16 down and 2 to go - a Gallagher Premiership update
As the end of the season nears, every game is crucial with bonus points of enhanced value for each of the 7 Premiership clubs still in meaningful contention.
Round 16 started Friday with Bath (2nd in the table) at home to perennial contenders Saracens (#3). The visitors started aggressively and were 12 points up at the half, another try prevented in the 41st minute by a dramatic last gasp tackle on the goal line. Bath came back strong in H2 and despite stalwart defense by Saracens had tied the score (12-12) by minute 63. The hosts were gutted to concede a penalty in front of the posts in the 73rd minute and despite great support from the local crowd in the final moments, lost 12-15. Bath picked up a losing BP but slipped to 3rd behind Saracens who gained 4 pts for the win, and are now 2nd.
Bristol Bears (#4) have been on a tear of late but looked out of sorts for more than 60 minutes when visiting the Leicester Tigers (#8). Up 19-0 after 63 minutes, the Tigers looked to be cruising but that was it for them; The Bears scored in the 68th, 74th and 79th minutes, converting all 3 to run out 19-21 winners. Ironic that Handre Pollard, the South African nemesis of England’s semi-final at the World Cup last October should have missed a conversion in the 49th minute for Leicester. The losing BP for Leicester is probably not enough to rescue their season, now 9 pts back from 4th place with just 2 games to play.
Game 3 of the weekend saw Harlequins (#5) play host to Northampton Saints (#1) at Twickenham, a fitting venue for two of the most exciting sides in the Prem. Appropriately, Quins opened the scoring in the 2nd minute with a cross-field kick putting in the winger for a try but Saints responded 15 minutes later with a try from Sleightholme, the top scorer in the Premiership. In a match where Harlequins scored 6 tries and Saints scored 4, the lead changed hands a couple of times, with Saints briefly leading (26-27) at minute 62. Quins were a man down when they relinquished the lead but back at full strength they pushed Saints continually and went out winners 41-32. Saints earned a BP for their 4 tries and Quins took home 5 but remained in 5th place, tied on points with the Bears who have a substantially higher points difference.
Sale visited bottom club Newcastle who were still looking for their first win of the season and left the hosts with little to celebrate. Newcastle hung tough for the first 52 minutes (14-14) but after that appeared to tire and Sale’s firepower saw them score three unanswered converted tries and run out the winners (14-35). Sale took 5 points from the win, moving them into 6th place with a shot at the Final Four.
The final match of Round 16 took place in Gloucester (#9) where the Cherry & Whites took on the Exeter Chiefs (#7). While Gloucester’s Premiership Season has not been their best, they play in the semi-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup on May 4 against Benetton Rugby which, if successful, would be a good end to the season. Meanwhile, Exeter proved too strong, opening up a quick 17 point lead in H1 and never looked like relinquishing it; at the final whistle, Exeter won 17-38. Exeter gained 5 points including a bp for 5 tries, keeping them in 7th place with an outside chance of a top 4 finish and a place in the knockout phase.
So, the top 7 places in the Prem with two Rounds left are: #1 Northampton Saints (55); #2 Saracens (51); #3 Bath (50); #4 Bristol Bears (49); #5 Harlequins (49); #6 Sale Sharks (47); #7 Exeter Chiefs (45). Next Round May 10 and 11.