Adam Williams presents his prediction for the English Premiership rugby match.
How will the hosts cope with the new challenge posed by the league leaders? Over the past month and a half, Newcastle Falcons have been following the same pattern as the runners-up—four consecutive victories followed by two defeats.
Newcastle Falcons
Three of their victories came in the second most important domestic competition, the Premiership Cup, with the fourth being a surprising win in the league against Saracens (17:12). Notably, three of these wins were at their home ground, Kingston Park. However, their two defeats in the Challenge Cup group stage are concerning, particularly the home loss to Welsh side Dragons (14:22), who are at the bottom of the United Rugby Championship.
Bath Rugby
Bath have been operating on a similar schedule: victories in the Premiership Cup, even more comfortably, followed by a narrow win in the seventh round of the English championship (19:15 over Exeter Chiefs) and only two consolation points from two Champions Cup defeats. While the home loss to La Rochelle (20:24) was evident after the first half (6:21), the away defeat to Italian side Benetton (21:22) was clinched in the final minute of the match.
Newcastle Falcons vs Bath Rugby Prediction
The Falcons will put up a fight, but they lack the resources to even secure a bonus point for a narrow loss. In recent years, they have come close but have fallen short by at least eight points (16:24, 26:34, 17:28). Saturday's match will be no exception.
