The Gallagher Premiership league season has finally come to a close, with the final four teams now decided for the upcoming playoff matches. The teams vying for England’s biggest trophy will be Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Sale Sharks and Saracens.
The final round of league matches are famous for their thrilling encounters, as various teams aim to squeeze into the top four. This time around there were five teams that were uncertain about their place in the knockout stages as they desperately tried to lock in their own result, whilst also having a keen eye on results around them.
This is how the day went:
Bath Rugby 43 – 12 Northampton Saints
Bath concluded their incredibly impressive season with a thumping victory over an understrength Northampton Saints in front of a sun-soaked Recreation Ground crowd. The home side started fast with two early tries in the first half, followed by an even faster and more impressive start in the second, as they pulled away from a Saints side that struggled to keep up with Bath’s ferocity.
Despite the heavy defeat, Northampton finish top of the table on the amount of points as Bath in 2nd – Northampton keep their top spot based on a greater win rate.
Harlequins 28 – 53 Bristol Bears
With echoes of the famous ‘Bristanbul’ echoing in the ears of fans around the stand, this was never going to be a dull game. Within the first minute, the Bears had crossed the Quins try line, with the game continuing in the same vein throughout, with both side taking control during various parts of the match. It was thanks in part to versatile back, Max Malins that the west-country side pulled away towards the end of the match. Despite losing three key players during the occasion, Malins stepped in at fly half to steer the wobbly ship into a 53 point dock.
Despite the dramatic victory, neither side will take their place in the playoffs as other results failed to go their way. Bristol finished in 5th whilst Harlequins settled into 6th.
Leicester Tigers 40 – 22 Exeter Chiefs
A fairytale comeback from the Chiefs just wasn’t to be today. Despite an incredible second half of the season, Exeter were simply no match for a fired up Leicester squad that clearly had something to prove in front of their loyal Welford Road supporters.
Exeter finished the season in 7th, whilst Leicester took 8th place.
Saracens 10 – 20 Sale Sharks
A momentous day for Alex Sanderson’s men saw his side collect their first ever victory over Saracens at the Stone X stadium. A slow burner, Sale controlled proceedings for the majority of the match despite their key ball carrier Manu Tuilagi needing to be pulled off with injury after just 17 minutes.
This victory ensured a 3rd place finish for Sale, with Saracens dropping down to 4th having picked up to league points during this encounter.
Gloucester Rugby 54 -14 Newcastle Falcons
The good news for Newcastle now is that their awful season is finally over. Achieving zero wins in an 18 game season will haunt the club for many years to come, they will just hope that they’re able to bounce back next season. Gloucester will have regained some confidence from their own fans after their free scoring result, particularly after their record 90 – 0 defeat last week.
Gloucester finish second from bottom in 9th place, whilst Newcastle sit dead last in 10th.
Here is how the table looks:
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