Aviva Premiership |
It
was a fascinating weekend of rugby with clubs fighting tooth and nail
to secure those crucial points and now that only four points separate
second and seventh place in the table - ‘It really is all to play
for’ - may be the most over-used phrase in Aviva Premiership
rhetoric but it truly is tighter than James Haskell's training top!
So
I've decided to start by mentioning Exeter Chiefs, who currently lie
in fourth place and in my opinion, will continue to climb the table
in their current form. My key player of the weekend has to be the
compelling and composed Henry Slade, who conjured up 27 points alone
out of Exeter's 32, as they trounced the Harlequins on Saturday at
the Stoop to secure a solid 21-32 victory.
The
Quins seemed to play more as individuals rather than a team. But
Exeter were in good shape and with a home game next weekend against
Bath, what a West Country derby it will be! I cannot wait.
My
team of the weekend however, has to be the superb Sale Sharks,
storming to a crucial 14-10 win at the AJ Bell stadium over third
placed Saracens; and they hadn't beaten them since 2011! It was an
exceptional performance from the word go for the Sharks and with the
news of Danny Cipriani showing his loyalties and signing a two-year
deal with his club; what a perfect party piece to celebrate. Sharks -
you’re sharp.
But
undoubtedly the game of the weekend for some was first versus second,
as Bath looked to beat the Saints at the Rec, for the first time in
four years - but they struggled. And what a dent to Bath it was as
Northampton stole the show with tries from James Wilson and Mikie
Haywood to clinch it, 13-21. A sorry succumbing for Bath, the first
time they have lost at home this season; but they remain in second
place – and all eyes will be on Sandy Park on Saturday!
And
what another tight game it was at Kingston Park between Newcastle
Falcons and Wasps. It was level pegging from the off, with oodles of
flair from both Sinoti Sinoti and Elliot Daly but even with a
fantastic interception and a crossing of the white wash from Juan
Socino for the Sharks, it wasn't enough for the win and a frustrating
23-23 draw had to do. Who would have thought it at the beginning of
the season? The Falcons must be delighted but I can’t imagine that
Wasps will be happy with this, so we will certainly look for them to
turn this around next weekend.
Another
team who also need to turn it around in terms of tries scored, are
Leicester Tigers. Who... haven't scored a try since 4th January.
They managed to scrape the 6-12 win at the Madjeski Stadium based on
a drop goal and penalties from the boot of Freddie Burns and David
Mele; but the conditions were poor; as was the scrummaging, which
prevented it being a satisfying or interesting game for the most
part. But a win's a win - as Richard Cockerill constantly says - and
I think Tigers may be able to continue to creep up the table on this
form. For now however, they are in sixth place.
Back
in the West Country and eighth placed Gloucester battled the hail and
demolished the long suffering London Welsh 48-10, to fix the bonus
point win at Kingsholm. Two tries came from Henry Purdy and others
from Ross Moriarty, Matt Kvesic, Charlie Sharples and Sila Puafisi,
not to mention the boot of James Hook adding 18 points to the tally.
A great confidence boost for the Cherry and Whites as they travel to
the Ricoh Arena on Sunday to meet the hungry Wasps, who will be ready
and relishing the chance to redeem themselves after their performance
this weekend.
Who
will make it into the play-offs? Well we all know, you just can't
call it at the moment.
But
what this situation does do, is create an incredibly exciting 2014/15
season as teams pull out all the stops, explore creative moves,
experiment with new game plans and scramble for points. The survival
of the fittest or the domain of the cleverest? It's possibly the
closest I've ever seen it – I can't wait to see what's in store...
Roll
on Round 16!