The final Aviva Premiership play-off berth will be decided this weekend and BT Sport will screen two live games as the 2013/14 season reaches the final round of the regular season.
All six matches from round 22 will kick off at 3.15pm and in the pick of the two televised clashes, Harlequins play host to Bath at Twickenham Stoop, exclusively live on BT Sport 1.
Harlequins’ 30-29 victory over Exeter Chiefs last weekend has set up a winner-takes-all encounter at the Stoop on the final day of the league season.
Bath go into the contest three points ahead of their London-based opposition, knowing that a win will seal a place in next weekend’s semi-finals.
However, victory for Harlequins would see them leapfrog their opponents, barring an unlikely scenario where Bath pick up two bonus points in defeat and ‘Quins gain none.
Bath head into this crunch encounter having drawn 19-19 with second-place Northampton Saints at The Rec last week.
Quins have won their last four Premiership matches since losing to Saracens at Wembley in March, while Bath only defeat away from home in their last 13 games in any competition came at Northampton Saints in the Premiership back in December.
The Stoop is a sell-out on matchday and so BT Sport will be the only place to watch this crunch game as it happens.
In the second televised match over on BT Sport 2, Northampton Saints welcome London Wasps to Franklin’s Gardens.
Saints, along with Saracens and Leicester Tigers, have already confirmed their participation in the end-of-season play-offs, though their form has been shaky in recent weeks.
Northampton have won their last nine clashes with London Wasps in all tournaments since Wasps were victorious 20-15 in the Premiership at Adams Park in October 2009.
Wasps won a thrilling match against Newcastle Falcons 44-38 last week, with both sides picking up a try bonus for their efforts, but they have not won at Franklin’s Gardens since a visit in November 2005.
Once the final end-of-season standings have been decided this weekend, BT Sport viewers can look forward to watching the two Aviva Premiership semi-finals exclusively live, both of which will be played over the weekend of May 17-18.
The showpiece Aviva Premiership 2014 final will again be staged at Twickenham on Saturday, May 31, and the climax to a pulsating season will also be shown exclusively live on BT Sport.
Craig Doyle and Sarra Elgan present BT Sport’s live coverage with commentary led by Nick Mullins and Alastair Eykyn, alongside regular BT Sport pundits Matt Dawson, Ben Kay, Lawrence Dallaglio, Austin Healey and Martin Bayfield.
Free-to-air highlights of the Aviva Premiership’s final round matches will be shown on ITV4 at 8.00pm on Sunday evening (May 11), presented by Mark Durden-Smithh.
The one-hour show will be repeated on ITV at 11.15pm and can be viewed at any time via ITV’s catch-up service ITV Player.
For further information about the Aviva Premiership, visit the official website.
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