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 the 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. Once again, Leicester Tigers were let off
the hook winning 11-8, from what was a scrappy and poor performance.
Gloucester were robbed.