Bath face one of their title rivals for the second successive week without their four players who are in England’s starting lineup, but Saturday’s opponents at the Recreation Ground, the leaders and champions, Northampton, are also some way below full-strength.
None of the England side that took the field against Italy last Saturday will be in club action this weekend but seven of their eight replacements are: Kieran Brookes is withdue to play for Newcastle on Friday night, Tom Youngs and Tom Croft are in action for Leicester at London Irish on Sunday, Nick Easter leads Harlequins against Exeter on Saturday when Mako Vunipola, Richard Wigglesworth and Danny Cipriani feature for Sale against Saracens. Gloucester’s Billy Twelvetrees has remained with the national squadthe exception.
The Wales prop Paul James has returned from international duty for second-placed Bath, who have not beaten Northampton in the clubs’ past seven Premiership meetings, their last success coming on this weekend in 2011. A bonus-point victory would take them to the top if the Saints failed to secure a bonus point.
“Beating them is the next step,” said the Bath head coach, Mike Ford. “They are the only team we have not defeated in my time at the club and it is a huge game for us, even if there is a long way to go in the season. We know what is coming: they are very good at playing direct rugby, which is very difficult to stop. They play the same way, no matter what side they put out.”
While Bath are without George Ford, Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson and Dave Attwood, Northampton are missing Dylan Hartley, Luther Burrell and George North. Bath will continue at inside-centre with Sam Burgess, who Russell Crowe thinks should be fast-tracked into the England squad.
“You want the top 30 athletes in that sport to be representing your country,” said the actor, the co-owner of South Sydney Rabbitohs, where Burgess spent four years before switching codes last autumn. “Sam has to be in the top 30 athletes in rugby union right now and if I was anything to do with England, I would have him in the squad.”
While Bath and Northampton look nailed on to make the play-offs, there are only 13 points separating Saracens, who are third, and Gloucester, who are ninth and have what should be a five-point banker as they welcome winless London Welsh to Kingsholm.
Sale have won one of their past 12 Premiership matches against Saracens, at the beginning of 2011, and have lost to them three times this season, twice in the European Champions Cup.
Victory on Saturday could take them level on points with their opponents, while defeat for Harlequins against Exeter at The Stoop would leave them in danger of missing out on a top-four finish for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
The Exeter director of rugby, Rob Baxter, said: “Quins have put pressure on themselves saying it’s a must-win game but we have less pressure because I’m a big believer that no season should depend on one result.
“It will certainly be a big occasion for the two clubs because we’re ambitious and we both want to achieve things. Where we are lucky now is that we are playing teams around us in the table and we see that as a great opportunity.”
Wales were left with a skeleton squad in their training camp on Friday as players returned to clubs in France and England and others were released to the regions to get match practice. “We’re in the fortunate position of being in the best shape ever after the first two games in the Six Nations,” said their forwards’ coach, Robin McBryde. “It is a healthy camp but there will be an element of finger-crossing this weekend.”
