Week four of the Gallagher Prem season brings another West Country face-off, a milestone for Maro Itoje, and an Exeter Chiefs debut for an Australian icon, while the imperious champions Bath will aim to continue their 100 per cent start to the campaign with a trip to Welford Road.
Elsewhere, can an Italian teenager continue to light up Northampton? And will Marcus Smith prove his worth again to Steve Borthwick? Here’s a guide to the latest round of top-flight fixtures.
We have another derby to sink our teeth into on Friday night. Bristol beat Exeter 18-14 in a spirited derby weekend performance as injuries really began to bite. To make availability issues worse, Tom Jordan, the Scotland centre to whom the attacking responsibilities had fallen, has been suspended for at least three games for his shoulder tackle on Ross Vintcent, meaning Bristol’s resources are spread even more thinly.
The Bears will be without Ellis Genge, who impressed on his return after mandatory rest following the Lions tour, but he is ruled out under concussion protocol. Pat Lam’s side are about as threadbare as a team can be after only three rounds, particularly in the backs, and he will be looking to the autumn international window to let his squad recover.
Gloucester are still without a win but have earned two losing bonus points in their opening fixtures against three of the division’s strongest sides in Sale Sharks, Northampton Saints and Bath, who defeated them last weekend. They have signed the South African prop, Dian Bleuler, to cover their injuries in the front row, with Val Rapava-Ruskin and the former professional wrestler (seriously, look it up) Jamal Ford-Robinson out with knee injuries. A bit of Springbok grunt could get Gloucester going.
Seb Atkinson is absent for Gloucester after injuring his knee and hip in defeat by Bath last week
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The Cherry and Whites got the better of Bristol in both their meetings last season. The Bears have won at Kingsholm three times in the Prem this decade, but there was a three-year gap between the second and third of those. With both teams a little beleaguered, it should be an interesting clash.
Newcastle Red Bulls v Northampton Saints
Friday, 7.45pm
TNT Sports +
Newcastle were given a bit of a hiding away to Sale on derby weekend, and face another tough task at home to Northampton, who came out on top in their scintillating derby at home to Leicester last weekend.
It must be hard to see players like Adam Radwan and Callum Chick, two former Newcastle stars, performing so well at their new homes, but it proves that the new ownership have an awful lot still to do to get where they want to be.
Discipline was an issue against Sale — at one point Newcastle conceded four penalties in 14 minutes. Another striking flaw was the amount of time given to George Ford to strike a booming defensive kick deep in his own 22. He was allowed to set himself and find his target under little, if any, pressure on a couple of occasions, so a sharper defensive effort is needed to set the tone.
Benitez Cruz, centre, was named MVP of Super Rugby Americas in 2025
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Simón BenÃtez Cruz, their new Argentina scrum half, came off the bench and added a bit of zip, and you feel he will be important as the Red Bulls negotiate this tough season.
The Saints are back firing, with Alex Mitchell, who signed a new deal this week, Fin Smith and Henry Pollock all back amongst it. Tommy Freeman, the Lions wing, limped off injured, so it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll play a part this weekend. George Hendy, who looks like Ron Weasley if he swapped Quidditch for rugby, also suffered an injury in the derby, leaving Saints a little short in their back line.
One shining light for the Saints, though, is Edoardo Todaro, who has to be the most popular man in Northampton right now. The 19-year-old Italian wing impressed again in the derby, scoring in the 33rd minute to continue his sharp rise. Keen wing-watchers should keep an eye out for his snazzy footwork and eye for space.
Todaro scored again for Northampton last weekend
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Newcastle haven’t beaten Northampton since their 18-10 home victory in May 2021 — that’s a gap of 1,614 days between then and matchday on Friday.
Leicester Tigers v Bath
Saturday, 3.05pm
ITV4
The terrestrial television offering on Saturday takes us to Welford Road as Leicester, looking to bounce back from their derby defeat by Northampton, host the imperious Bath.
James O’Connor could make his first start in his latest rage against the dying of the light. You can see why the 35-year-old Aussie is nicknamed Peter Pan in some quarters, with Leicester becoming the eighth club side of his career, and his first Prem team since leaving Sale in 2019.
Ollie Chessum has been made captain this season, and is still a spring chicken in those terms, having only turned 25 last month. Taking the scalp of the champions will requite a lot of mettle from Chessum and his team, but he’s certainly got the engine to lead from the front.
O’Connor came off the bench against Northampton last weekend to make his first Prem appearance in six years
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Radwan has had an excellent start to the season, but can he force his way into England contention? Check out Will Kelleher’s piece on what the wing needs to do to turn Steve Borthwick’s head in a department stacked with talent.
There is little else this guidesman can say about Bath any more, apart from they’re really, really, really good; 15 points from a possible 15 so far this season and they don’t look like they’ve got out of third gear yet. The signs for the Prem, and possibly Europe, look ominous.
Of the past seven teams to earn the maximum 15 points from their opening five Prem games, Bath rank fifth in terms of points difference, and look set to dominate the league again.
A fun aside from the usual suspects of Finn Russell, Ben Spencer and Henry Arundell was the 23-year-old lock Ewan Richards, who scored twice against Gloucester last weekend. Nice to see the big fellas getting their moment in the spotlight.
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Bath have won the last three Prem encounters between these two sides, but only one has been by a margin of more than five points. If Leicester can keep their heads and manage to unsettle Bath’s attacking patterns and set pieces, there’s a chance they can get something out of this one. Or Bath might be Bath and blow them away.
Saracens v Sale
Saturday, 5.30pm
TNT Sports 1
Saracens lost their third Prem derby in a row to Harlequins last week, unpicked by Marcus Smith’s excellent kicking game. Mark McCall, the director of rugby, took the blame for poor preparation for that onslaught, but they did manage to put together some good stuff in parts, and scored another try-of-the-month contender.
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Saturday will mark Maro Itoje’s 200th Saracens appearance, and he’s been right at the top of the Prem since his debut in 2013 (save for that season in the second tier). He’s won five Prem titles and three European Cups, and as we all know, is central to English rugby’s identity as captain and leader.
Meanwhile, Sale have the best points difference in the division, courtesy of the spanking they gave to Newcastle last Friday, but they’re not just flat-track bullies.
The evergreen Rob Du Preez, who made his 77th consecutive Prem start last weekend, was brilliant, as was Tom Roebuck, who capped a stunning game on the wing with a hat-trick. The 24-year-old will almost certainly be in contention for England selection.
Nathan Jibulu impressed again as replacement hooker, showing some excellent athleticism and attacking play — he made 56 metres and beat four defenders in seven carries, having only come on in the 63rd minute, topping off his performance with his third try in three games. They’re spoiled with depth in that area, with Luke Cowan-Dickie making a strong post-Lions return.
However, a few of Jibulu’s lineout throws went awry. Of his eight attempts, only three found their mark, a success rate of just 38 per cent, so that may be an area Saracens can exploit.
George Ford signed a new deal this week amid reported interest from R360, which will surely maintain the good vibes around Sale at the moment.
Sale’s recent record against Saracens is pretty good, winning three of their past five Prem clashes. The highlight result recently was the last game of the 2023-24 regular season, when Sale needed a win to qualify for the top four, which they duly did, beating the Londoners 20-10 in their own backyard.
Exeter Chiefs v Harlequins
Sunday 3pm
TNT Sports 1
Exeter were undone by a threadbare Bristol side in their derby clash at Ashton Gate, but this weekend, they’ll bring quite the addition into their back line in the form of the big-carrying Wallaby Len Ikitau.
The 26-year-old, who started all three Tests against the Lions, is central to the resurgent Wallabies, and England fans can look forward to seeing him in full flow at Twickenham on November 1. If he and Henry Slade can get firing quickly, it could give Exeter’s season the shot in the arm it needs. It’s a bit of a shame he’s only going to be around for one season, having taken a sabbatical in Devon after signing a new deal with the Brumbies.
Ikitau, left, started all three Test for Australia against the British & Irish Lions over the summer
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Harlequins banished some serious demons against Saracens at the Stoop last weekend, beating their rivals for the third occasion in a row, and securing their first Prem win of the season in the process. Marcus Smith, another refreshed Lion, ran the show with some excellent dynamic kicking out of hand for the Argentina wing Rodrigo Isgró to gratefully gobble up and advance the Harlequin cause. Smith’s performance certainly set tongues wagging about the 26-year-old’s prospects in the England set-up for the autumn.
Exeter have only won one of their past five games against Harlequins, but Sandy Park hasn’t exactly been a happy hunting ground for the west London side in recent years, with last season’s 39-16 win their first since at the ground since June 2021.