Premiership weekend preview: Wasps vs Bath, Saracens vs Gloucester, Welsh vs Newcastle, Northampton vs Sale, Exeter vs London Irish

Wasps braced for flair from Bath – and rancour from unmoved fans

James Haskell (Getty Images)

Wasps v Bath

Sunday, 2pm

Wasps face the form side in the Premiership – perhaps the most thrillingly inventive team on the British mainland – with a raft of changes to their starting line-up. But then everything is changing where the nomadic Londoners are concerned, to the extent that some regulars at Adams Park are minded to make their feelings known with boos, hisses and protest banners.

The imminent move to the 32,000-seater Ricoh Arena in Coventry, which is at least 22,000 places too big, has sent supporters of Lawrence Dallaglio’s old club into a tailspin, and there is no guarantee that victory over the West Countrymen will make the nay- sayers feel better about life. James Haskell (above), an outspoken supporter of the relocation plan, is back in the side as captain after missing last week’s ham-fisted defeat at Sale and it will be fascinating to see how he and his colleagues are greeted when they emerge from the tunnel.

Joe Launchbury, the England lock, also returns and has a new boilerhouse buddy in Bradley Davies, the Welshman drafted in from Cardiff Blues. Bath, meanwhile, give a start on the left wing to Anthony Watson and should be even more dangerous outside the scrum than they were against Saracens eight days ago.

Saracens vs Gloucester

Saturday, 3pm

Billy Twelvetrees (Getty Images)

Gloucester, three-try winners over Leicester last time out, travel with an unchanged line-up, which means the England centre Billy Twelvetrees is fit to lead after his injury problems a week ago. Saracens have shifted things around after their difficult evening in Bath: the South African hooker Schalk Brits is back in the pack after a frustrating few weeks watching the Springboks play from a fixed seat on the bench; Brad Barritt returns to organise the defensive effort; Richard Barrington and Kieran Longbottom are restored at prop.

London Welsh v Newcastle

Saturday, 2.30pm

The Exiles are still looking at this as a must-win game, but the Tynesiders’ unexpected victory over Exeter six days ago has relieved the contest of some of its psycho-drama. A revamped home pack looks pretty much the same as the unrevamped one – which is to say, horribly underpowered – and there is a strong sense that whatever changes the coach Justin Burnell makes, he is merely shifting the deckchairs on the Titanic. Newcastle are sticking rather than twisting, so there is still no place for their most expensive signing, Alesana Tuilagi.

Northampton v Sale

Saturday, 3.15pm

George North, Kahn Fotuali’i, Dylan Hartley, Christian Day, Calum Clark… when top-end players as influential as these are asked to snuggle up to each other on the bench rather than start a game, you can be sure they’re playing for a lavishly equipped team. Tom Wood returns at blind-side flanker – good news for England – while Sale have promoted Josh Beaumont, son of the 1980 Grand Slam-winning skipper Bill, to the second row in the one change to the side that did for Wasps last weekend.

George North scores for Northampton (Getty Images)

Exeter v London Irish

Saturday, 3pm

Both teams finished on the wrong end of the scoreline in round five, but only one of them – Exeter – felt really annoyed about it. Their defeat at Newcastle amounted to a rude awakening, hence changes up front and behind, while London Irish’s resilient effort against Northampton could be taken as further evidence of improvement. For the visitors, Tom Guest, Scott Steele, Eamonn Sheridan and Topsy Ojo all get a run today.