Adam Williams presents his prediction for the Premiership Rugby Cup match.
The opening match of the new Premiership Cup sees Doncaster Knights take on Sale Sharks. Last season’s sixth-place Championship team will host the third-placed Premiership side. Is the winner a foregone conclusion or do local fans still hold out hope?
Doncaster Knights
The Knights have been underperforming compared to last season. After five rounds, they find themselves at ninth out of 12. They've only managed victories against Ampthill (45:31) and snatched a win in the last 10 minutes against Ealing Trailfinders (36:35). Their losses have all been by at least 12 points, going down to London Scottish (0:12) and suffering a further -16 point deficit against Nottingham (14:30) and Bedford Blues (18:34).
Sale Sharks
Of course, the Sharks' top players will be representing England against New Zealand this Sunday. Meanwhile, their less frequently playing teammates will participate in this competition. Their performance in the first six rounds of the Premiership has been anything but stellar. They've been defeated by three rivals in the playoff race: Saracens (26:45), Northampton Saints (17:47), and Bath (13:40), and have only conquered two of the last season's bottom teams: Gloucester (31:27) and Newcastle Falcons (43:10). Their first-round victory over Harlequins was secured six minutes before the end (12:11), resulting in an overall eighth-place standing.
Doncaster Knights vs Sale Sharks Prediction
Even with the Sharks in mediocre form and without their leaders, Doncaster doesn't have much to hope for, given their own mediocre play. Predicting the margin by which Sale will win is difficult, as the teams have no shared history. However, it’s reasonable to expect that Sale’s players will score numerous tries against the Knights.
