By Darraghgirl
February 20 2019

  Somewhere in the bowels of Premier Rugby there sits a soothsayer. How else would the fixture list evolve in quite the way it does. Last Friday Premiership leaders Exeter Chiefs visited Kingsholm. By Saturday evening they had lost top spot. This Friday Premiership leaders Saracens visit Kingsholm. Will the same fate befall them too?  

Gloucester and Exeter have become rather well acquainted of late, playing each other 4 times since 24^th of November with each side winning twice. That said, after last Friday, Gloucester are on a temporary high. Relatively unaffected by International call-ups they have taken the opportunity of this International window with both hands. They currently sit in 4th place, 2 points behind 3^rd placed Quins, who in turn trail Exeter and Sarries by 14. Prior to the Premiership resumption, Gloucester were struggling a bit, losing at home (in the PRC & the Heineken Cup) to Exeter, Munster and Sale and getting nilled away to Bath by 52 points in the PRC. In the Premiership they lost away to Leicester Tigers in January before the resurgence against Exeter. But the return of Danny Cipriani, Ruan Ackermann and a cameo from Matt Banahan seems to have turned things around for the men from the west country. Was this just a flash in the pan or can they do it again?

Gloucester are unlikely to make many changes from last. Shed web is reporting that Kriel and Polledri may be fit. But for whom? The consensus seems to be Ackermann to make way and Polledri on the bench. 2 of my favourite players, Henry Trinder & Charlie Sharples, seem to be a bit out of favour at the moment.

Woodward, Marshall, Twelvetrees, Mark Atkinson, Thorley, Cipriani, Heinz; Hohneck,  Marais,  Balmain; Savage, Mostert; Clarke, Kriel, Morgan

Sarries didn’t do too badly either last Saturday, pulling off a rather unexpected 5 point win against Leicester Tigers. Sadly the out of favour Tolofua didn’t to a lot to enhance his case so Woolstencroft will probably get the nod and Mike Rhodes and Will Skelton’s impact from the bench should see them promoted to the starting 15 this time but otherwise I don’t see a lot of changes unless injuries get in the way. This is a 6-day turnaround for Saracens but hopefully the 3 week rest that many of the squad enjoyed before last weekend will stand them in good stead.

I would expect Mark McCall to go with something along the lines of:

Gallagher, Strettle, Lozowski, Barritt, Lewington, Goode, Wiggy, Barrington, Woolstencroft, Koch, Skelton, Isiekwe, Rhodes, Earl, Wray

Everyone’s favourite Anglo-Irishman JP Doyle will be in charge. He seems to be about as popular in Gloucester as he is in Barnet. Heyho!

This one will be tough – but let’s keep the faith and believe we can do this.