Saturday saw Wasps head to The Rec to face one of the most consistent teams in the Premiership, Bath.
The London Wasps wanted to burst the Bath bubble but they couldn’t quite manage it. It was an absolute ‘try-fest’ from both sides, with Anthony Watson stealing the show, making his mark with two tries, one of which was from a great interception. Wasps looked lethal and almost in grasp of an away win but Ollie Devoto set up a great try for Kyle Eastmond, sealing the 32-25 victory.
Gloucester hosted the Harlequins and caused a stir at Kingsholm as they managed to defeat the London side on home turf, 25-20. What better way for Mike Tindall to celebrate his 200th appearance and Matt Kvesic to score his first ever try on home turf for the club? Gloucester’s momentum saw them take control, with the forwards pack looking strong, marking their territory comfortably and sealing the deal!
Worcester Warriors welcomed Sale Sharks to Sixways and with the Warriors facing relegation, their battle to secure a home win looked even more unlikely as the Sharks showed they were on top form from the word go.
Sale were into double figures before the half time whistle blew and Worcester looked nowhere to be seen! However, they came back to restore a little dignity with the final score, 12-24. Sale are dark horses in this Premiership. They’re not shying away from a play-off place. Could they be pushing for the 4th spot?
Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints met at Kingston Park on Sunday afternoon with the Saints looking to secure their 11th consecutive win. Poor defence from the Falcons pack saw James Wilson score two tries and another from academy player Tom Stephenson, taking the Saints to a comfortable lead. But Newcastle came back to settle the score at 22-16 with an awesome interception try from Noah Cato. A close encounter for Northampton if they want to retain the top spot.
The Leicester Tigers headed to the Madjeski Stadium to take on London Irish. Unfortunately the luck of the Irish had run its course and even though these two sides were pretty well balanced in their set play going into half time, it was short lived as the Tigers clawed their way to a 15-20 victory.
Leicester are gaining momentum and breaking away from the Harlequins to retain 4th place. The question is, could they creep higher up the table? Or more to the point, do they deserve to?
It was Happy 1st Birthday to Allianz Park on Sunday as the Saracens welcomed the Exeter Chiefs and normal service resumed for the 2nd place side: But it was a bumpy ride.Â
The Chiefs threw everything at the home side in the first half, real resilience shone through but Saracens were dominant in the scrums and when it boiled down to it, their set play won them the game, 23-10. Exeter were yet again, left searching for the win!
Aviva Premiership Results:
Bath 32-25 London Wasps
Gloucester 25-20 Harlequins
Worcester Warriors 12-24 Sale Sharks
Newcastle Falcons 16-22 Northampton Saints
London Irish 15-20 Leicester Tigers
Saracens 23-10 Exeter Chiefs
Table:
Aviva Premiership Table | |||||||
Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | BP | Points |
1 | Northampton Saints | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 59 |
2 | Saracens | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 58 |
3 | Bath | 15 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 49 |
4 | Leicester Tigers | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 44 |
5 | Harlequins | 15 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 41 |
6 | Sale Sharks | 15 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 39 |
7 | London Wasps | 15 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 34 |
8 | Exeter Chiefs | 15 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 30 |
9 | Gloucester | 15 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
10 | London Irish | 15 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 26 |
11 | Newcastle Falcons | 15 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 16 |
12 | Worcester Warriors | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 4 |
By Rhiannon Chandler-Day
To see more from Rhiannon, please check out her blog at: http://rhiannonsrugbyunionblog.blogspot.co.uk – you can also see Rhiannon’s view on the Saracens v Exete Chiefs game here: Sarries sink Chiefs to stay in touch with Saints.
