The
East Midlands Derby was the talking point of the weekend as Leicester
Tigers travelled to Franklins Gardens. It was a controversial and
frantic finish, as the Tigers managed to extend their run of wins
against the Saints since 2010 - especially when the final whistle was
blown with 9 seconds left on the clock. A questionable decision, but
that aside, Leicester looked the stronger side, even when they went
down to thirteen men! A disappointing 16-22 result for Northampton
but despite the loss, can they manage to regroup and hold on tight to
2nd
position in the Premiership?
After
22 defeats in a row in the Premiership, Worcester Warriors dug deep
and chalked up their first victory of the season by beating Newcastle
Falcons 12 – 17 at Kingston Park and the smiles all round at the
end were a joy to see. It wasn't pretty but it was a win
nevertheless and it keeps their survival hopes alive. They haven't
thrown in the towel just yet! Brilliant!!
Bath
welcomed play-off chasing Sale Sharks to The Rec. The battle of
Danny Cipriani and George Ford was always going to be a delight to
watch and unfortunately it wasn't Ford's night, missing countless
kicks and two drop goal attempts. The physicality of this game was
displayed in the continuous scrummaging and resets; with no penalty
try being given as there was no movement forward when repeated scrums
collapsed. Even though Bath scored in the dying moments of the game,
it came down to the last kick and Ford just couldn't cut it, shaving
the outside edge. Final score, 11-12; A very precious win for Sale
Sharks. But can they push up into that top four?
Exeter
faced Gloucester at Sandy Park and the teams were pretty well matched
in their set piece. The Cherry and Whites were on course for their
3rd
win in four league matches, but ill discipline saw Gloucester down to
thirteen men in the closing moments of the game. Ironically, it was
all to be decided on a kick yet again this weekend; Gareth Steenson
took the conversion to win Exeter the match but the ball drifted
agonisingly wide and Gloucester came away with a 13-14 win. A close
run affair in this West Country derby.
London
Irish were the visitors to the Stoop and after Quins’ performance
last weekend at Wembley, Connor O'Shea was adamant his team needed to
seal the deal on home turf to be in with a chance of a play off
position. And they did the job. A well executed performance saw them
reign righteous with a 23-9 victory. Quins’ next Premiership
encounter at Sale will be crucial!
Wasps
welcomed Saracens to Adams Park, but they were missing their sting
and were defeated 20-32, on home turf. They did look impressive at
the outset and it was an even contest initially but then Saracens
broke away as Jamie George scored his second try of the game. Even
though the Wasps fought back it was a little too late. Ruthless
efficiency from the Saracens sees them stay firmly at the top of the
Premiership.