Anyone who says there is no more pressure on the club level to play in the playoffs is completely wrong.
They always feel different because they know there is no second chance as a player. The business end of the campaign is when you come alive.
The build-up has intensified and there has been more media scrutiny, but I’ve always loved it.
Here’s our guide to this weekend’s two Premiership knockout games…
Mail Sport’s Dan Biggar has your guide to this weekend’s Premiership semi-finals.
Farrell wants 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 very important in playoff rugby and this is why I support Northampton.
Of the previous 39 knockout matches played in England’s top division, away teams have won only six. If things go as I expect it will be the end of an era for Saracens and Owen Farrell joining Racing 92 next season.
You can replace players, but you can’t replace personalities, and Farrell’s departure will have a huge impact. It’s a shame the number 10 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 many years. One could argue that he has more influence than the coaches. 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 joins Racing 92 next season.
What happens tonight will have no impact on Farrell’s legacy. We have been through many fights, but my respect for him is beyond imagination.
Because he has a very aggressive and picky personality, he is not loved by the public, but that is his biggest strength. It is relentless and he is the best player Saracens have ever produced.
Farrell has a dominant personality and what he says applies to Saracens in general. He is used to doing things his own way and, as a No. 10 moving to France, it will be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out in Paris.
It helped that he had previously worked under Stuart Lancaster, but the French mentality is very different. They do things a certain way and that doesn’t change for anyone, whether you’re Farrell or Siya Kolisi.
I tipped Northampton, but only just that. If there is a team that can win in the playoffs, it is Farrell’s side. They know what it takes because they’ve done it many times. They are the last team you want to face in the playoffs.
Farrell and Vunipolas will both want to leave and perform well. But I don’t think they are the same team now as they were in their glory days.
It feels like a cycle is coming to an end for this Saracens side. If this were a boxing match, it would be a grizzled veteran taking on an up-and-coming opponent hungry for a title shot.
I remember when Anthony Joshua took on Wladimir Klitschko. Northampton are like Joshua pretending to be young in 2017. And I think the Saints can land a KO just like Joshua did that year.
Only Courtney Lawes remains from the Saints team that lost to Saracens in 2015. In Fin Smith, Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme we have young men with nothing to fear. This game will be a clash of styles as I don’t think the hosts will deviate from free play.
Against Farrell, Smith will play a pivotal role. Saracens will apply pressure in the kicking game and from set pieces. They’ll want to turn it into a dog fight.
When it flows freely, there is only one winner. The more time I spend with them, the more I like Saracens, but I’ll pick my old team.
Prediction: SAINTS wins
Finn is king, but this match will be a battle of the big men up front.
Bath v Sale
Saturday, June 1 – 3:30 p.m., The Rec
TNT Sports 2 live broadcast
While the first match pits two teams with different approaches, the second semi-final pits two teams of similar styles against each other.
Both Bath and Sale have big packs looking to win matches by getting up front, being physical and controlling territory.
It’s going to be incredibly tight, but I’m going to go take a bath.
I was very impressed with them this year. There’s been a lot of talk about Finn Russell, and rightly so, because he’s such a great player.
There’s been a lot of talk about Finn Russell, and rightfully so, because he’s a great player.
But while they have scored some great back-line tries, one of the biggest reasons why Russell is able to play as he has is because Bath usually dominate the lead.
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 kicks in this semifinal. Sales will also try to work their way to your advantage.
Gainlines and physical combat will be key. Expect a truly attritional game where the team that dominates territory and possession wins.
Russell and George Ford are different playmakers, so I’m curious to see how the battle goes.
Manu Tuilagi’s fitness will also be important. It would be a huge boost for the Sharks if he can play for Sale after his hamstring injury. Sale is brimming with confidence, which is invaluable at this stage of the season. But I’m still running towards Bath.
One of the players who doesn’t get much praise among them is Cameron Redpath. He takes a lot of the heat off Russell as another playmaker, and pairs with the more powerful Ollie Lawrence to form a lovely center.
The fitness of Manu Tuilagi (centre), who is struggling with a hamstring injury, will also be key.
I think Bath have a good chance of making the final. Doing so would mark real progress for the club under rugby player Johann van Graan.
You have to remember that they finished bottom just two years ago and would have been relegated to the Championship if a team from the second tier had been able to come up.
Now, under van Graan, they look like a team capable of winning the title.
Prediction: BATH wins
