With the Spring Internationals in full swing, the Aviva Premiership resumed after a week’s hiatus, shorn of a lot of its international talent.
This period is where teams can show their depth and surprise results are not uncommon. Here is the wrap of the weekend’s action:
Bath 16-9 Bristol
The first West Country derby of the season ended with Bath returning to the summit of the table after a scrappy 16-9 win over their winless neighbours.
One try, to Bath’s Jack Wilson, was enough to keep Bristol at arm’s length but they did at least bring home a losing bonus point. This has been hard to come by for this side this season.
Apart from their seventh win in eight games, another huge bonus for the men from the Rec was the return of Welsh No.8 Taulupe Faletau after a ten-week lay-off.
Bath are quietly going about their business this season and are ones to keep an eye on.
Worcester 17-18 Northampton
Six Stephen Myler penalties booted Northampton to a narrow victory over the Warriors at Sixways Stadium. Worcester will feel hard done by as they scored the only two tries of the game through wingers Dean Hammond and Bryce Heem.
They had another ruled out by the TMO, but their ill-discipline allowed Northampton to stay in it and eventually prevail. Nine penalties in the opening 30 minutes of the game tells the story of the Warriors’ woes.
They were down to 14 men when Myler kicked his fourth and fifth penalties just after halftime to give the Saints the lead for the last time in the match.
Worcester stays one place above Bristol with the meetings between those teams to be pivotal as to who will stay up this year.
Newcastle 19-32 Exeter
Last season’s beaten finalists picked up their third win of the season at Kingsholm complete with a bonus point.
England international Ollie Devoto and try machine Thomas Waldrom both dotted down, as did James Short and Will Chudleyall.
Newcastle, buoyed by their biggest crowd of the season, replied through hooker Scott Lawson and fullback Alex Tait. Yet they couldn’t handle an Exeter team that was more reminiscent of the team seen at Twickenham in May. Despite not having the best of starts Exeter are still only two points off the top four.
If this showing is anything to go by, the green shoots of recovery are starting to show through.
Gloucester 36-18 Wasps
Wasps missed the chance to return to the top of the ladder as they came undone against a committed Gloucester team at Kingsholm.
The home side scored five tries to two as they threw the form book out of the window to pick up only their second win of a disappointing campaign. As with their defeat to Saracens earlier in the season, two late tries blew the game out and away from Wasps as wingers Charlie Sharples and Henry Purdy scored in the 77th and 79th minutes respectively.
Thomas Young’s double, including his second try six minutes from time brought the Wasps within six points, gave the game a tight finish. However, breakaway tries ensured the Cherry and Whites got maximum points from the encounter.
Sale 13-28 Saracens
Saracens once again showed their squad depth as they disposed of Sale at the AJ Bell stadium.
Alex Lozowski, omitted from Eddie Jones’ final England squad, scored 13 points and ran the show as they returned to the top of the table. Ably supported by a fine cast that included South African legend Schalk Burger, Schalk Brits and Marcelo Bosch, the Saracens backs had too much for a Sale team that have had an encouraging season.
Saracens didn’t have it all their own way though, with Josh Beaumont crashing over for the first try of the match. After that the much-vaunted Saracens defence stiffened and kept Sale at arm’s length as they scored two second-half tries through Matthew Gallagher and replacement scrum-half Ben Spencer to ensure the international break does not interrupt their momentum.
Leicester 25-6 Harlequins
Another game completely dominated by penalties. Owen Williams grabbed the only try of the match for the Tigers, with Freddy Burns adding 20 points from the tee and Nick Evans replying with two penalties for the Quins.
In a game characterised by defence, it took a bit of Burns magic to get Williams over the line with the centre collecting a superb chip to go under the posts to give Burns an easy conversion.
The win keeps Leicester in the top four but they have Exeter breathing down their necks.
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