"Smith vs Farrell" - 5 Key Battles for Premiership Rugby Derby Weekend

Newcastle Falcons host Sale Sharks at Kingston Park, as the two Northern clubs collide to decide the true 'Kings of the North'. Bristol Bears make the half hour journey across Somerset, and arrive at the Recreation Ground for a battle with Bath. Both of this evening's matches kick off at 19:45, with the action lit up under the fabled 'Friday night lights'.

Onto Saturday, and arguably the Premiership's most storied rivalry writes its newest chapter, when Leicester Tigers take on Northampton Saints in the East Midlands derby. Welford Road is the elected colosseum for the afternoon, as this grudging rivalry will light up November with some late fireworks. Following this match we have the London derby, as Saracens travel down from North to West of the capital to take on Harlequins.

The Stoop is set to be ignited by the top stars of the international stage, as the reigning Premiership champions take on the current league leaders. Closing out the weekend is a scintillating South West match-up between Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester Rugby. The Cherry and Whites will march down the M5 to Sandy Park, with both sides eager for a return to winning form.

Here are the five key battles from the weekend, as we pick out a high-stakes meeting in each of the derby matches.

Starting off in the North East, we've picked out this clash of the number eights as a key battle within the war. South African bulldozer Dan du Preez has had an unrelenting start to the 2023/24 Premiership season, leaving his mark on each defence that has come in his way. Du Preez crossed over for a nice try against Leicester Tigers, and has continuously run out solid outings in the season's early goings for the Sale Sharks.

Newcastle Falcons back-row Callum Chick is given the unenviable task of halting du Preez, and will have to be on red-alert for the picks at the back of the scrum. Chick has tasted victory against Sale once already this season, as the Falcons recorded a 23-10 win in the Premiership Rugby Cup. Chick packed down the scrum on the blind-side flank for that win, however du Preez was absent from the match-day 23.

That match stands as the last victory for the Falcons, who are currently grinding through a six-match losing streak. Frustration must be building for Chick, as despite leaving it all on the line for his club, the Newcastle captain has been unable to guide his side to a Premiership victory so far this season. Both number eights are well documented in the carry, yet du Preez packs an added punch over the gain-line. This is countered by Chick's added defensive acumen and chop tackle prowess, which could well provide a stalemate between the two eight jerseys.

The West Country derby between Bath and Bristol features a key battle within the front row. We will see a duo of England teammates go head to head in the scrum, as Will Stuart packs down the tight-head against Ellis Genge on the loose-head. There is an intriguing narrative heading into this one, as Stuart continues to establish himself as the heir to the number three England jersey. This of course, would come to the detriment of Genge's Bristol teammate Kyle Sinckler, who is rumoured to be on his way out of the England fold, should a heavily reported move to Toulon come to fruition ahead of next season.

Stuart has been stepping up his game since Steve Borthwick took over control of the England team, with a significant break-through coming in the 2023 Six Nations. With 36-year-old Dan Cole's time in an England jersey expectedly winding down, Stuart needs to continue in this fine form. A dominant scrummaging display against former England captain Genge would do just that, and build momentum ahead of the 2024 Six Nations next February.

This well-matched battle at scrum-time could certainly sway the outcome of this Somerset derby. Genge's scrummaging came under the spotlight during the Rugby World Cup, as he was prolific throughout the majority of the competition, yet gave away costly penalty in the semi-final loss to South Africa. Genge was overpowered by Vincent Koch, and buckled under the titanic tight-head, for a penalty that was slotted by Handre Pollard for the eventual Springboks win. This match will be Genge's first since coming back to the Bears, and he will pack an added punch in this firery front row battle.

Onto the East Midlands derby now, with the old and new guards of the England number nine jersey set to do battle at Welford Road. After hanging up his test match boots for international retirement, Ben Youngs walked away from Borthwick's side after the Rugby World Cup, as England most-capped men's player. Young's club commitments are his sole duties, as he approaches the latter stages of his generational 17-year career with Leicester Tigers.

Youngs was right back into the fold, as Leicester suffered a narrow defeat to Harlequins last weekend. Youngs will likely run out against the Saints ahead of promising halfback Harry Simmons, with Jack van Poortvliet's earliest return from injury expected in the new year. JVP's Rugby World Cup dreams were shattered in the Summer, as his severe ankle injury wrote him out of the entire competition, and opened a late door for Alex Mitchell's inclusion.

Mitchell was fast-tracked to first choice in the England nine jersey for the World Cup, and will eye up this 'mano a mano' test with Ben Youngs as a chance to further stake his claim on the shirt. Northampton enter the derby day on hot form, with three consecutive wins polarising the recent run of their lowly East Midland's opponents. Mitchell will be barking orders to his men, and calling out any illegal activity to the referee of the day. Saturday's match could witness a metaphoric 'passing of the torch', should Mitchell get the upper hand on the former England stalwart.

A star-studded key battle is set to ensue in Saturday's London derby at the Twickenham Stoop, as Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell lead their back-lines in the hotly anticipated clash. Despite not featuring under the Saracens' trademarked 'Show-Down' moniker, this battle is certainly just that, as Smith is eager to showcase his talents back at his favoured fly-half position.

Steve Borthwick converted Smith to fullback for the Rugby World Cup, with Owen Farrell and Sale Sharks' George Ford preferred to reinforce the fly half ranks. Smith's Harlequins halfback partner Danny Care spoke in the pre-match media about how Smith wants to play at fly half for England. A strong showing at the expense of the England captain would certainly raise Smith's claims for national team's 10 jersey, for the 2024 Six Nations.

Farrell returned to Saracens two weeks ago, in his side's 32-17 win over Leicester Tigers at the Stone X. Despite excelling from the kicking tee with 12 points for Sarries, Farrell's defensive technique was put under the microscope. Farrell was hit when trying to clear his lines, with the spilt ball resulting in a Leicester try. Following this, Farrell went too high in a tackle attempt on Jamie Shillcock, with the new Tigers arrival fending off the fly half on his way through to score a nice solo try. As England enter a new Rugby World Cup cycle, both Farrell and Smith are looking to solidify their claims for future involvement in Borthwick's side.

Re-winding back to last Summer, and it was quite a shock to see Exeter centre Henry Slade left out of Steve Borthwick's Rugby World Cup plans. However, the Chiefs man has certainly taken this set-back in his stride, and has started the 2023/24 Premiership season in a re-invigorated run of form. Slade has already scored two tries, and accrued a total of 74 points, with classy performances in the 13 jersey.

Slade crossed over in the opening weekend of the Premiership Rugby Cup against Bristol, as well as adding a try in the 65-10 demolition job on an albeit weakened Saracens side. A Chiefs stalwart, Slade is one of the few remaining stars of the Premiership and Champions Cup double era, and is eyeing a return to the England fray. The midfield is a definite area of contention for Borthwick's Six Nations plans, with Joe Marchant leaving a vacancy in the centres having packed his bags for Stade Francais.

Seb Atkinson is amongst the fastest rising English talents in the Premiership, and at just 21-years-old is certainly a contender for the future of Borthwick's midfield. The playmaker has a verteran's awareness when it comes to decision making, and is confident to back himself in the contact. Atkinson would like nothing more than to get the upper hand on Slade, and throw his hat into the conversation regarding Marchant's replacement. The Gloucester man brings bags of pace to Sandy Park, and can spot the slightest gaps to send his forwards through the opposition back-line.