Aviva Premiership preview: London Irish v Leeds Carnegie
Bottom of the Aviva Premiership table, with just one point from their opening four matches, it’s been another disastrous start to the season for Leeds Carnegie.
Last Saturday they were hammered 48-6 by champions Leicester Tigers after being thoroughly outplayed at Welford Road. Unfortunately for the league stragglers, things don’t get much better for them this weekend.
Table-toppers London Irish are ready and waiting. With three wins from their first four games, the Exiles have demonstrated that they mean business this season. Tipped by many to break into the top four at the end of the campaign, Toby Booth’s side certainly have the look of play-off contenders at this early stage.
And the fixture generator could hardly have been kinder to them this weekend. With Leeds just keen to avoid a thumping at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday afternoon, London Irish should comfortably retain their place at the top of the Premiership table.
However, if the odds are defied, then Northampton Saints will surely capitalise on the chance to leapfrog the Exiles. Jim Mallinder’s men suffered their first defeat of the campaign against Saracens last Sunday, and will be looking to bounce back in style with a resounding victory over newly-promoted Exeter Chiefs.
Following an impressive start to their debut season inside the top-flight, Exeter were brought back down to earth with a bump by Harlequins last weekend. The trip to Northampton’s Franklin’s Gardens is a daunting one for any club, and the Chiefs undoubtedly have their work cut out to come away from the ground with any points in the bag.
Meanwhile, Bath will be hoping to make it two wins from two against sixth place Gloucester at the Recreation Ground. Level on points with the Saints, Bath could also finish the weekend in top spot if they manage to record their fourth victory of the campaign.
However, the Cherry and Whites enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance last Saturday with a 22-20 victory against London Wasps. Although they were rather fortuitous to escape with the win after clinging on in the final stages of the match, it was just the boost the Kingsholm faithful had been crying out for.
Now Gloucester must prove that the result wasn’t a mere fluke - by putting in another fine performance against Steve Meehan’s side this evening.
Like the Cherry and Whites, Harlequins also leapt four places in the league table last weekend thanks to their deserved win over Exeter. This Saturday they have a glorious chance to make it back-to-back victories with a home tie against Newcastle Falcons.
The north east club have lost their last two league matches, currently languish in 11th place and appear destined to finish the season in the midst of a fierce relegation battle. The stats don’t make for easy reading, either. Newcastle haven’t won at the Stoop since September 2000, while the last four league meetings have seen Quins take maximum points on each occasion.
But the Premiership action all kicks off this evening at Edgeley Park as Sale Sharks and London Wasps go head-to-head.
The visitors have only sporadically showcased their qualities this season, which is the reason they find themselves in 10th place. A sensational victory against Leicester a fortnight ago should have been the kick-start they were looking for, but last weekend’s disappointing defeat against Gloucester was major a setback.
Sale have been impressive on home turf this season and will fancy their chances of taking the share of the spoils tonight, particularly as the Londoners have not won at Edgeley Park for five years now.
Tags: