Northampton Saints vs Gloucester Predictions - Northampton too good for Gloucester

Brad Newcomb

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Last updated: 1 hour ago

Brad Newcomb 1 hour ago

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The Saints ride 7-game home winning streak; eye top spot.
Gloucester lost 7 of last 8 away matches; sit 9th.
Northampton Saints tipped to cover the -21.5 handicap.

The Northampton Saints are on a winning streak at home in the Premiership (Getty Images)

Northampton Saints vs Gloucester Predictions

Northampton Saints vs Gloucester Predictions
Head to Head
Northampton Saints Form
Gloucester Form
Team News

Northampton must win to maintain their position as the Premiership Rugby league leaders. Gloucester have failed to make this season's play-offs, as they have struggled with their form away from home during their campaign.

Northampton have won 7 consecutive home games (PREM).
Northampton have won 3 of their last 4 home matches against Gloucester.
Gloucester have lost 7 of their last 8 away fixtures (PREM).

Head to Head

The Northampton Saints have the advantage with 23 victories to 17 against Gloucester, including one draw in 41 meetings.

Northampton defeated Gloucester 37-35 away from home earlier this season.

Northampton Saints Form

The Northampton Saints recently set a new Premiership record for the most points scored in a single match, demolishing Bristol 94-33 at home after leading 61-14 at half-time.

Before that emphatic victory, the Saints had been in excellent form at home. They drew 33-33 with Exeter before beating the Leicester Tigers 32-26, Saracens 43-31, Sale Sharks 47-21, Harlequins 66-21, Newcastle 28-27, and Bath 41-38.

Northampton are first in the Premiership Rugby standings with 67 points from 16 games.

The Northampton Saints must pocket all the points on offer in their match against Gloucester to secure a home tie in the play-offs, as they are five points clear of the Leicester Tigers and four ahead of Bath, with two fixtures remaining in their season.

Gloucester Form

Gloucester travelled to face Saracens recently, but came away empty-handed, losing 30-14 after trailing 18-0 at the break.

Before that, the Cherry and Whites had struggled away from home in the Premiership this season. They lost 27-10 to the Sale Sharks, 38-17 to Bath, 39-12 to Exeter, 45-14 to the Leicester Tigers, and 25-19 to Newcastle, and beat Harlequins 26-19 before losing 53-12 to Bristol.

Gloucester are 9th in the Premiership Rugby table with 25 points from 16 matches.

The Cherry and Whites must win their remaining fixtures to give themselves a chance of finishing their campaign in the top eight. However, they have lost seven of their last eight away games, which is not the ideal form to have when taking on Northampton in their own backyard, as their hosts have won seven consecutive times on home soil.

Team News

Northampton Saints

Hooker Robbie Smith has stated that his team is motivated for their match against Gloucester this weekend: “We spoke about making sure this isn’t the last home game for those guys who are moving on after this season.

“There’s massive motivation for getting a win this weekend. Some of these lads have given a lot to the club and deserve to get another chance to come back and play in front of our fans.”

England scrum-half Alex Mitchell has picked up another hamstring injury and is likely to miss the remainder of the season.

Gloucester

Head coach George Skivington has commented that he believes his team have shown enough spirit this season to play in the Investec Champions Cup next season: "That's definitely a trait that has come through in this group, they have stuck together through thick and thin.

"They have worked really hard, never taken a week off or come in on a Monday with their heads dropped, they have kept fighting and fighting. I am proud of the character they have shown this season.

"The objective is to be better, have a good final two games and hopefully pick up enough points to be in the top eight, that would be important."