Round 14,
the Valentines Round and whilst we all knew that there would be little love
shown out there on the pitch I don’t think that any of us expected so many
cards to be shared!!? Let’s dive straight
into the Round 14 review and shed some light on this card sharing;
It will come
as no surprise to you that the weather was a little inclement at the AJ Bell
Stadium… I don’t believe that they have enjoyed a dry Friday night game yet!
The home team worked with the elements to develop a nice half time cushion; Rob
Miller looked sprightly and as predicted the powerhouses of Paterson, Gaskell, Braid
and Seymour were prolific. Sadly for the hosts Saracens’ experience (particularly
in the half backs) and sheer bloody-mindedness (up front) drove them on to
close out the game. Sale now head to Sixways next weekend, in a fixture that Worcester
will be targeting, whilst Saracens return to their luxurious 4G pitch to host
the Exeter Chiefs.
Speaking of
the Exeter Chiefs, today they will be hurting, as on Saturday afternoon at
Sandy Park they once again tasted the bitter taste of defeat which sadly makes
it 4 losses in a row in the Premiership for them. What will hurt even more was the fact
that the loss was against Bath; the only team that they have yet to beat in the
Premiership. The man who led Bath’s charge was Mr George Ford and if ever there
was a performance that said “Pick me I’m ready to represent my country” then
that was it however on that subject we will just have to wait and see. The
Chiefs once again should have taken more from the game and unsurprisingly Rob
Baxter has reportedly told his team in no uncertain
terms to buck their ideas up. Mike Ford on the other hand was an altogether
happier man as Bath’s ascendency continues with every single performance and they have secured the services of a very, very exciting man...Mr Sam Burgess.
Harlequins
welcomed the Newcastle Falcons to The Stoop and just like last weekend it looked
as if the hosts were going to suffer a home defeat as Dean Richards men led
with five minutes to go. Quins showed a huge amount of strength and
determination to come back and arm-wrestle the game away the Falcons and the difference in the final score-line came from the boot of Ben Botica. There
is no doubt that Conor O'Shea's men are missing their influential internationals however their
young guns are certainly stepping up to the plate and grinding out victories.
Newcastle’s losing bonus point will come in handy given their tough few weeks
ahead as they face Northampton, Tigers and then Gloucester.
The Saints
hosted the Worcester Warriors at Franklin’s Gardens in a fixture that was tense
throughout. Sadly a red card to Captain Jonathan Thomas and a penalty try just
after half time ended Worcester’s hopes of taking anything tangible away from Franklin's Gardens. Northampton, well they did what the top teams do... they took full advantage of
having an extra man on the pitch for 27 minutes and turned the screw. Jim
Mallinder will be pleased that his team are riding the International period so
well and certainly will target a bonus point win at Kingston Park next weekend. On the other hand Dean Ryan will have words with his men as frustration and
indiscipline cannot be a part of their game because all that it does is to make
a seemingly impossible challenge that little bit harder.
The final
Saturday fixture was a London Derby at Adams Park… Derby Days are always
eventful affairs and this one certainly delivered. London Irish
started where they left off against Saracens enjoying much of the possession
and territory in the first half. It was left to Elliot Daly, who shone throughout,
and honorary Wasp James Short (on loan from Saracens) to provide some much
needed sparkle for the home team. The second started with something that no-one
likes to see; a boot to the head from Tomas O’Leary on James Haskell and
rightly so he was given a red card. At that point you thought Wasps would take
the game by the scruff of the neck and finish off their visitors however that
just didn’t happen. Irish bullied their London rivals up front and Shane
Geraghty’s drop goal on 73 minutes decided the match. Irish head home to take on
Leicester brimming with confidence whilst Wasps need to re-group quickly
before they run out at The Rec next weekend.
The final
match at the weekend was at Welford Road in the beautiful sunshine where the
Leicester Tigers welcomed Gloucester Rugby. The first half certainly wasn't anything to write home about; both team’s butchered chances and Gloucester spent the half weathering a Leicester storm in the set piece. Charlie Sharples' try on 50 minutes breathed new life into the game and Gloucester moved into the driving seat whilst Leicester looked in disarray. However, never, write off the Champions and after a strong period of Gloucester defence the home team crossed to level the scores with 10 minutes to go. Gloucester will be mightily aggrieved after they were stung for a penalty in the dying minutes and Toby Flood's 3 points snatched the match away from them. It was a heartening performance from the men in Cherry and White who looked stronger than they have done all season and once again it was another ugly win for Leicester.
The matches are becoming tighter and tighter as the rounds roll on and Round 14 was another enthralling encounter with some superb individual and team performances. Next weekend is another bumper weekend of rugby with the 6 Nations and Aviva Premiership action, so rest up because next weekend will be a big, big one!!
