Saturday, March 8
Bath (3) v Newcastle (9)
Bath have four players on international duty and have lost flanker Andy Beattie for the rest of the season with a complicated knee injury so Pieter Dixon, Duncan Bell, Chris Goodman and Andrew Higgins are all promoted from the bench and Alex Crocket takes over the captaincy.
Newcastle make three changes to the team which ran leaders Gloucester all the way in their last match. Flanker Andy Perry and hooker Andy Long are injured and replaced by Brent Wilson and Matt Thompson while Jon Golding takes over at loose-head prop from Joe McDonnell.
Last season: Newcastle 12 Bath 20, Bath 20 Newcastle 14
Last six league matches: Bath L W L L W W; Newcastle L W W L W L
Top tryscorers: Matthew Banahan (Bath) 7; Tom May (Newcastle) 5
Top pointscorers: Olly Barkley (Bath) 162; Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle) 205
Gloucester (1) v London Irish (7)
With no fewer than 10 players on international duty and lock Alex Brown out with a broken jaw, Gloucester's resources are stretched to the limit. Coach Dean Ryan hands a Premiership debut to Dan Tuohy and includes England under-20 backs Charlie Sharples and Dan Norton on the bench. Andy Hazell returns at openside flanker after recovering from a neck injury and Akapusi Qera will start his first game at number eight.
London Irish are boosted by the return of two experienced internationals, Argentine flanker Juan Leguizamon and former All Black Clarke Dermody, while Warren Fury starts at scrum-half in the absence of Paul Hodgson and Kieran Roche switches to the second row for the injured Nick Kennedy. Ross Blake, the Cambridge University scrum-half who joined the club on a short-term contract this week, is named among the replacements alongside the fit-again Eoghan Hickey.
Last season: Gloucester 15 London Irish 3, London Irish 11 Gloucester 22
Last six league matches: Gloucester L W L L W L; London Irish L W W W W W
Top tryscorers: Lesley Vainikolo (Gloucester) 7; Sailosi Tagicakibau (London Irish) 5
Top pointscorers: Ryan Lamb (Gloucester) 179; Peter Hewat (London Irish) 121
Worcester (11) v Leicester (2)
South African full-back Thinus Delport will make his 100th Premiership appearance as Worcester keep the side that toppled Sale. All Blacks winger Rico Gear is out with a virus and Wales prop Chris Horsman has an ankle injury. Shane Drahm continues to deputise for fly-half James Brown, who is still troubled by a back problem.
Leicester scrum-half Harry Ellis starts his first match of the season after ending his 10-month lay-off as a replacement against Leeds last week and winger Alesana Tuilagi is also promoted into the starting line-up. Captain Martin Corry returns to the side and Ben Pienaar makes his first Premiership start on the openside flank.
Last season: Worcester 6 Leicester 13, Leicester 40 Worcester 21
Last six league matches: Worcester L W L L L W; Leicester W W W L L W
Top tryscorers: Rico Gear, Pat Sanderson (Worcester) 3; Tom Varndell (Leicester) 7
Top pointscorers: Shane Drahm (Worcester) 134; Andy Goode (Leicester) 201
Sunday, March 9
Leeds Carnegie (12) v Bristol (10)
Leeds make five changes, with captain Stuart Hooper and winger Tom Biggs returning from injury, and their pack is also boosted by the availability of Tommy McGee, Vili Ma'asi and Jon Dunbar who all sat out last week's defeat at Leicester.
England scrum-half Shaun Perry makes his first appearance for Bristol since mid-December after recovering from a fractured windpipe. Nathan Budgett, who suffered the same freak injury, is also named in the 22. Up front, discarded England hooker Mark Regan will start alongside the evergreen Dave Hilton. Roy Winters returns in the second row in place of Gareth Llewellyn and Alfie To'oala takes the place of Matt Salter at blindside flanker.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Last six league matches: Leeds Carnegie L L L L L L; Bristol L W L W L L
Top tryscorers: Tom Biggs (Leeds Carnegie) 5; Tom Arscott (Bristol) 5
Top pointscorers: Alberto Di Bernardo (Leeds Carnegie) 154; Jason Strange (Bristol) 99
Saracens (6) v Sale (4)
Saracens give a debut to flanker Don Barrell while hooker Andy Kyriacou makes his first Premiership start against his former club. Lock Chris Jack returns from illness and Dan Scarborough takes over from the injured Francisco Leonelli at outside centre. Matt Cairns makes a return from a broken arm on the bench.
Sale switch Luke McAlister to fly-half in the absence of Charlie Hodgson and bring back Elvis Seveali at centre. Props Lionel Faure and Eifion Roberts and England flanker Magnus Lund return to the pack but lock Brent Cockbain has not been selected pending a disciplinary hearing after being cited in last week's defeat by Worcester.
Last season: Saracens 22 Sale 9, Sale 34 Saracens 26
Last six league matches: Saracens L W W L L L; Sale W L W W W L
Top tryscorers: Richard Haughton, Adam Powell (Saracens) 4; Ben Foden, Oriol Ripol & Lee Thomas (Sale) 4
Top pointscorers: Glen Jackson (Saracens) 224; Charlie Hodgson (Sale) 190
Wasps (8) v Harlequins (5)
Wasps have chosen axed England international Danny Cipriani on the bench and welcome back centre Riki Flutey and lock George Skivington from injury. Mark McMillan, who scored Wasps' injury-time match-winning try against Bristol a fortnight ago, teams up with Dave Walder at half-back and the promising Tom French starts in the front row. Joe Worsley will face a late fitness test.
Harlequins make one change to the side that beat leaders Gloucester, with number eight forward Tom Guest returning to the starting line-up in place of England's Nick Easter after recovering from injury. Danny Care returns from the England training camp to keep his starting spot at scrum-half, ahead of Andy Gomarsall, in a side captained by flanker Will Skinner.
Last season: Harlequins 16 Wasps 23, Wasps 42 Harlequins 23
Last six league matches: Wasps D W W L W W; Harlequins W L L W W W
Top tryscorers: Danny Cipriani, Paul Sackey (Wasps) 4; Simon Keogh, Steve So'oialo (Harlequins) 4
Top pointscorers: Chris Malone (Harlequins) 116; Danny Cipriani (Wasps) 202
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