Aviva Premiership preview: Saracens v Northampton Saints
Who knows, Sunday’s fixture between Saracens and Northampton Saints could well be a precursor for May’s Aviva Premiership play-off final.
It’s certainly looking a distinct possibility at this early stage.
Northampton have started the season in blistering form, winning their opening three matches, and have showed few signs that last season was a fluke. The Saints were arguably the most exciting team in the top flight during the 2009/10 campaign and were unfortunate to narrowly lose out to Saracens in the play-off semi-final.
Therefore, Sunday’s fixture provides the perfect platform for Jim Mallinder’s side to inflict some revenge.
The Sarries suffered heartache in last season’s play-off final after losing to Leicester Tigers at Twickenham. Brendan Venter’s men had been superb for large parts of the campaign, but suffered a severe dip in form just after Christmas, leaving them in third place at the end of the regular season when they appeared destined for top spot for so long.
Avoiding a similar slump will be imperative this season. So far it’s been a relatively decent start for the club, although it took them until the second match to get properly up and running.
A surprise 33-16 defeat against London Irish at HQ on the opening weekend of the season led to suggestions that Saracens were under-prepared at the start of the campaign. However, they soon allayed any fears in their second league fixture against Sale Sharks at Vicarage Road. A convincing 28-13 victory was a truer reflection of the Sarries’ capabilities, and they followed that up with a 26-14 win away at Leeds Carnegie.
That win over Leeds lifted them to fourth in the Premiership table, but it’s Northampton who currently lead the pack.
Top of the league after their opening three matches thanks to impressive wins over Harlequins, Bath and the reigning champions, Leicester, Northampton are the division’s in-form team and will be braced for a difficult encounter at Vicarage Road.
Particularly if their recent record against Saracens is anything to go by. Despite their excellent recent form, Northampton will enter Sunday’s fixtures as the underdogs.
Sunday’s hosts recorded back-to-back victories over the Saints last season, although it must be said that they only won by the slimmest of margins at Franklin’s Gardens back in April. The match at Vicarage Road earlier last season was also tight, and there will also be little to separate the two clubs this weekend.
Don’t rule a draw out this weekend - both sides are of similar quality and both are odds-on to qualify for this season’s play-offs.
But it’s Saracens who could enjoy success this weekend. They’d enjoy nothing better than ending Northampton’s winning streak and climbing above them in the league table.
It’s down to the Saints to ensure that predicament is avoided.
Prediction: Saracens to edge out Northampton
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