Friday night lights gave way to an unfortunate 10-15 result and a loss for Sale Sharks, as they hosted Saracens.
Sale conceded too many penalties due to poor execution of play in parts, which enabled Charlie Hodgson to kick all of Saracens points and steal the win. But Sale have made a steady climb up the premiership ladder and they’re sitting comfortably in 6th place. I have high hopes for this club in years to come, they’re proving to perform consistently this season, watch this space!
The talking point however was the West Country derby, as the Exeter Chiefs welcomed Bath to a sunny Sandy Park. This was a tug of war not to be missed.
The try of the game came from the Clermont-bound player Nick Abendanon, who showed skill in his ability to ground the ball from a phenomenal chip and chase.
Even though Exeter remained resilient, it wasn’t enough to fend off Bath, who evidently were the more composed of the two sides. It was unfortunate though, to see the Chiefs lose on home turf, 23-27.
It wasn’t such a walk in the park for Northampton Saints either. They hosted a feisty Worcester Warriors side who made it a hard fought battle in the first half.
It was only really in the last quarter that the Saints took charge at Franklin’s Gardens and really got into their stride to bag the win. Straight trucking saw them make it their 9th consecutive Premiership victory beating the Warriors, 30-14. They were just short of the bonus point try on Saturday but overtake Saracens to go top of the table… for now.
Luck was on Harlequins’ side again at the Stoop as the Newcastle Falcons landed to prey on the London side and, to be honest, it was sneaky Sam Smith who stole the 18-14 win for Quins, again.
Newcastle were edging ahead at one point but it was another reliant finish on the TMO, as Smith touched down in the corner. The Quins remain in joint fourth position along with the Tigers but how long will it last before they crumble?
The close encounter at Adams Park was a woeful tale with the luck of the London Irish side winning with the last kick of the game, 20-23. London Wasps nearly upstaged the Harlequins last week but it seemed that they let possession go to waste this weekend. A frustrating fight and another disappointing score. With little sting in their tails, are they likely to turn it around? I hope so.
All eyes turned to Welford Road on Sunday as the Tigers took on the underdogs, Gloucester. The Cherry and Whites had nothing to lose and if anything, their performance undoubtedly was the strongest of the two sides.
The game should have deservedly been a draw, and it was… with about 8 minutes to go. But poor decision making by touch judge Luke Pearce, saw Gloucester being penalised for not feeding the ball straight in the scrum. Â Once again, Leicester Tigers were let off the hook winning 11-8, from what was a scrappy and poor performance. Gloucester were robbed.
By Rhiannon Chandler-Day
To see more from Rhiannon, please check out her blog at: http://rhiannonsrugbyunionblog.blogspot.co.uk and also have a look at her take on the Exeter v Bath game for us here: Exeter just miss out thanks to moment of Bath magic.
