Gallagher PREM clubs to get pre-Six Nations boost

Gallagher PREM clubs will have all their England stars available to them in the one-off round of matches immediately before the start of this year’s Six Nations, the RFU has confirmed.

England’s elite domestic league has reached its halfway point, with Northampton topping the standings on 38 points after nine rounds of action. Defending champions Bath are two points behind in second and a resurgent Exeter Chiefs and Bristol Bears occupy the other play-off places, on 34 and 33 points, respectively.

The Gallagher PREM is now on hold for a fortnight while the pool stages of the Investec Champions Cup take place, before returning on the weekend of January 23-24.

Round 10 begins with the big West Country derby between struggling Gloucester and Bath, followed by four matches on Saturday.

Exeter welcome Bristol to Sandy Park, where the losing team will be in danger of dropping out of the top four, Saracens face a Newcastle team who have finally found a way to win, crisis club Harlequins are at home to Leicester, who are on the fringes of the play-off race, while anything but a win against table-toppers Northampton will likely signal the end of Sale Sharks’ challenge.

On the positive side, the Sharks will have the likes of Tom Curry available to them, barring injury, as England’s players will not go into camp for the Six Nations until Tuesday, January 27th – 11 days before they begin their Six Nations campaign at home to Wales.

However, that means Saints will also be able to select from their large England contingent, with the likes of half-backs Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith, centre/wing Tommy Freeman, irrepressible flanker Henry Pollock and lock Alex Coles – a hat-trick scorer in the recent thrashing of Harlequins – all no doubt desperate to sign off on their domestic duties in style.

Last season, none of the mentioned players featured, as there was only a one-week gap between the PREM and the start of the Six Nations and England internationals were already in camp preparing for the tournament.

After Round 10, The Gallagher PREM goes into recess for the duration of the Six Nations, returning on the weekend of March 20-22.