Premiership preview: Wasps and Exeter rotate despite home semi-final tussle, Sale, Quins and Saints in top-six battle

A number of players will be saying their farewells on the final round of the Premiership regular season, but there's still plenty up for grabs

Thomas Waldrom returns to the Exeter starting XV to face Harlequins (Getty)

Bath vs Leicester – Saturday 15.30 (Recreation Ground)

Leicester welcome back Tom Croft and Jordan Crane to their back-row with the knowledge that their play-off finish is save after last weekend’s victory over Worcester, with faint hopes of a home play-off semi-final likely to fall short should Exeter or Wasps win their final match of the season.

Richard Cockerill shuffles his side with one eye on the semi-finals in a fortnight’s time with the Tigers likely to be on their way to Saracens, so Jack Roberts is given a first start at inside centre and George Catchpole comes in on the win, with Mathew Tait reverting to full-back.

Bath will also hand a first Premiership start to one of their academy products as scrum-half Will Homer partners the returning George Ford at half-back in an otherwise unchanged starting line-up. Francois Louw captains the side having seen his citing for allegedly making contact with the eyes of Northampton’s Courtney Lawes dismissed on Friday.


 Tom Croft starts for Leicester (Getty)
 (Getty Images)

Stuart Hooper will lead the side out one last time following his recent retirement in a bid to say farewell to The Rec faithful.

Gloucester vs Northampton Saints - Saturday 15.30 (Kingsholm)

Elliott Creed will make his first Premiership start for Gloucester as they look to end a disappointing season on a high, though any hopes of a European Champions Cup place looks beyond them unless they can claim a bonus-point victory over Saints and hope Sale lose by more than seven points with Harlequins also winning the European Challenge Cup next weekend, qualifying as a virtue of Quins passing their place on after securing a European Champions Cup place through a top-six finish.

Ben Morgan comes in at No 8 for Gloucester (Getty)

Gloucester has reeled off two consecutive victories in recent weeks, and they will hope to make it a third to go out with a bang regardless. Tom Marshall returns from a bout of tonsillitis to take his place at full-back, while England No 8 Ben Morgan starts in place of Sione Kalamafoni.

Saints meanwhile name an unchanged line-up in the knowledge that both Harlequins and Sale can potentially overtake and relegate them to seventh, leaving their European fate in the hands of Quins.

Harlequins vs Exeter Chiefs – Saturday 15.30 (Twickenham Stoop)

Plenty is riding on the clash at the Twickenhan Stoop with a home semi-final and a European Champions Cup place up for grabs for Exeter and Harlequins respectively.

England full-back Mike Brown returns to shift Ross Chisholm to the wing, with Tim Visser and Charlie Walker absent through knee and head injuries respectively. Concussion appears to be the injury of the week at Quins, with James Horwill, Luke Wallace and George Lowe all sidelined alongside Walker through concussions suffered last weekend. Dave Ward and Chris Robshaw come into the back, with Joe Gray rested ahead of next Friday’s Challenge Cup final.


 Mike Brown starts at full-back 
 (Getty)

Quins know that victory will secure them a top-six finish, but Exeter will want to seal a home semi-final in their first play-off appearance by securing second place. That said, Rob Baxter rings the changes as Alec Hepburn and Jack Yeandle come into the front-row, Damian Welch starts at lock and Premiership to try scorer Thomas Waldrom returns at No 8. Sam Hill starts at inside centre, while James Short comes in on the wing.

Newcastle vs Sale Sharks - Saturday 15.30 (Kingston Park)

A number of players will be making their final appearance for Sale this weekend in a bid to secure the Sharks a top-six finish, with Danny Cipriani set to say farewell to the club before re-joining Wasps for next season. Along with Cipriani, Tommy Taylor and Vadim Cobilas will be making their final outing for Sale, while replacements Mark Easter and Joe Ford will do likewise should the come on.

With Newcastle Falcons safe from relegation, head coach John Wells rings the changes with Nili Latu returning to captain the side from No 8. Most of the seven changes come in the pack with Mike Cusack and Rob Hawkins starting – the latter making his final appearance before retirement – while Will Witty and Calum Green start in the second-row. In the back line, Mike Delany replaces fly-half Craig Willis, and Juan Pablo Socino starts at inside centre in place of Adam Powell.


 Danny Cipriani makes his final Sale Sharks appearance before moving to Wasps 
 (Getty)

Wasps vs London Irish - Saturday 15.30 (Ricoh Arena)

Wasps know they need to beat relegated London Irish if they are to have a chance of beating Exeter to the second home semi-final berth, but director of rugby Dai Young is keeping one eye on the play-offs after electing to rest openside flanker George Smith. Thomas Young starts in his place, while Ashley Johnson gets the nod at hooker with Carlo Festuccia out with a sore neck.

In the back line, Ruaridh Jackson starts alongside Joe Simpson at half-back as Dan Robson can only return to the replacements, and Frank Halai is given a well-earned rest with Josh Bassett starting on the wing.

Thomas Young replaces the rested George Smith on the Wasps openside (Getty)

Irish already know their relegation depends on Bedford’s hopes of Championship play-off glory, though that looks destined to end in disappointment after their 45-16 first-leg defeat by Bristol. In what is likely to be their final Premiership appearance, Greig Tonks makes his first start at full-back in place of Sean Maitland, while Johnny Harris and Ben Franks are named in the front-row.

Worcester Warriors vs Saracens - Saturday 15.30 (Sixways)

There’s a welcome return for England hooker Jamie George after making a quick recovery from a torn bicep, where he joins prop Petrus du Plessis in returning to the starting XV. Maro Itoje is rested to allow his international colleague George Kruis to return, while the back-row is shaken up with Kelly Brown starting at openside and Samu Vunisa named at No 8 – Jackson Wray switching to six to accommodate the Italian.

Brad Barritt is rested to allow Nick Tompkins to start at centre with Charlie Hodgson taking on the captaincy, and Alex Goode returns at full-back for what is effectively a dead rubber for Sarries having already secured top spot in the league.


 Charlie Hodgson captains Saracens for the second time this season (Getty)
 (GETTY IMAGES)

Worcester boss Dean Ryan makes five changes to his Warriors side as Na'ama Leleimalefaga, Donncha O'Callaghan, Dan Sanderson, Sam Betty and Luke Baldwin all come into the side. The match is set to be the final appearance for Sanderson as well as Andy Symons, while Charlie Mulchrone and Alex Grove will also bid farewell if they come off the replacements’ bench.