A
motivated Wasps side that really were ready to rock the boat and
rumble travelled up the road to Franklin's Gardens for the Friday
Night Lights and what a fiery and controversial game this was.
With
ten tries in total – Christian Wade and George North landing two apiece before George was knocked unconscious - and Wade going on to
score a hat trick with a third in the final forty after his
incredible fancy footwork. But with Wasps down to fourteen men before
half-time when Nathan Hughes was red carded for causing North's
concussion, Wade’s hat-trick was all for nothing and it was a
poignant turning point for the Saints. A penalty try and one from
Alex Corbisiero all added to the tally before half-time to put the
home side in the lead going into the break. As if the first forty
wasn't electric or extraordinary enough, Ken Pisi and a pair of tries
from the sensational Ahsee Tuala secured the bonus point win for the
reigning Champions, 52-30, taking them now 10 points clear at the top
of the Premiership table. But will it last?
There
was an 84,068 record attendance at Wembley as the Aviva Premiership
local derby between Saracens and Harlequins took centre stage, with
Pixie Lott kicking off proceedings as it were. It was Jack Clifford
who was the first score, less than a minute into the game off a
charge down. But it didn't take long for Saracens to step up and
Wyles touched down under the posts. Sarries looked as dangerous as
they ever did and when Ashton chipped and chased his own kick to
score, it was game on. Ashton created his second try, flying down the
wing to make it two from two and Wyles followed suit shortly after. A
surge from the forwards also enabled them to put their stamp on
things with Billy Vunipola driving over to take the final score to
42-14. Chris Ashton re-invents himself and Sarries commence their
campaign.
It
was a huge game at a windy Welford Road as the Leicester Tigers
welcomed the enduring Exeter Chiefs. Knowing this would be a mammoth
match and hungry for a top four spot this season, pulling out all the
stops and illustrating their ability, Tigers performed well. The boot
of Freddie Burns and Henry Slade traded penalties but it was Burns
who kicked four from four in the first half alone. Exeter bounced
back in the second with Thomas Waldrom and Will Chudley nudging over
but Geoff Parling managed to maintain Leicester's lead securing a
second and the boot of Burns added the extras. But Tigers buckled at
the breakdown and it gave way to a final push from the Chiefs who
gained the losing bonus point from the boot of Slade. Final score at
Welford Road, 25-18. Tigers are back... with a bang. But Chiefs are
still just a point behind!
To
honour St Patrick’s Day, London Irish put on a party at the
Madjeski Stadium after their 22-21 victory - managing to keep
Newcastle at arms length - but the Falcons clung on like an eagle to
their prey. With two tries in nine minutes and two yellow cards in
quick succession for the Exiles, they needed to focus and remain calm
in a heated and eventful game. London Irish were lucky that the
Falcons didn't capitalise on this advantage but they did catapult
themselves back into the game with full force, piling on the pressure
in the second half to close the gap. Newcastle truly cranked up their
physicality and I am sure they will rue neither forcing a draw nor
stealing the win. But their performance highlighted their resolute
and resilient nature. Overall four yellow cards were shown in this
game. The take home message for both sides should be to focus on
removing that element of ill-discipline and remain clinical. That
said - what a thrilling game!
It
was just as entertaining at the Kassam Stadium as London Welsh
welcomed Bath. With new Head Coach Rowland Phillips watching eagerly,
the home side pulled out all the stops. The Exiles performance was
impressive, being only 7-10 down at half-time. I had envisaged a
thrashing if I'm honest and I was pleasantly surprised by their drive
and determination to hold out with a strong defence. But with Sam
Burgess touching down early on in the second half, it was then Leroy
Houston who secured the visitors winning bonus point; job done
wouldn't you say? Well yes, London Welsh were then definitely headed
back down to the Championship but they weren’t going without a
swansong, scoring in the final minutes to take the final score to
14-29. But Bath came away unscathed and now sit pretty in third place
in the league table and have their hopes set on a home semi-final.
With a good run in over the next few weeks, there’s every chance.
What
a wet, windy and cold day at the AJ Bell on Sunday as Sale Sharks
took on the Cherry and Whites and Mark Cueto made his 300th
appearance for the club. But it wasn't the competition I had
hoped for with Gloucester putting in an ordinarily average
performance. After their cronkingly fantastic performance versus
Saints, it was a shame to see and made poor viewing at that! To be
fair, the conditions made it an uphill struggle for both teams but
the visitors still seemed out of sorts and lacked sparkle or finesse.
If they could have given a little more umphh in terms of physicality,
they could have taken the lead at half time but it remained 7-6.
Danny Cipriani took charge in the final forty though, adding a couple
of penalties and setting up Sale's second try of the day to seal the
deal for the Sharks, 23-6. And they could also still be in with a
chance of that top four spot!
It’s
official, with several teams still in contention and jockeying for
position for the playoffs - we’ve never seen anything like it!