Northampton
Saints
24 - 29 Saracens
League
leaders and winners Northampton Saints sought to defend their title
as Aviva Premiership Champions on Saturday and knew they would come
up against a resilient Saracens Wolfpack at Franklin's Gardens and
they did.
Sarries
stormed from the starting blocks with power, a plan and the physical
determination to force the win against Saints; this was evident when
Strettle scored early doors.
But the rolling maul phenomenon stole
the limelight with a handful of stunning surges here, there and
everywhere throughout the eighty minutes; this definitely got the
adrenaline of all 13,362 in attendance pumping.
The
rumbling rolling mauls also added to the score board; Jamie George
and Tom Wood both led their teams over to the eruption of ecstatic
fans.
But really when it came to the crunch - clinical phases of play
were the difference between Saints and Sarries.
And
it was the boot of Owen Farrell who really stole the show, his boot
alone securing Sarries 19 points and when Northampton were penalised
in the 77th minute, there was only one thing left to do; for Farrell
to seal the deal. And what a world class and immaculate performance
it was.
The
margin separating these two teams was minuscule and on the day
knock-out rugby will always upset one team. Saracens gave it their
all, as did Northampton but the visitors determination just edged it
on Saturday.
FT
24-29
Bath
47 - 10 Leicester Tigers
As
Sarries have cemented their place in the Aviva Premiership final, all
eyes turned to the Rec for a sublime showdown between Bath and
Leicester Tigers. And what a starting line up it was for Bath. If it
looked exciting and frighteningly good on paper ... it was even
better in real life!
Bath
had threats all over the park especially in attack, so it didn't take
long for Matt Banahan to stride down the wing for the first score of
the day. The Rec’s eruption was electric and it seemed like Tigers
were in for a long, hot, sunny afternoon. The second tasty try of the
day too came from Banners. It was all rock n’ roll at the Rec.
Did
we expect anything less? Of course not!
Onto
the third try of the day, this time from Kyle Eastmond who was set up
from a perfectly placed chip by Rokoduguni.
Bath
were on fire!
Reciprocation
came in the form of a late Tom Young’s try in the first half but
there was a large deficit to bridge; were Leicester were already down
and out at half-time, 21-10?
Back
out and Bath were firing on all cylinders, maintaining the gripping
style of rugby that had the Rec on their feet! A roaring Francois
Louw ripped through the Tiger’s defence, with remarkable quick
offloads to the equally remarkable Peter Stringer, who too crossed
for Bath's fourth try of the day.
With
no gas left in the tank for Leicester, Bath pulled the plug
completely. Ford crossed over two minutes later and the immense speed
and agility of the Bath backs coupled with the fancy foot work of
Anthony Watson set up Banners for his hat-trick in the final minutes.
FT
47-10
This
extraordinary spectacle and seven try surge was a phenomenal team
performance from Bath. They hugely deserve their place in the Aviva
Premiership Final - I look forward to seeing them in action next
week.
What
a contest it will be …… Flags and face paint at the ready...
Stuart
Lancaster will have some interesting decisions to make soon.
See
you at Twickers!