One
of the talking points of the weekend was Wembley, where the Saracens
stormed ahead with a 39-17 victory against Harlequins, shooting again
to top spot of the Aviva Premiership. It was easy pickings for the
home side, scoring a succession of tries, two of which were from
interceptions. The Sarries proved resolute and relentless,
capitalising on every opportunity and the Harlequins were
disappointingly disjointed in defence. The Quins will now struggle
to secure a play off place unless they regain their commitment and
composure entering the last phase.
The
other was the performance of Northampton Saints, who received
arguably the battlefield blow of the weekend, to see them fall to 2nd
in the Premiership with a 19-6 loss to the Sale Sharks. Two
consecutive losses in 7 days - a tough reality pill to swallow. With
the return of all their Six Nations players in the starting 15, on
paper, it was a team that couldn't be rivalled. However, Sale were
in full control from the word go and three tries were scored in the
first half alone! But credit where it's due to both sides for not
conceding any points in the second half.
Northampton
need to redeem themselves and that means regaining self belief and
confidence and putting up one hell of a fight next weekend in the
East Midlands derby. But once again, as five fully stretched, top
performers go straight back into a premiership side, I’m sure
people will discuss the rugby calendar and the Six Nations overlap.
Manu
Tuilagi was back for Leicester, and with a vengeance. His first start
at Welford Road since the Premiership Final at the back end of last
season and his presence was vital in the annihilation of the Exeter
Chiefs. The Tigers attack was exceptional as they looked to be back
on form as the side who won the Premiership last season. I would say
it was Leicester's best performance of the season so far as they
secured a bonus point 45-15 win. Nothing can hold this side back and
as Richard Cockerill quite rightly said, 'It's not about where we
started it's about where we finish,' Can they secure a play off place
position? Definitely.
Gloucester
welcomed the Newcastle Falcons to Kingsholm and it was a 'try-fest'
to say the least with Mike Tindall scoring his first try in the
Premiership since February last year. The Cherry and Whites led 37-7
with still a quarter of the match to go but the Falcons fought back
scoring four tries in twenty minutes! An unbelievable effort -
wouldn't you say? It took the final score to 40-33, with both sides
walking away with bonus points. Tremendous.
And
what was set to be a St Patrick's Day Party at the 'Mad Stad' for
London Irish turned into misery for the Exiles as the visitors, Bath,
not only found their feet but also secured a bonus point win, 23-44.
It looked hopeful for the home side, securing the lead for the first
quarter but the party petered out when the defence began to tire to
the point of no return. No party poppers here then. The question on
my mind is, can Bath retain 3rd
position heading into the play-offs?
It
was a hand-wringing tale of woe on Friday night as the Worcester
Warriors failed to end their losing streak in the Aviva Premiership.
The London Wasps travelled to Sixways to be met by a strong defensive
side but even though David Lemi made an exceptional break to take
Worcester into the lead. It was a late try from Jake Cooper-Woolley
in the dying moments of the game that saw Wasps safe with an 11-13
win. It was absolute heart break for the Warriors and their faithful
fans and respectfully, the Wasps didn’t celebrate the win either.
Sadly, the writing is on the wall.