harlequins vs Exeter Chiefs

Exeter have already confirmed a semi-final spot for the first time in their history, and a win here would mean it was played at Sandy Park, almost giving them one foot in the final. That win is by no means a given, however, as Quins look to send Conor O’Shea off on his Italian adventure with a win in his final game at The Stoop. The emotion surrounding that will undoubtedly galvanise them. The home side resist the temptation to rotate ahead of their European final next weekend, and name as strong a line-up as possible, with Nick Evans returning to the number 10 shirt. Exeter recall the prolific Thomas Waldrom to the number eight shirt, while Henry Slade – impressive against Wasps – will look to make Eddie Jones eat his words once again.

Exeter have the form but I just think that the Conor O’Shea factor could galvanise Quins to an extent that they pull off a bit of an upset here, and secure Champions Cup rugby for next season in the process. Harlequins by 4.

Wasps vs London Irish

An Exeter loss would open the door for Wasps to move into the top two should they win – and really there is little doubt about that against the already relegated London Irish. It will merely be a question of how many. The home side rotate slightly, the impressive Thomas Young given a start at openside with Joe Simpson and Ruaridh Jackson coming into the halfback shirts. The Exiles will want to end on a high, but morale will be hard to come by. All Black Ben Franks starts in the front row, while Greig Tonks starts at fullback in place of Sean Maitland.

With all games kicking off simultaneously, Wasps won’t know what they need to do to usurp Exeter, so expect them to go out all guns blazing – and given the way they’ve been playing, that could get ugly for Irish. Wasps by 35.

Gloucester Rugby vs Northampton Saints

This is a game that has Champions Cup qualification permutations. Northampton sit in fifth, but are only two points above Sale in seventh, outside of the qualification spots (unless Quins win the Challenge Cup and finish in the top six, in which case the seventh placed side qualifies). Gloucester, meanwhile, could sneak into seventh themselves, but they’d need a big win here. Gloucester name two academy products in Ollie Thornley and Elliott Creed on the wings, while Greig Laidlaw continues in the fly-half shirt. Northampton name the same side that got out of jail against Bath last weekend.

Gloucester’s win over Sale away showed real backbone, but the Saints have more to play for this weekend. Finishing outside the Champions Cup spots would be unthinkable for fans, and I don’t think the players will let them down. Northampton by 7.

Newcastle Falcons vs Sale Sharks

The season is over for Newcastle, whose safety was secured last weekend when London Irish lost to Harlequins. Sale’s home loss to Gloucester was a crushing blow to their Champions Cup hopes – they now need one of Quins or Saints to slip up, or for the former to win the Challenge Cup. Still, a win here will give them the best chance of qualifying. Danny Cipriani and Tommy Taylor make their last appearances for Sale before heading down to Wasps, while Newcastle make a whopping seven changes to the side that battled valiantly against Saracens.

Sale have an excellent record against Newcastle, having won the last four meetings between the two sides. That, coupled with the Champions Cup carrot, makes them favourites in my eyes – despite their generally poor form away from home. Sale by 5.

Bath Rugby vs Leicester Tigers

A dead rubber down in the West Country, which is real shame given the rich history between these two sides. This fixture at the Rec in recent seasons has seen some stunning wins for Bath, most recently in last year’s semi-final when they won 47-10. The Tigers have had much the better season, securing knockout rugby for the 12th season in a row, but they seem to be willing to forego any chance at revenge for last year, looking at their team selection. Tait, Betham, Williams, Youngs and Slater are arguably the only players that would make their full strength line-up, as they rest most of their big guns for the semi-final. Bath give Will Homer his first start at scrum-half, Chris Cook paying the price for yet another yellow card last weekend.

The Tigers would need a bonus point win and to recoup a 141 points difference for any chance of a home semi-final – and both Exeter and Wasps would need to lose. They seem to (sensibly) have accepted that that won’t happen, and while a full strength side would likely beat this Bath team, their line-up is weakened sufficiently that I can see the home side getting a win here. Bath by 6.

Worcester Warriors vs Saracens

This game is similarly a dead rubber, which hopefully means it might be quite entertaining. Saracens have guaranteed themselves top spot with a game to go, which is a feat that really deserves to be applauded – especially when you consider that they simultaneously find themselves in the Champions Cup final. They have been the most consistent side in Europe this season bar none. They also happily welcome back Jamie George for his first appearance since injury ruled him out of the Six Nations. Itoje is rested and Kruis returns, while Hodgson continues in the number 10 shirt. Worcester will play their final game on the Sixways grass without livewire scrum-half François Hougaard, while Dan Sanderson and Andy Symons are set to play their last games for the club.

Newcastle pushed Saracens last weekend, and Worcester will do similarly, but in reality it’s very difficult to see them stopping the relentless North London juggernaut. Saracens by 9.

By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images