In Round 20 the Aviva Premiership continued to deliver us with enthralling rugby, across the country we enjoyed points galore courtesy of the fast tracks and April sunshine. The Northampton Saints became the first team to secure an Aviva Premiership playoff place however behind them things domestically remain undecided going into the final two rounds of the regular season.
At The Rec Bath Rugby delivered a head turning performance to secure their third bonus point victory in succession. Initially London Irish put up a stubborn fight and their never say die attitude handed them a single point lead at the break, courtesy of Tom Court’s try on the cusp of half time. However in the second half Bath blew away their opposition as they cranked through the gears and positively purred. Bath scored 26 points in 20 minutes thanks to their sublime handling and attacking rugby and delivered five second half tries. The manner in which Bath accelerated away was impressive, the conditions weren’t pristine and yet they made it look like a beautiful sunny day keeping the ball in hand and playing with ambition and tempo. Sam Burgess’ first ‘proper’ back row try was the icing on the cake of his Man of the Match performance although it was his 'unseen' work that will have pleased Mike Ford the most. Irish didn’t manage to shift through the gears in the same manner, they hardly had any of the second half possession and their consolation try after 79 minutes will have done little to brighten spirits. The comprehensive victory means that Bath remain firmly in the hunt for a home Semi Final spot whilst Glenn Delaney will need to console his team during the European break. 
Following a captivating and gritty Aviva Premiership encounter between Saracens and the Northampton Saints the Stadium mK should consider
itself suitably warmed up for its three Rugby World Cup fixtures. The
Saints weathered their dip in form and two early Chris Wyles’ tries to record four of the most important points of their season. Saracens were uncharacteristically ill-disciplined and their penalty count against them was a
factor in their narrow loss, McCall's side looked like a team
that had been through the European mill and the fixture provided some concerning injuries to Billy Vunipola and Jackson Wray. Overall it was Saints’ collective composure, cleaner execution and ability to match Saracens’ physicality will have pleased Jim Mallinder the most as they head into the final rounds in touching distance of that coveted home Semi Final.
 |
| (C) Paler Images |
Gloucester’s first league victory since February was delivered
the hard way as they produced another stellar comeback on home soil and broke
the hearts of the Newcastle Falcons. With more points than minutes
played, 82 in total, this one was a breath-taking and emotional encounter at
Kingsholm, something Gloucester fans should be used to by now!!! Dean Richards’
side put together an impressive opening half, their tries highlighted their
much improved all-around game and Sinoti Sinoti was instrumental for two of their
three. After the break Gloucester used their bench including Hibbard, Murphy and Afoa to great effect however it was an existing player that kick started the scoring, Dan Robson. Robson's half back partner, Billy Burns, also asserted himself with proficiency as he secured the decisive try in the last minute of the game as well as four conversions and three penalties. All in all the home victory will have provided
a vital boost going into their European Challenge Cup Final and once again the
Falcons will wonder how they could have let such a lead and indeed match slip.
In Manchester Harlequins achieved their first victory on the road in any competition since January as they kept hopes of reaching seventh place alive at the expense of their hosts. In the opening half Conor O'Shea's side looked more comfortable than we have seen them in a while, tries from Charlie Walker, Chris Robshaw, Marland Yarde and Danny Care secured their bonus point prior to the break however they didn't manage to continue to exert their dominance. There is no doubt about the fact that Steve Diamond would have gone crazy in the Sale Sharks' dressing room at half time and his team's second half was much improved, they took advantage of a yellow card to Dave Ward and Cirpriani's chip pass to Arscott and the resulting try ignited their comeback. Ultimately the home side left themselves with too much to do, the two late misses off the tee from Joe Ford will have hurt a lot and they head into the final two rounds just a point ahead of Harlequins with two very large games against the Newcastle Falcons and the Exeter Chiefs. 
For the final match of the weekend the Chiefs made their first trip to the Ricoh Arena to take on Wasps Rugby. Wasps started the fixture perfectly thanks to a try from Christian Wade that was made by the sublime arching run and offload from Nathan Hughes however the Chiefs bounced back with an easy try of their own from Will Chudley. The man we have praised to the hills for much of the season, Thomas Waldrom, received a yellow card for a deliberate knock on and that was the catalyst for Wasps to go into the break ten points ahead. After the break Wasps lost their way slightly, they looked nervous and the Chiefs knew it, Waldrom made up for his earlier indiscretion by adding to his Aviva Premiership try tally and it looked to be a tense finish for the home side. In moments of adversity you want your big game players to set up and that is exactly what Joe Simpson did as he scored what might just be the try of the season. As sensational as it was the Chiefs weren't finished yet as they went in search of the losing bonus point and in spite of an easy miss off the tee Steenson secured it with a well struck drop goal. After a slow middle it was a thrilling ending to the match and leaves everything hanging in the balance going into Round 21. 