Premiership semi-finals: Exeter can exorcise Saracens demons as Wasps and Leicester renew play-off rivalry

This weekend's Premiership semi-finals have plenty of history as four teams will be whittled down to two ahead of next week's Twickenham finale

Exeter Chiefs will hope to avenge their defeat by Saracens in last year's Premiership final (Getty)

Exeter Chiefs vs Saracens, Sandy Park, Saturday 14:30

Exeter face a tough ask if they want to reach their second Premiership final in as many years as the European champions stand in their way, though they will have home advantage over Saracens and revenge on their mind after last season’s defeat at Twickenham.

The Chiefs will have influential back-row stars in Thomas Waldrom and Don Armand back in their starting line-up – the latter having been named in the Premiership team of the season earlier this week – while the third and final change sees Phil Dollman recalled at full-back. However, Exeter’s replacements’ also pack some punch, with both Henry Slade and Michele Campagnaro fit enough to return to the matchday squad.

The Exeter head coach, Rob Baxter, was quick to play down the advantage that his side will have in last weekend’s rest while Saracens were busy winning the Champions Cup for the second consecutive year, with Baxter having a split opinion over whether the rest will be worth more than the momentum that comes with winning such a big game against Clermont Auvergne.

"The truth is, they've had a tough game, so we have to play in a way that physically and emotionally challenges them,” said Baxter. "What Saracens have shown is they are very good at re-charging their batteries physically and emotionally, so it is a challenge.

"We've obviously got to talk about that, it's been a positive ourselves, but on the flip side of that we would have loved to have been the team playing in a European cup final at the weekend.”

Having suffered defeat in the final last year on their first trip to the showcase match, Baxter believes his squad have learned their lessons from what was more of an “adventure” compared to this season’s attempt to win the Premiership title, which he now feels is the genuine target this time around.

"It does feel slightly different because of the attitude of the players,” he added. “I have a genuine feeling the players would be genuinely disappointed not to win the Premiership this year.

"I can't honestly say that was the case last year. We were on an adventure, we got in the top four for the first time, and we had the home semi-final. Going to Twickenham really was an adventure for us and I think that was probably reflected in the first-half. I think we learnt a lot from that first-half and what we had to do and we improved in the second half.

"I think we learnt from not dealing with the final as well as we could have done. The things you have to do day-by-day to look like possible champions and I think we've addressed a lot of those things. That makes me feel like we've got a great chance."

Baxter’s confidence will have grown too when he saw that the Saracens captain, Brad Barritt, will be missing on Saturday after failing to recover from the leg injury he suffered in last weekend’s Murrayfield triumph. It means that director of rugby Mark McCall is forced into one change, with Scotland international Duncan Taylor starting at inside centre and Mike Ellery filling his place among the replacements.

Saracens will be without their captain Brad Barritt (Getty)

Teams

Exeter Chiefs: Phil Dollman; Jack Nowell, Ian Whitten, Ollie Devoto, James Short; Gareth Steenson, Stuart Townsend; Ben Moon, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Harry Williams; Dave Dennis, Geoff Parling; Kai Horstmann, Don Armand, Thomas Waldrom.

Replacements: Jack Yeandle, Carl Rimmer, Tomas Francis, Mitch Lees, Sam Simmonds, Will Chudley, Henry Slade, Michele Campagnaro.

Wasps vs Leicester Tigers, Ricoh Arena, Saturday 17:15

Wasps will hope to end an already-successful week by booking their place in their first Premiership final in nine years, but face their old rivals in Leicester Tigers in a throwback semi-final to their great battles during the early 21st century.

Having finished top of the Premiership table, the club cleaned up at the awards ceremony this week, with Jimmy Gopperth claiming the Golden Boot, the try of the year and the Player of the Season award to go with his RPA and clubs accolades of a similar name.

Gopperth lines up at inside centre once again as Dai Young – who himself claimed the director of rugby of the season award – sticks with Danny Cipriani at fly-half. The Welshman makes two changes to his starting line-up that defeated Sarries last time out, with Ashley Johnson starting at hooker and Phil Swainston in at tighthead prop.

“We’re learning to handle these big occasions better each time we play in them,” Young said after securing back-to-back semi-final places in the Premiership following last season’s third-place finish. “We’ve put in a lot of hard graft throughout the season to reach this stage and we know there are no second chances on Saturday – it’s knock-out rugby.”

Wasps cleaned up at the Premiership awards this week (Getty)

Tigers meanwhile will be led by captain Tom Youngs, who will make his 100th start for the club just weeks after learning that his wife, Tiffany, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It was news that shocked the rugby world, and led to his brother, Ben Youngs, withdrawing from the British and Irish Lions squad in order to spend time with his family over the next few months.

Both have insisted that they want to see out the season with Leicester, with head coach Matt O’Connor admitting that rugby is helping Youngs take his mind off the sad situation back home, and there will be plenty of neutrals rooting for Leicester this weekend in the hope that the Youngs brother can sign of the season with a trip to Twickenham.

Tom Youngs will lead Leicester Tigers (Getty)

O’Connor names them both in a starting line-up that shows two changes as well, with Mike Fitzgerald starting at blindside flanker, while the other new face comes in the back line with Telusa Veainu in at full-back, with Ed Slater and Mike Williams among the replacements.

Teams

Wasps: Kurtley Beale; Christian Wade, Elliot Daly, Jimmy Gopperth, Willie Le Roux; Danny Cipriani, Joe Simpson; Matt Mullan, Ashley Johnson, Phil Swainston; Joe Launchbury, Matt Symons; James Haskell, Thomas Young, Nathan Hughes.

Replacements: Tommy Taylor, Simon McIntyre, Marty Moore, James Gaskell, Guy Thompson, Dan Robson, Alapati Leiua, Josh Bassett.

Leicester Tigers: Telusa Veainu; Adam Thompstone, Mathew Tait, Owen Williams, Peter Betham; Freddie Burns, Ben Youngs; Ellis Genge, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole; Dom Barrow, Graham Kitchener; Mike Fitzgerald, Brendon O'Connor, Luke Hamilton.

Replacements: George McGuigan, Greg Bateman, Fraser Balmain, Ed Slater, Mike Williams, Sam Harrison, Jack Roberts, Matt Smith.