As the 2012/13 LV= Cup reaches the knock-out stage, we cast our eye over each semi-final to find out who might move a step closer to having their name etched onto the trophy for the first time, come the final on March 17th.

Sat March 9th - Harlequins v Bath (12.15pm kick off)

At the Stoop on Saturday, Harlequins will run out against Bath hoping to get back to winning ways fast after an unexpected loss to the Chiefs in the Premiership last Saturday.

Conor O'Shea is likely to pick both of his LV= Breakthrough Player Award nominees in the starting matchday 23, Luke Wallace and Joe Trayfoot. While for Bath, Tom Heathcote is also expected to feature.

With the Six Nations fourth round kicking off later in the day, the match serves as another great chance for some of the younger members of each of the squads to make their impact with a few senior players away on international duty.

While Harlequins are unbeaten in the competition so far this year, Bath are the more in-form team having won six out of their last seven matches. However, Quins beat Bath 21-12 with a pool victory in Round 2 so the home side will no doubt feel that this and their home advantage should give them the psychological edge.

Sun March 10th - Sale v Saracens (1pm kick off)

Sunday's semi-final takes place at the Salford City Stadium with Sale Sharks taking on Saracens, the hosts having won just eight games all season to the visitors' twenty-one.

However, in Round 2 of the competition, Sale beat the north Londoners 25-23 and will hope that they can pull off a similar result to advance to the final.

Steve Diamond's Sale side will hope to benefit from the inclusion of their LV= Breakthrough Player Award nominee, hooker Tommy Taylor, plus the Premiership's top try scorer of all time, Mark Cueto.

For Saracens, scrum-half Ben Spencer is also nominated for the LV= Breakthrough Player award, and he will hope to continue using his boot to good effect as he was able to do superbly in the pool stages.

Saracens Director of Rugby Mark McCall said in the build up to the match, “It's a competition that we enjoy playing in. We've blooded a lot of younger players in it and those who don't play as regular first team players, so it's a game that we're looking forward to.”

For full updates on the latest team news and live updates from both matches, follow @LVRugby on Twitter.

Congratulations to our LV= Young Reporter competition winner!

A big congratulations to Sam Durham who is the lucky winner of the LV= Young Reporter competition. The judges were really impressed with Sam's entry, so Sam will be joining us at the LV= Cup Final on Sunday 17 March.

One of Sam's assignments will be to interview our LV= Cup ambassador, and former England captain, Lewis Moody. The interview will be played on the big screen at the final to the crowd at half time, and Sam will also be invited to attend the post-match press conference and write a match report which will be published on rfu.com, lv.com and premiershiprugby.com.

We'd also like to congratulate our two runners up, Tim Rutland and Issy Ronald, who each receive four tickets to the Final.

Thank you to all those who entered, we loved reading your reports!

The LV= Cup is known to play a crucial role in the development of professional rugby players, now it's going to help develop talents off the field too!

The LV= Young Reporter Competition has been designed to recognise the talents of budding young rugby writers in the UK. We're inviting under 16's to submit a 200 word review of any Round 4 game via the entry form hosted by the RFU site by 12pm on Monday 11 February.

The winner, who will be determined by a judging panel of the Head of Sponsorship at LV= , RFU Communications Manager, Premiership Rugby Communications Director and Rugby Media Journalist, will win four VIP tickets to the LV= Cup Final, as well as the opportunity to interview LV= Cup ambassador and former England captain Lewis Moody.

The interview will be played on the big screen to the crowd at half time, and the winner will be invited to attend the post-match press conference and write a match report which will be published on rfu.com, lv.com and premiershiprugby.com.

Two runners up will receive four stand tickets to the LV= Cup Final.

To kick everything off, here are some top tips for writing a match report in 200 words:

• Avoid detailing every aspect of the game, just include the bits that lead to scores
• Give it an attention grabbing headline; there are lots of match reports, we want people to read yours
• Remember to list the halftime and fulltime score; that's the important bit
• Try to begin the report with a brief background about the game; where is the team in their respective pools? Have they got some big names playing for them? Is there anything special about the game?

Good luck!

Enter the competition

Rugby World Cup winner Lewis Moody is convinced that there will be a couple of surprising names in the hat for the LV= Cup semi-finals after this weekend’s final round of Pool matches.

The two sides struggling in the Aviva Premiership, namely Sale Sharks and London Irish, currently sit top of their respective Pools ahead of traditional powerhouses Leicester Tigers and Saracens.

And with the Exiles travelling to a Cardiff Blues side on Friday that are all but out of contention Moody has called on Brian Smith’s side to ride their recent good form into the Welsh capital.

“It’s strange how it works sometimes,” said Moody, who won the LV= Cup with Leicester back in 2007.

“I can guarantee you that Irish would prefer to be winning games in Premiership Rugby and clear of relegation, as would Sale, but a cup like the LV= can get a side going and create momentum.

“And I can see Irish going to Cardiff and getting the job done and making it into the hat for the semi-finals.

“The Blues are a young side and will be missing a lot of players on international duty and Irish are on a good run of results with Marland Yarde in red-hot form so I'm backing them to win by six points.”

Saracens’ much vaunted squad depth has them right on Irish’s heels waiting for them to slip up atop Pool 3 and despite predicting Sarries to get the better of Worcester Warriors this weekend, Moody thinks it might not be enough to see them progress.

“Sarries really are an incredible force these days with an amazing squad and while Sixways is a very tough place to go to normally, Worcester have not got much to play for while Saracens will be going for the bonus point win to put pressure on Irish,” he said.

“I'm predicting them to win by quite a few points, maybe as many as 15, but Irish will beat the Blues handily as I said and that will be the end of Sarries’ chances.”

Meanwhile in Pool 3 fellow Premiership strugglers Sale face a trip to Adams Park to take on Wasps knowing that a win might be enough to put them into the final four.

But Moody knows from personal experience what a tough proposition Wasps are at home and is predicting Wasps to spoil the party for Steve Diamond’s men.

“Sale will struggle at Wasps if I'm honest,” he added. “They are a tough side with talent all over the park and despite missing a few players on international duty will still pose a real threat.

“I think they’ll be too strong for an undoubtedly dogged Sale side and that might leave a space for my old boys Leicester.”

Sale’s rivals for the top spot in Pool 2 are Moody’s former club and defending LV= Cup champions Leicester.

Last year, despite using almost exclusively their younger players in the competition, they made serene progress all the way to the title. And Moody does not see why they cannot do it again this time around, including their trip to Scarlets this weekend.

“Leicester, like Irish, are facing a trip to Wales,” said Moody.

“The Scarlets will not pose much of a problem in my eyes and I can see the Tigers coming away with a comfortable win, by 13 points because they’re so good in these situations.”

In Pool 1 Quins’ challenge on three fronts this season looks set to continue, currently four points clear at the top of their group, a draw in Wales against the Ospreys this weekend would be enough to guarantee their progress.

But Moody sees a lot of the dominant Tigers sides of the 2000s in Conor O’Shea’s men and is predicting them to seal their semi spot in style at the Liberty Stadium.

“Ospreys have been a little inconsistent this season, they pushed my old club Leicester close in the Heineken Cup but the LV= Cup has not gone as well for them,” he said.

“Quins meanwhile are really starting to remind me of the Tigers team of old, no matter who comes into the side everyone understands their roles and they are so consistent.

“I cut my teeth in the LV= Cup as a youngster and it’s the same for some of these Quins youngsters who continue to impress despite almost the whole team being changed.

“The Liberty Stadium is sometimes a tough place to go but I'm still picking Quins by ten points.”

That predicted Quins victory will sound the death knell for Exeter Chiefs’ hopes of progressing with Gloucester Rugby and the Dragons already out of contention in the group.

But Moody is still convinced that the Chiefs will have enough about them to spoil Northampton Saints’ own hopes of progressing when the two sides meet at Sandy Park on Saturday.

“Not many teams have been able to go to Exeter in the past two years and get a win and I can’t see that being any different this time around,” he added.

“Sides like to do well in the LV= as a route to Europe and Saints could still make the semi-finals with a win but to be honest they have disappointed me a bit this year.

“Squad depth is something they have struggled with for a while and the LV= Cup means some players have to have a rest.

“With that in mind I think the Chiefs, who themselves can go through with a win, will have too much for the Saints down south and will win by five points.”

If the Saints do indeed slip up at Exeter that will leave the door open in Pool 2 for another of Moody’s former clubs, Bath Rugby.

And the former England flanker is confident his old boys will be able to take full advantage in their West Country derby with Gloucester.

“Gloucester may be out of the competition but every game between these two sides is huge and this will be a grudge match,” he said.

“But despite that Bath will have enough about them to edge through and make the semi-finals, this competition means more to them while Gloucester have top-four ambitions in the league to focus on, I can see Bath edging a tight one by three points or less.”

That leaves the only dead-rubber of the weekend pitting London Welsh against the Dragons, a clash that Moody thinks will finally give the Welsh regions some bragging rights.

“The Welsh regions have been a bit disappointing this season, I don’t know if it’s a hangover from Wales form on the international stage in the last 12 months,” he added.

“But this weekend I think the Dragons, fresh from a good win last weekend, will have too much for London Welsh and will win by 15 points.”

Lewis’ predictions:

Pool 1 vs Pool 4

Ospreys v Harlequins – Quins by 10 points

Exeter Chiefs v Northampton Saints – Chiefs by 5

Gloucester Rugby v Bath Rugby – Bath by 3

London Welsh v Dragons – Dragons by 15

Pool 2 vs Pool 3

Cardiff Blues v London Irish – Irish by 6

London Wasps v Sale Sharks – Wasps by 17

Scarlets v Leicester Tigers – Tigers by 13

Worcester Warriors v Saracens – Sarries by 15

Semi-finalists: Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, London Irish, Bath Rugby

Friday 1st February

Round 4 commences with an evening kickoff on Friday at the Cardiff Arms Park, with the visitors London Irish knowing that a bonus-point victory guarantees them progress to the latter stages of the competition. The Cardiff Blues have just one win to their name in this year’s competition and although progress looks beyond them, they will be desperate to sign off with a home win.

Saturday 2nd February

On Saturday afternoon Bath travel to Kingsholm to take on Gloucester. Bath impressed last weekend in victory over Exeter and could yet catch Northampton at the top of Pool 4. Gloucester, by contrast, slumped to a 26-7 defeat at Northampton, effectively ruling them out of contention for a semi-final.

Elsewhere Sale Sharks, who recorded a commanding win over the Scarlets last time out travel to London Wasps. The Sharks have struggled both domestically and in Europe this season but a big win will see them into a semi-final. They will no doubt encounter some stiff opposition, however, from a Wasps side seeking to put last week’s thumping at the hands of Leicester well and truly behind them.

Also on Saturday afternoon Worcester Warriors will play Saracens at Sixways. Saracens made a winning start at their new home, Allianz Park, in Round 3 and remain in contention in Pool 3. Worcester, meanwhile, require a bizarre string of results to go their way in order to qualify, but nonetheless will seek to defend their strong home record - Richard Hill suggesting that they will be fielding a full strength side at Sixways.

In Saturday’s final fixture, Exeter Chiefs host Northampton Saints. The East Midlands side outmuscled the Chiefs at Sandy Park earlier this month in the Premiership, so the home side will be eagerly awaiting the Saints’ return. Northampton remain in control of Pool 4 but could yet be beaten to a semi-final by Bath.

Sunday 3rd January

On Sunday afternoon Leicester travel to Wales to play the Llanelli Scarlets. Leicester will have keenly watched Sale the previous day, knowing that if the Sharks fail to record a bonus point victory, Leicester themselves could yet escape Pool 2. The Scarlets remain rooted to the bottom of Pool 3 but would no doubt enjoy bowing out of the competition with a defiant victory.

Winless London Welsh welcome Newport Gwent Dragons to the Kassam stadium on Sunday afternoon. Both sides are at the bottom of their respective pools and cannot qualify for the semi-finals. With pride at stake, though, both will be dangerous and the Exiles in particular will want to put on an impressive display in front of their faithful fans.

The final game of the weekend sees Harlequins travel to the Ospreys. The London club are the only undefeated side remaining in the competition; a win will see them claim a home semi-final with a perfect record, a draw also enough to go through. The Ospreys have notched just one win in 2013 but will hope that a victory over the Pool 1 leaders can see them return to form as they look ahead to the business end of their domestic season.

Round 3 got underway on Saturday afternoon in the early kick off, as Bath hosted the Exeter Chiefs. LV= Breakthrough Player Nominee Tom Heathcote slotted the first points of the afternoon before his opposite number Henry Slade took the Chiefs ahead. Heathcote was able to level things up before on loan scrum-half Peter Stringer was brought onto the field.

In the second half, Stringer pounced from close range for the game's first try and he was on hand again to scoot around the blind side for another. It continued the run of Bath wins over the Chiefs, stretching back to 1978. The game finished 16-6 at the Rec, with Bath looking ahead to another West Country derby next weekend, when they travel to Gloucester.

At the Stoop, Harlequins and London Welsh went into battle but it was an error strewn match. Alex Davies scored a penalty for Welsh before Quins prop Mark Lambert used his strength to touch down in the corner for the try; Ben Botica added the extras and a penalty to extend the home side's lead. Davies was able to reduce the arrears but Botica kept Quins safely in front with the boot. A final insult to Welsh came from a messy lineout that Dave Ward was able to benefit from and that was the game wrapped up, 23-6 - a result that gives Harlequins three from three, a draw next weekend will be enough to put them through to the semi-finals.

At Franklins Gardens, Northampton Saints hoped to stay in control of Pool 4 as they faced Gloucester. England full back Ben Foden was one of the more experienced faces in the Saints side as Ryan Lamb gave Saints a 6-0 lead from the boot. Ryan Mills brought Gloucester back into it, converting his own try but those would be the West Country side's only points of the day. Scores from Luther Burrell, replacement Stephen Myler and MOTM Alex Waller concluded a solid afternoon for the Saints, leaving them top of Pool 4.

In Salford, Sale Sharks hoped to keep their LV= Cup campaign alive considering their poor league form and managed to do so against a very young Scarlets side despite an early score by Andrew Fenby under the posts and a score from scrum-half Davies. Danny Cipriani was able to reduce the deficit with three penalties before Richie Vernon's try from the rolling maul brought Sale level. Before half time, Charlie Amesbury was able to score in the corner and Sale took a lead into the break.

The first points of the second half went to the Scarlets fly-half Williams, but Sale broke through again with Vernon, earning a penalty that Cipriani slotted before adding his own try soon afterwards. A final score from replacement Charlie Ingall sealed the Sharks' win which put them top of Pool 2, final score 36-17.

At Welford Road, reigning LV= Cup champions Leicester Tigers hoped to keep their Pool 2 ambitions alive, hosting form side London Wasps. Tigers prop Mulipola came up from the bottom of a powerful surge over the line for the game's first try. As Tom Croft disappointingly left the field after 11 minutes back on his return from injury, his replacement Michael Noone found himself at the end of a Tigers move to touch down for try number two. The third try then came in the second half through full back Mathew Tait and the fourth try bonus was scored by Nicky Goneva, who added a brace late on. All Wasps could offer in the meantime was a Southwell try and a Bell penalty, the match finishing 34-8.

The final match on Saturday evening saw Newport Gwent Dragons take on the Ospreys at Rodney Parade. First blood went to the Dragons and Jones kicked two penalties for a 6-0 lead. The Ospreys replied with penalty of their own after a yellow card on the Dragons line, Matthew Morgan taking three points. The sides exchanged further penalties, the Ospreys eventually tying the scores at 9-9 before an early second half penalty allowed the Dragons to reassert their lead. Then, just before the hour mark, Jonathan Thomas crashed over from a 5m lineout to put the Ospreys back in front. Discipline cost them though and two more penalties from the expert boot of Jones saw the Dragons over the line for their first win in the competition, 18-14.

Sunday saw two matches take place. London Irish went behind to an early Worcester Warriors penalty kicked by Danny Gray, but once Tom Homer had put Irish in the lead, the Warriors would never really get back in the game. Three first half tries for Irish, including a brace for prop Halani Aulika, gave a half time score of 22-3. The Warriors did fight back in the second half with three tries of their own, but Irish were able to constantly keep themselves comfortably in front - number 8 Alex Gray and a hat-trick superbly taken by Irish winger Marland Yarde gave the Exiles the bonus point win and put them safely in charge of Pool 3 on 11 points. Worcester are all but out of the competition following the loss, 46-24.

History was made in North London as Saracens hosted their first ever match at their new ground, Allianz Park, the visitors Cardiff Blues. Nils Mordt put the home side in front with two penalties to Cardiff's one from Ceri Sweeney before the visitors took the lead through number 8 Robin Copeland with the game's first try. Keen to right the scoreboard at the start of the second half, Mordt was able to put Sarries back in front by a single point with his third kick. A fourth penalty put Saracens four points clear before Davies narrowed the gap but a James Short try right at the end of the match gave the north Londoners the victory - getting their home record at their new stadium off to a perfect start. The final score of 19-11 puts Saracens one point behind London Irish in Pool 3 going into the final round next weekend.

In 2007 Lewis Moody and his Leicester Tigers teammates came within a whisker of claiming an unprecedented treble.

And ahead of the third round of the LV= Cup the former England skipper has urged reigning Aviva Premiership champions Harlequins to not take their foot off the gas in their bid to make history.

Currently top of the league and with a home Heineken Cup quarter-final against Munster already in the bag, Conor O’Shea’s men will go into their LV=Cup game with London Welsh hoping to keep their march going.

And while O’Shea is likely to ring the changes against the Exiles, Moody sees no reason why the Stoop outfit cannot continue their recent red-hot form.

“No matter what the competition and no matter how many changes they seem to make Quins just keep winning games,” he said.

“It’s really quite amazing actually; Conor has done a fantastic job there continuing the fine work that Dean Richards started.

“But from personal experience in 2007 I know just how hard winning a treble can be, it just gets so tiring near the end of the season but this clash with London Welsh this weekend is just another game they need to get through.

“If anyone can do it though it is this Quins side, their consistency is just fantastic and to have the opportunity to win multiple competitions is an achievement in itself.”

They may have won two from two so far but Quins do not currently top Pool 1 with Exeter Chiefs sitting above them courtesy of having scored more points than Quins so far.

But this weekend the Chiefs travel to the Rec to take on a Bath side for whom the LV=Cup is becoming more and more of a priority in Moody’s eyes.

“I think Bath will be viewing the LV= Cup more and more as a chance to guarantee a place in Europe next year,” he added.

“Of course the top four and the league is every one’s main aim but as a season progresses priorities can shift.

“In years gone by sides like Wasps and Bath were competitive across all the competitions but nowadays they will be targeting this competition and getting into the Heineken Cup this way.”

In Pool 2 meanwhile London Wasps face a Leicester Tigers side who will be battle-weary after edging out Toulouse last weekend at a snow-covered Welford Road.

And Moody is tipping Dai Young’s troops to upset the Tigers this weekend when hostilities resume domestically.

The other game in Pool 2 sees Sale Sharks take on the Scarlets a clash that for many might seem like an unwanted distraction for the relegation-threatened Aviva Premiership side.

But not according to Moody, who insists that sides like Sale and London Irish, who face Worcester Warriors this weekend, could benefit from bringing some momentum back into the league.

“The LV= Cup presents a great chance for sides to get on a roll and Sale and London Irish are struggling in the league at the moment,” he added.

“But if they can get a couple of wins that should start to bring back some confidence. That can only be a good thing in terms of their league campaign as well.”

In another Anglo-Welsh encounter Saracens host the Cardiff Blues in the club’s first game at their new home of Allianz Park, which has an artificial turf pitch.

And while Sarries will undoubtedly shuffle their pack ahead of the clash, Moody insists that does not mean they will be weaker a result.

“You only have to look at Sarries’ two latest signings to see what amazing strength in depth they have,” he added.

“They rotate their squad and replace class with class, it’s pretty impressive to be honest.”

Elsewhere Pool 4 table toppers Northampton Saints host Gloucester Rugby while Ospreys take on Dragons in an all-Welsh encounter.

Saturday 26th January

Round 3 will get underway on Saturday when Bath host the Exeter Chiefs. The Chiefs are one of only two undefeated sides in the tournament this season and go into Saturday’s fixture on top of Pool 1 with a healthy points difference. An Exeter win would therefore put a home semi-final within their grasp, but Bath are still in contention in Pool 4 and could yet qualify for the knockout stages themselves.

Later that afternoon, London Welsh travel to the Twickenham Stoop where they face the other undefeated side of this year’s LV= Cup in Harlequins. Quins trail Exeter in Pool 1 on points difference only, so still have everything to play for. London Welsh are winless and rooted to the bottom of Pool 4 but can enter the game with confidence having run their opponents close three weeks ago in their Premiership clash.

Elsewhere, Northampton Saints will play host to Gloucester at Franklins Gardens. The Cherry and Whites will still be smarting from their home defeat to the Saints back in September; a reversal of fortunes would delight Nigel Davies and his men. A Northampton victory, however, puts them in control of Pool 4.

The first Welsh interest of Round 3 sees the Llanelli Scarlets visit the Salford City Stadium to take on Sale Sharks. The Sharks notched a memorable victory over Saracens in Round 2 – a performance they will hope to emulate on Saturday. Both they and the Scarlets, though, could yet emerge from tight pools.

In-form Wasps face a tough proposition on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Welford Road. Leicester Tigers are currently at the bottom of their group, but such is the tight nature of Pool 2 that a win could theoretically see them leapfrog to the top. Wasps, though, just one place behind the Tigers in the domestic league, have shown in recent weeks that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Saturday evening offers a Welsh derby when the Newport Gwent Dragons play the Ospreys at Rodney Parade. The hosts are winless as yet in the tournament and qualification looks beyond them, but would no doubt delight in derailing their visiting Welsh rivals’ campaign.

Sunday 27th January

The first of Sunday’s two fixtures will see the Cardiff Blues travel to Allianz Park to play Saracens' first ever home match at their new ground. Cardiff were dispatched by Toulon a fortnight ago, while their domestic campaign remains an indifferent one. An away win here, however, could reinvigorate their season. The north London club, meanwhile, sits atop Pool 3 and a commanding win over the Blues could put a home semi-final within their grasp and kick-off a home record they would like to uphold.

Also on Sunday afternoon, Worcester Warriors take on London Irish at the Madejski Stadium in Reading. The Exiles are not enjoying much success this season, but having secured a few impressive away wins this month can look forward to this fixture with optimism. Worcester enter as Pool 2 group leaders but lead Sale and the Cardiff Blues only on points difference.

Round Two will commence this Friday when Harlequins host Bath at the Twickenham Stoop. Harlequins’ dramatic late victory last weekend will have thrilled the London side but Bath visit with considerable momentum themselves, having recorded a commanding win over the Dragons in Round One with a brace of tries from new boy Semesa Rokoduguni and Tom Heathcote ranking as the cup's top scorer so far.

Also on Friday, Saracens travel to Salford City Stadium to take on Sale Sharks. Saracens look hot favourites, having made light of their missing international contingent to outmuscle title-holders Leicester last weekend. However, an increasingly frustrated Sale side will no doubt present a tough challenge for the visitors, especially after losing a close, high-scoring affair against London Irish in their opening fixture. Danny Cipriani may look to move from 3rd to 1st in the top scorer stats by the end of Round Two.

Saturday 17th November

The action re-commences on Saturday afternoon as Exeter Chiefs play the Ospreys at Sandy Park. Consecutive big wins for the Chiefs over the last fortnight will give them confidence ahead of the Ospreys’ visit. Full-back Tom Nowell will no doubt cause threats, though the Welsh side know that victory here puts them in a very strong position in Pool Four.

Two losing sides from Round One were Gloucester and London Welsh, who will lock horns at Kingsholm on Saturday. The Cherry and Whites picked up a losing bonus point away at the Ospreys last weekend, which could prove crucial in their campaign to escape Pool One. Welsh were ultimately put to the sword by Exeter last time out and are looking to get off the bottom of their pool.

The Parc-Y-Scarlets is set for an all-Welsh affair as the Scarlets host the Cardiff Blues on Saturday evening. The visitors battled to a home win against a tough Wasps outfit in Round One, while the Llanelli side failed to pick up even a losing bonus point against Worcester and remain at the bottom of Pool Three.

Sunday 18th November

The first game of Sunday sees London Irish travel to Welford Road. The home of the Leicester Tigers is a difficult place to win at any stage of the season, but the Exiles will eye a famous win with Leicester depleted by international call-ups. Leicester will be fired up too, however, as they attempt to erase the memory of last week’s heavy defeat to Saracens.

Elsewhere London Wasps will play Worcester at Adams Park, with the home side eyeing a win that will put them back in contention in Pool Three. The Worcester boys will look to build upon last week’s impressive showing against the Scarlets.

The final game of the weekend will take place in Newport as a travelling Northampton side will look to overturn the Dragons. Ryan Lamb will hope to have another good day with the boot and right the wrongs of last Round One’s defeat, but with other injuries in the squad and international duties, the home side will surely fancy their chances of a maiden win in this year’s tournament.

Round 1 of the LV=Cup began at the Arms Park where Cardiff Blues were able to notch up a home win against visitors London Wasps. Tommy Bell's boot and a try from Elliot Daly wearing the 15 shirt giving them the lead at half time against a single Dan Fish try for Cardiff.

Wasps maintained their lead despite a try from Tom James before Ceri Sweeney eventually crossed over to give the home side the advantage. A run from Christian Wade hoped to grab a last gasp win but it was too little too late and Cardiff won by 22-17.

Pool 4 got off to a thrilling start at the Liberty Stadium on Friday night as Gloucester travelled to play the Ospreys. Coach Nigel Davies faced an evening of mixed emotions at the prospect of his son Sam turning out for the opposition, while it remained a family affair for Gloucester with Billy Burns, the brother of Freddie, taking the number ten shirt. Early penalty exchanges between Osprey's Matthew Morgan and Burns kept things tight before Gloucester rumbled over for the first score from prop Thomas. It was the Ospreys who took the lead into the break however, Morgan dropping two goals to take a personal tally of fifteen points in at half time.

As the rain teemed down, Gloucester lost their skipper Peter Buxton to the bin as Morgan continued to chip away, a try added by Tom Grabham in the corner taking the Ospreys further away. But the cherry and whites were not going to roll over as Murphy scored from another close range forwards effort followed by referee Rose awarding a penalty try to the visitors, putting them in the lead. The Ospreys were determined to have the final word at home though, Morgan Allen driving strongly to crash over the line, sealing the win by 33-27.

At Goldington Road on Friday night, Leicester began the defence of their title missing twenty, first team players, as Saracens welcomed them to their eleventh "home" venue of the season. Jamie George set his side off to a solid start with the first try of the match, before Duncan Taylor was gifted an intercept score soon after. Joe Maddock finished things off before half-time, Sarries leading 27-0. Leicester woke up with two tries from Cain and Noone in the second half but Andy Saull took the bonus point try that sealed the win for Saracens, despite a final score from the Tigers, the match finishing 38-21.

On Saturday at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton Saints faced Harlequins who got off to a good start with a great try from winger Sam Smith. Errors began to cost the home side as a missed lineout and a floating intercept pass brought two more tries from the visitors, Ryan Lamb was not having his greatest day with ball in hand, with Quins leading at half time. The midlanders got off to a better start in the second half with Luther Burrell dragging several defenders over the line to score before he turned provider to Tom May for a second - the tries adding to Lamb's efforts with the boot, including a further penalty and drop goal, to give Saints a six point lead. But it was all in vain, as a threadbare defence allowed Ben Botica in for a try under the posts, Quins nicking the weekend's first away win 30-31.

In Bath, the Newport Gwent Dragons got off to a bright start through Ross Wardle but they never capitalised on it. New boy Rokoduguni made an impact through the middle from a delightful pass courtesy of the returning Tom Heathcote, whose kicking helped Bath to a 22-10 lead at half time. The second half saw Matt Banahan power over the line as the Dragons were down to fourteen men, Rokoduguni adding a second to alert the coaches to his finishing ability. The final act came from the Dragons but it was a consolation score, the scoreboard reading Bath 36 Dragons 15 come the final whistle.

At Sixways, the LV=Cup final venue in March, it was the Scarlets who got off to a quicker start than hosts Worcester Warriors. Andrew Fenby scored on sixteen minutes to put the Welsh visitors in front, leading as they did at half time 13-6. The second half saw Worcester strike back having brought on Andy Goode who was instrumental in Ben Howard's try, before the forwards started to add too much pressure up front for the Scarlets to handle. Taulava and Abbott wrapped things up for the home side, before a score each for both sides left the home fans celebrating a 34-18 win.

At the Madejski Stadium in Reading, London Irish welcomed Sale Sharks as the two struggling Premiership clubs hoped for better results in the cup. In a topsy-turvy encounter, the Sharks took an early lead through a breakaway score by Dwayne Peel, with Danny Cipriani adding a penalty. Irish fought back through a Matt Garvey try before Cipriani scored one of his own, taking a 10-18 scoreline into half time. A Cipriani penalty extended the lead which prompted the Irish fightback. George Skivington finished off a break from Topsy Ojo, with Garvey also grabbing a second. The bonus point score came from a Shane Geraghty interception two minutes from time, before a consolation try from Sale's Charlie Amesbury concluded the match, 32-28 the final score.

The final match of the weekend saw Premiership newcomers London Welsh take on former RFU Championship opponents Exeter Chiefs. A tight start saw early penalties from Ross and Slade before Will Carrick-Smith got the first try for the Chiefs. Ross kept the Welsh noses in front with the boot at half-time, 9-8 the score. Slade slotted a penalty at the start of the second half, giving them a lead they would never surrend. A brace of tries each from Jack Nowell and Nic Sestaret plus one from Mark Foster ensuring the Chiefs of the bonus point and a thumping away victory to emphasize the strength in their academy. Final score Welsh 15 Chiefs 42.