Anyone who says there is not more pressure on play-off games at club level is totally wrong.
They always feel different because as a player, you know there is no second chance. The business end of the campaign is when you come alive.
The build-up is heightened and there is more media scrutiny, but I’ve always loved that.
Here’s my guide to this weekend’s two Premiership knockout games…
Mail Sport’s Dan Biggar provides his guide for this weekend’s Premiership semi-finals
Farrell will want a fairytale ending with Saracens… but Saints will have other ideas
Northampton v Saracens
Friday, May 31 – 7:45pm, Cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens
LIVE on TNT Sports 1
Home advantage is so important in play-off rugby and that’s why I’m backing Northampton.
Of the 39 previous knockout matches in England’s top division, the away side has won just six. If things go the way I expect then it will be the end of an era for Saracens and Owen Farrell, who joins Racing 92 next season.
You can replace players but you can’t replace personalities and Farrell’s departure will have a huge impact. I feel for the No 10 who has to replace him because there will be constant comparisons.
He is a leader who drives standards and has had real authority at the club for years. You could argue he’s had more influence than the coaches themselves. It reminds me of Sir Alex Ferguson leaving Manchester United, he is almost impossible to replace.
It will be the end of an era for Saracens and Owen Farrell, who joins Racing 92 next season
what happens tonight will have no impact on Farrell’s legacy. We’ve had plenty of battles but the respect I have for him is off the charts.
He doesn’t get much love from the public because he’s so aggressive and abrasive, but that’s his biggest strength. It’s relentless and he’s the greatest player Saracens have produced.
Farrell’s a dominant personality and what he says generally goes at Saracens. He’s used to having things his way and, as a fellow No 10 who has moved to France, it will be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out in Paris.
It helps that he has worked under Stuart Lancaster before but the French psyche is very different. They do things a certain way and they don’t change for anyone, whether you’re Farrell or Siya Kolisi.
I’ve tipped Northampton, but only just. If there is any team capable of winning away in a play-off, it’s Farrell’s side. They know what it takes because they’ve done it so many times. They’re the last team you’d want to face in the play-offs.
Farrell and the Vunipolas are both leaving and will want to end on a high, but I just don’t think they’re the same team now as they were in their pomp.
This Saracens side feels like it’s coming to the end of its cycle. If this were a boxing match, it would be a grizzled veteran against an up-and-coming opponent who is hungry to take the titles.
It reminds me a bit of when Anthony Joshua took on Wladimir Klitschko. Northampton are like Joshua in 2017, a young pretender. And like Joshua that year, I think Saints can land a knockout blow.
Only Courtney Lawes remains from the Saints side beaten by Saracens in 2015. In Fin Smith, Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme, they have youngsters with nothing to fear. The game will be a clash of styles because I don’t think the hosts will veer from their free-flowing play.
Smith against Farrell will be pivotal. Saracens will exert pressure through their kicking game and at the set-piece. They will want to turn it into a dog fight.
If it’s free-flowing, there will only be one winner. The longer it stays close the more you fancy Saracens, but I’m going for my old team.
Prediction: SAINTS win
Finn is king, but this one is going to be a battle of the big men up front
Bath v Sale
Saturday, June 1 – 3:30pm, The Rec
LIVE on TNT Sports 2
Whereas the first match will see two teams with different approaches go head-to-head, the second semi-final is a meeting of two similar styles.
Bath and Sale both have big packs who look to win matches by getting on the front foot, dominating physically and taking control of territory.
This will be incredibly tight, but I’m going for Bath — just.
I’ve been really impressed by them this year. A lot of the talk has been around Finn Russell and rightly so because he’s a brilliant player.
A lot of the talk has been around Finn Russell and rightly so because he’s a brilliant player
But while they score some lovely back-line tries, one of the big reasons why Russell can play as he does is because Bath usually dominate up front.
They also don’t take too many chances in the middle third of the field, where Ben Spencer kicks a lot. There will be a lot of kicking in this semi-final. Sale will also try and bully their way to an advantage.
The gainline and the physical battle is going to be key. Expect a really attritional game with the team that dominates territory and possession winning.
I’m intrigued to see how the battle between Russell and George Ford goes because they are different playmakers.
The fitness of Manu Tuilagi will also be key. If he’s able to play for Sale after a hamstring injury, it will be a huge boost to the Sharks. Sale are full of confidence and that is priceless at this stage of the season. But I’m still just edging for Bath.
One player for them who does not get much praise is Cameron Redpath. He takes a lot of heat off Russell as another playmaker and forms a lovely centre pairing with Ollie Lawrence, who is more powerful.
The fitness of Manu Tuilagi (centre) will also be key, who is struggling with a hamstring injury
I think Bath have a great shot of making the final. Doing so would represent real progress for the club under their head of rugby Johann van Graan.
You have to remember that they finished bottom of the table just two years ago and would have been relegated to the Championship if a team from the second tier was able to come up.
Now, under Van Graan, they look like a side capable of winning the title.
Prediction: BATH win
