Aviva Premiership Final – The Final 80 Minutes and More

The Aviva Premiership Final is the most important eighty minutes of the season and this year it was the turn of Saracens and Northampton to take to the stage at Twickenham and do battle in pursuit of the Title. These two teams have led the way all year in terms of their physicality and ability to demolish sides on a regular basis therefore we all knew that it was going to be an electric match but I don’t think that many of us predicted just how intense or long (!) it was going to be.

Both sides spent the first 5 minutes introducing themselves to each other and indeed to the Final, it was clear that in spite of there being a wealth of experience on the pitch every single man was nervous and felt the huge weight of expectation that was on their shoulders. A penalty from Owen Farrell settled the match and then the real end to end action started and the hits started to fly!! The battering ram Luther Burrell was matched by the bulldozer that is Billy Vunipola and for 10 minutes the possession was fairly even however critically Saracens came away with the points and clocked up a 6-0 lead. It was clear for all to see that Saracens were moving up the gears and initially Saints looked slightly powerless to stop them; however a moment of pure magic from Ken Pisi changed that. Ken’s break was a sublime and critically it gave Saints the confidence to go for the corner, not once but twice, and that set up Ben Foden for a delightful try. Myler’s boot added the extras and although the half ended as it started with Saracens in possession driving dangerously towards the try line no further points were scored. HT Saracens 6 Northampton Saints 7.

After 15 minutes of rest both sides returned to the pitch flying and if you can believe it, and I’m sure that you can if you watched the match, the hits and level of rugby went up a level. Hit wise I am talking about bone shattering, earth shaking, Twickenham silencing hits... North, Burrell, Farrell and even Ashton got in on the action. The tempo and pace of the match was breathtaking; one minute Saints looked to have a small stranglehold on the game the next Saracens were back in control... regard for personal safely had been thrown out the window at the first whistle and it was stunning rugby to watch. When George Pisi crossed with 20 minutes to go in other matches that would have been it however in this Aviva Premiership Final there was plenty of action left!! What followed was agonising intense and brilliantly compelling; Saracens scored, then had their try disallowed, then Saints looked to be weathering the storm before Marcelo Bosch crossed. Hodgson’s conversion hit the post and that meant the score was 14-14 with less than 5 minutes to go and it turned out that there was simply nothing that could separate the two and that meant that we went to extra time for the first time ever in an Aviva Premiership Final! 

With a short 5 minute break in between normal time and extra time it gave me a moment to think about what it must feel like to be a fan, coach or indeed a substituted player who was helpless on the sidelines until further notice and my heart went out to them, because I, as a neutral, was feeling a little emotional!!

The extra time started by trading penalties, Myler and Hodgson both were as cool as cucumbers and the struggle to get anything between the two sides continued. Neither side gave an inch, both continued to put their bodies on the line as if it was the first 10 minutes of the game not the second to last. Straight after the final break Luther Burrell gave away a penalty and the experienced Hodgson made no mistake when he secured the 3 points for his side. For the first time in almost 45 minutes Saracens had their noses in front and Saints looked to have their backs against the wall. As expected Saints weren’t finished yet... after drive, after drive, after drive, they edged themselves to the foot of the posts and then the decision was taken out of everyone’s hand as TMO Graham Hughes took centre stage. After what must have seemed like a lifetime for fans of both sides the decision was made and JP Doyle raised his arm in confirmation of the try, with the clock in the red that was it Northampton Saints were confirmed the Aviva Premiership Champions 2014. FT Northampton Saints 24 Saracens 20 

The Post Match Reaction 

Once the final whistle had blown the contrasting emotions of agony and ecstasy were plain for all to see, Mark McCall hailed his ‘heroic players’ for their outstanding efforts not only during the Final but throughout the year and he cut a lonely figure in the press conference, bitterly disappointed and hurting as much as his players will be. Steve Borthwick's career didn't end with him holding the trophy aloft and you suspect that, that will take a competitor like Steve a long time to get over. In contrast Jim Mallinder and Tom Wood were on top of the world, Mallinder described a ‘sense of relief’ and made no bones about the fact that winning the Aviva Premiership Title eclipsed the Amlin Challenge Cup Final last week! Tom praised his teammates heart and endeavour and none more so than Dylan Hartley. Dylan came and spoke to the media afterwards, shoes off and trophy in hand and you could not help but want to applaud the man who has come so very far since this time last year. Dylan, like his Captain will be on the plane to New Zealand on Monday to conduct some serious business on an international level but before then they will celebrate long into the night with their team mates.

This year’s Aviva Premiership Competition finished in the most dramatic fashion, it was a match that had everything that you could possibly want from a game of rugby and so much more... the cruelty of sport is that there had to be one loser... Saracens will lick their wounds and come back stronger whilst Saints will party hard and maybe next year they will aim to lift three trophies!!! Now all that is left for me to do is sign off from the Aviva Premiership for the year... the competition has given us all so much pleasure and joy and I’m sure that I’m not alone in saying that for a couple of months my life will be poorer without it! To all the players, coaches and staff at every Aviva Premiership Club I’d like to say thank you... what a season you gave us and what a way to finish it! 

Spotlight On... Aviva Premiership Final

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” On the eve of the Aviva Premiership Final it feels exactly like Christmas Eve, except unlike the poem the rugby world is buzzing with excitement and shouting from the rooftops about the upcoming Aviva Premiership Final! The match between Saracens and Northampton will be breathtaking and at the home of England Rugby there is an action packed day of action planned before, during and after the match itself.  

Throughout the year the BT Sport team have guided us through round after round of action and rightly so they are dedicating almost the whole day to rugby! BT Sport 1 is the home of Aviva Premiership Rugby and it all starts at 11.30am with the BT Sports Panel discussing things rugby related with their guest Andy Goode. Once the panel are finished then the delightful Craig Doyle and the rest of the cracking BT Sport Rugby Team will take over to feature the match live and finally the Clare Balding Show will be hosted live from Twickenham for all of the post match reaction. The BT Sport Team has been working hard in the run up to the match... Rugby Tonight on Wednesday was filled with interviews from Saints and Saracens players and today (Friday 30th May) Lawrence Dallaligo and David Flatman had photocall at Waterloo Stadium with the Aviva Premiership Trophy. So if you can’t make it to Twickenham then as long as you have a TV or an iPad/PC in sight you will be fine, in fact with all of that coverage you have absolutely no excuse to miss any of the Aviva Premiership Final action!!

A match day at Twickenham is a unique and special experience and for those of you who are joining me at HQ we have a lot of exploring to do in the West Car Park! Naturally the first port of call is to get your face painted and mark your colours and let me reassure you all that lining up with the children in the queue is not embarrassing at all, you should queue with your head held high and maybe even a pint in hand!!! After that there are many activities on hand that will help you to release a few nerves through a spot of healthy competition;  there will be an Aviva Batak, the light up reaction game, a Grab A Ticket Booth and then two rugby challenges; the Gatorade Speed Pass Challenge and Kicking Distance Challenge.  The West Car Park will also house the Land Rover Owners Tent, a McLaren Mercedes Race Car Challenge and I’ve even heard there might be a spot of Pol Roger Champagne on offer, needless to say you know where to find me!!!!

The Final kicks off at 3pm and will showcase two superb rugby projects; the Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme and the HITZ Programme. These are two programmes that work throughout the year to develop our game and use the values of rugby to develop young people’s skills and help them to fulfil their potential.  future. The Schools Programme introduces rugby to schools that haven’t been heavily involved in it before and develops children’s’ understanding and skills across the country. One school from each Premiership Club’s programme will be on the pitch at half time to soak up the atmosphere and be inspired by the home of England Rugby. The HITZ Programme tackles some of the key challenges facing young people today including unemployment and crime and uses rugby to help young people re-build their lives. HITZ Programmes are associated with our Aviva Premiership Clubs and on Saturday 60 HITZ Young Ambassadors will share the day with our Premiership Finalists and hopefully be inspired by their achievements. Out On The Full will be bringing you the full story of the HITZ programme in the coming weeks so watch this space!

Twickenham Stadium is the home of England Rugby and it is one of the greatest venues in the world to watch rugby at. This year the Aviva Premiership has given us all a huge amount of pleasure and the Final will be a celebration of the 22 rounds of stunning action that was delivered to us by 12 outstanding teams. In South West London the sun is due to shine and the rugby is guaranteed to be electric so I suggest that you head to Twickenham early and delight in a full day of Aviva Premiership Rugby! 

The Big One - Aviva Premiership Final 2014 Preview

And then there were two... I’m sure that many of you are also struggling to understand how time can have flown by so quickly that we are now approaching the Aviva Premiership Final, it seems like yesterday that we were celebrating the start of the season on Friday 16th September at Kingston Park and now there are just 80 minutes of action left. This year's competition has been tighter than ever before, however two teams have successfully navigated their way to Twickenham and now have a shot at glory. 

Before the weekend’s European action, if I'm honest with you all I thought that there was little to nothing separating the two finalists, I struggled in vain to pull them apart and swayed back and forth trying to work out which would end the 80 minutes victorious. However now, after two mighty European fixtures, I think that there might just be a marginal leader in the race for the Aviva Premiership Title; the Northampton Saints. Why? I hear you cry... well they are riding a huge wave of momentum and confidence following their European victory over Bath and Saracens face the daunting task of mending their wounds after being battered, physically and emotionally, by Toulon. In my eyes this gives Saints a very small, but key head start in the race for the Aviva Premiership Title. 

Image Claire Jones (C) Red Hat Photography

Northampton’s memories of Twickenham and Aviva Premiership Finals are not great ones... the phrase always the bridesmaid and never the bride is the most appropriate to describe their ‘love affair’ with the match however this year you get the feeling that it could be time for them to say ‘I do’ and lift that trophy. Saints’ focus should be on their own game, over 22 rounds they have developed a delicious blend of stifling defense and blistering attack; their physicality has only been eclipsed by their title rivals. The man that has led proceedings has been the inspired Stephen Myler who has had the season of his life and he will play a central role in how Saturday afternoon's match pans out. Saints are a different team to the one that ran out against Tigers in last year’s Final, whilst many of their personnel may be the same, they have matured, individually and collectively and will run out at HQ on Saturday afternoon composed and ready for it to be their time. 

From Round 1 of the Aviva Premiership Saracens have been the form team, they have bulldozed over many a Premiership side with ease and at times have looked unstoppable, however as mentioned the impact of such a bruising European encounter could take its toll. Don't get me wrong I am not completely writing Saracens off, I'm simply saying that they have quite a large mountain to climb but if any team can do that then it is Saracens. Mark McCall’s side now play exciting rugby and that has won over many Premiership fans, David Strettle has scored 12 tries in 16 games and is just one part of an electric backline. Owen Farrell has been confirmed as being fit after he stepped on a TV cable and rolled his ankle before the Heineken Cup Final and his performance, like Stephen Myler’s, will be critical to his side’s success. Saracens' Wolfpack are devastating and always mean business, the forward battle will be scintillating as both packs have led the way this season in terms of their set piece proficiency and dominance at the breakdown. The final consideration for Saracens should be the ‘Steve Borthwick factor’, as we all know this Saturday’s match will be Steve’s last ever professional game and every single Saracens player will want to give him the send off that he deserves. 

Saints have their noses in front going into the match however Saracens have the ability to produce 80 minutes of brilliance at the drop of a hat and I believe that I am finishing this article where I started it, on the fence as to which side will end the match victorious and be crowned the Aviva Premiership Champions. However there is one thing that I am certain of and that is that it will be an incredible match, befitting of such an outstanding season of domestic rugby. So, for the last time let's prepare ourselves for the weekend's Aviva Premiership action! 


Northampton Saints Photos © Claire Jones RedHatPhoto.com all proceeds supporting Restart, the rugby players' charity

Wasps Swarm Paris In Style

For those of you that have been following rugby for a number of years you might remember the London Wasps’ glory days, the time when they secured four league titles in 6 years and won the Heineken Cup twice in 2004 and 2007. Since then then things have been a little rockier, both on and off the pitch, and at times the thought of returning to European glory has been almost a dream. This year, after 22 rounds of Aviva Premiership action Wasps had the chance to start the journey of re-visiting those heights by taking part in the two legged European Challenge Cup playoff against Stade Francais.

Two weeks ago the Adams Park leg didn’t go fully according to plan, Wasps let slip a 12 point lead and ended the day a single point ahead of their French rivals. This result and the fact that Stade Francais had only lost once at home this year that before this Saturday afternoon the majority of people thought that a win in Paris would be simply too greater ask for Dai Young's side... I believe that Phil Vickery said that they ‘would get destroyed’ however the players themselves had other ideas.

This year Wasps have had the potential to be devastating however due to their own mistakes they haven't clinically finished off their opponents in the way that they should, however in the Stade Jean-Bouin Wasps never once looked like losing the match. From minute one to minute eighty Dai Young's men were fueled by an insatiable will to win and they played Stade off the park. The home side were back to full strength led by Sergio Parisse but even the great man himself couldn't stop the swarm. The speed and creativity of Masi, Daly, Simpson and Vardnell was coupled with the firepower of Swainston, Festuccia, Johnson and Haskell and it proved all too much for the Parisian giants to handle. The passionate French crowd knew that their card was marked around the sixty minute mark when Guy Thompson scored the decisive try that put the match out of reach. Guy started in the 8 shirt in place of Nathan Hughes who was at his own wedding in Fiji and he had a storming match that caused many people to sit up and take notice of the young back row forward. Andy Goode's experience showed throughout and the score-line could have been even more favourable had two tries not been disallowed by referee Nigel Owens.

Overall the match was a climatic finish for Dai Young’s men, they truly saved their best, a 50-35 final score on aggregate was absolutely stunning and it was the manner in which they delivered the result that pleased their DoR the most; 

"I thought that we were excellent today. It was probably the first time we have played for the full 80 minutes. We did very little wrong throughout the game and I certainly felt like we wanted it more than them today. The boys did themselves proud and I am really proud of their efforts today.”

Dai is under no illusions that Europe will be tough next year, however he, like so many other Premiership DoR’s has signed sensibly and a boosted squad Wasps will seek to deliver performances like Saturday afternoon on a weekly basis both in Europe and in the Aviva Premiership. For now I’m sure that he and his players will head into the off-season or onto International Duty happy in with place that they have pushed their Club to and extremely excited for the 2014/15 season. 

See all the Out On The Full Photos from Paris; HERE

The RPA Awards 2014

After months of blood, sweat and the occasional tear we have nearly reached the end of the Domestic and European seasons for another year and it is safe to say that both competitions have exceeded all of our expectations and truly delighted us. The rugby calendar is a whirlwind; fixture after fixture, month after month however on Wednesday 21st May we paused for a moment to pay tribute to the outstanding achievements of a number of outstanding individuals at the RPA Computacenter Players’ Awards.

The Rugby Players Association (RPA) Awards is one of the largest award ceremonies in the calendar and like the Aviva Premiership Awards it is an absolutely stunning celebration befitting of the talented individuals that play our great game. As a player there isn't a greater honour than being endorsed by your team mates and with the level of talent that is currently housed within the professional game now winning an RPA award is even more special. As well as celebrating such talent the evening's ceremony also had another important role and that was to showcase the work of Restart - the official charity of the RPA. Restart supports professional players that are forced to retire though illness or injury and provides the players and their families with financial, practical and emotional support through what can be an extremely traumatic time. The auction at the RPA Awards is famous for boasting some of the most coveted lots that you can imagine and under the guidance of the extremely talented and persuasive auctioneer, Johnny Gould, the 2014 auction raised thousands of pounds for this incredible charity. Needless to say yours truly did not walk away with a lot... sadly they were just a little out of my price range!!!!

During the course of the night 9 awards were handed out by the superb Martin Bayfield and they included the Computacenter Players' Player of the Year 2014, LV= Young Player of the Year 2014, TAG Heuer Special Merit Award and one individual was inducted into the RPA Hall of Fame. 

This year's Computacenter Players Player of the Year was awarded to Vereniki Goneva who has had an outstanding season; he scored 12 tries in 18 Aviva Premiership appearances and added another 2 to his tally in the Heineken Cup. Niki also bucked the trend and decided to choose the UK over France when he extended his contract at the Leicester Tigers in early April. I'm sure that I can speak for every single fan of the Aviva Premiership when I say that the competition is much richer for his presence and that we are all very grateful that the bright lights of Leicester eclipsed the vineyards of the French countryside!!!!

Unsurprisingly Mike Brown added to his collection of honours when he picked up the England Player of the Year award. Mike’s interview was one of the best of the night and Martin started by asking him whether he has allowed himself a little moment to smile and say 'yes this has been a good year', he simply replied ‘no, we all know that I never smile!’ Mike also confirmed, much to the audience’s relief that a ‘little niggle’ wouldn’t stop him heading out to New Zealand, adding the caveat ‘if I am selected’. Naturally this amused everyone including the guest if honour Stuart Lancaster and Bayfs swiftly reassured Mike when he said; ‘I’ve think you’ve got that one nailed!’ 

Steve Borthwick received the TAG Heuer Special Merit Award and due to the fact that he, hopefully, has a rather large game at the weekend his good friend Danny Grewcock picked up the award for him. Danny shared with us a few stories from his time with Mr Bothwick and through one he assured us just how tough Steve is and exactly why he had no doubts about the fact that is more than likely to at the weekend. Danny recounted a time when Steve had an unfortunate injury to a very personal area of his body and on a Tuesday had to have a minor operation on it... 3 day later he proceeded to run out and play a full 80 minutes of rugby. Ever the professional Bayfs took the story in his stride and very politely mentioned that he didn’t think that he would be talking about that type of ‘rugby ball’ on stage in front of everyone but there’s always a first for everything! After the humour had died down the entire room sent their best regards to Steve for his recovery and equally wished the whole Saracens squad 'Good Luck' against Toulon. 

Throughout the night there were other many other awards and inspirational stories, Jonathan Davies was inducted into the RPA Hall of Fame, Richard Parks recounted his inspirational story following his retirement from rugby and Stuart Lancaster looked ahead to the Summer Tour.

It was a truly stunning evening, the RPA were absolutely impeccable hosts and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them sincerely and also to congratulate all of the award winners.

Amlin Challenge Cup Final Preview

This year the Amlin Challenge Cup has delivered us with some outstanding rugby however I am convinced that the best is yet to come as on Friday Night, on the artificial surface, at Cardiff Arms Park Bath Rugby and Northampton Saints will go head to head in pursuit of the title. 

The Saints and Bath have had differing journeys since their respective Amlin Challenge Cup Semi Finals; Northampton have been extremely busy, they put their bodies on the line and played a brutal 80 minutes of rugby against their fiercest rivals whilst Bath enjoyed some solid training time tucked away at Farleigh House after they had their hearts broken against Harlequins in Round 22. The question is which side's journey will have benefitted them most? Will Bath arrive at The Arms Park a little rusty? Or will they be bursting at the seams to get onto the pitch and arrive with a bang? Will Saints be tired or will the scent of a trophy mean that they pick up where they left off at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night, in spite of any bumps and bruises? Soon we will find out...

Bath have an impeccable record in the Amlin Challenge Cup Competition, they haven’t lost to an English Club since their 2003 Final against London Wasps and with Carl Fearns' defensive record you can understand why. Carl has made more tackles than any other player in the competition, 72 to be precise, and in that time he has only missed 2, simply phenomenal. He is part of a solid back row that has come into their own this year and one that Bath will need to rely heavily on, on Friday night. The big boost is the fact that Francois Louw returns for this fixture and his experience and go forward at 7 is invaluable. In the Amlin the men in black, blue and white have scored tries for fun and with the talent and speed housed in the back line you can see why. The Saints will target a quick defensive line seed to nullify Bath's runners however given their 'rest period' I'm expecting to see a few new calls from Mike Ford's men that could fox Saints.  

The Northampton Saints, what can I possibly say about Jim Mallinder's men that hasn’t already been said in the aftermath of that gargantuan win over the Leicester Tigers? They have been tumultuous this year, in spite of injuries to some of their key men, including Corbisiero, Foden and Hartley they have consistently delivered week in, week out. Saints are driven forward by a menacing pack of their own and the set piece battle will be a tasty one to watch during this match. Jim Mallinder has announced a full strength squad for the game in spite of saying previously they he may shake things up for the fixture… clearly the lure of a trophy is too strong. As expected Dickson starts at 9 over Kahn Fotuali'I after he made such an impact during their Premiership Final and Alex Corbisiero makes his first start in an extremely long time following his knee surgery. 

Both sides haven't won this competition for a number of years, the last time the Saints finished on top was back in 2009 and Bath were victorious the year before. Cup Final matches are always emotional and electric and this one will not be an exception to the rule... the game will be played at a blistering pace and will be fiercely competitive in all areas. Underneath the Friday Night Lights two sides will do battle, both are desperate to finish the game victorious  in order to show the rugby world that they can cut it when it really matters. 

The Race for Europe - London Wasps vs. Stade Francais

After patiently waiting all weekend for their turn in the spotlight on Sunday afternoon London Wasps started their quest for a place in the European Champions Cup as they hosted Stade Francais at Adams Park. The match was the first of a two pronged playoff in which the scores are aggregated and the side that ends up on top takes the final spot in Europe.

London Wasps are a club that are building, by their own admission they are not the finished article nor are they as good as they were during their Golden Era, however they are building again. Their performances in the Aviva Premiership have been patchy, from wins filled with brilliance to the low of last weekend's thumping against the Northampton Saints, it has been a bumpy ride. Stade Francais arrived in High Wycombe after a similar journey, initially they were flying high in the Top 14 and pushing the likes of Racing and Clermont however their season dramatically tailed off and they found themselves in a fight on the last weekend to secure a shot at Europe and claim that coveted 7th position.

Wasps were able to field an almost full strength side with Sam Jones and Jake Cooper-Wooley being the exceptions and whilst they would be missed Phil Swainston (starting) and Guy Thompson (benched) were more than capable of taking the reins. Stade’s missing link was a man that was less replaceable; Sergio Parisse and his  calming presence and brilliance was always going to be sorely missed by the visitors. Before kick off questions were posed regarding the soaring temperatures and whether this would suit Stade or Wasps better… the initial answers swayed towards an advantage to Wasps, given their fitness levels however there was a strong counter argument that Stade’s wingers, Arias and Camara, were used to a spot of sun and would flourish. The one thing that everyone agreed on was the fact that it would be a tight and fiercely competitive affair between two sides that were going to throw the ball around and play a lot of eyes up rugby. 

Stade had opportunities early on in the game however Julien Dupuy struggled off the tee and 6 points went begging from eminently kickable opportunities. Wasps felt their way into the match Daly looked sharp and Varndell was hungry for work and he was rewarded with lovely try. Crucially Stade weren't fazed, instead they calmly went about their business and answered every Wasps score with one of their own. It made for a tight first forty minutes and at half time the score line read Wasps 13 Stade Francais 12. 

The second half was extremely action packed as the match opened up; James Haskell looked to have scored early on however the TMO thought otherwise and then fellow back rower Ashley Johnson bulldozed over. Stade responded with a period of sustained pressure resulting in a Haskell sin bin and 3 more points from the boot of Dupuy who had found his range. As was the case with so many Premiership teams this weekend Wasps showed their resilience when down to 14 men and the solo try that Joe Simpson scored was one of the best that we have seen this year and at that point you thought that Wasps were home and dry. Rightly so Tom Palmer received a standing ovation from the crowd when he left the field, it was his last game at Adams Park and he is a firm club faourite that will be missed, They say never write off the French and that was certainly the case as Stade weren't done just yet, Vuidravuwalu had one more response and he glided over for the easiest try of the day and pushed the visitors’ noses in front. In playoff rugby every single point counts and Andy Goode’s last minute penalty secured the home side a 1 point lead and the win… 30 points to 29 is by no means emphatic however psychologically heading to Paris with a win is vital.

Stade at home are an altogether different prospect and Wasps know that they will step into a cauldron of noise and hostility in just a few days’ over the channel, they must be mentally and physically up for the challenge.  This weekend Sergio Parisse will be fit and his presence cannot be under-estimated... his aura and obviously skill set will add another dimension to the home side, Wasp have a small Parisian mountain to climb and the question is can it be done? Well naturally some of Wasps’ key men feel that it can, speaking to James Haskell and Ashley Johnson after they know that everyone has ‘written them off', their intention is to go to Paris and let the atmosphere fuel them in order to ‘play without fear'.

It was great to see so many fans of the Aviva Premiership getting behind London Wasps, I myself took off my cloak of neutrality and heartily cheered for the men in Black and Gold and I will do so from the stands in Paris this coming weekend. Premiership representation in Europe is vital as it pushes players to excel and provides them with test match level rugby throughout the year. It will be a tough ask for Young’s men however as mentioned the prize at stake is a significant one and I know that they will do everything in their power to ensure that the 20th and final place in Europe goes to an Aviva Premiership side. 

See all the Out On The Full Photos from Adams Park HERE

Knockout Rugby... London Style - Aviva Premiership Semi Final 2

On Saturday afternoon at 2pm it was time for the second of the Aviva Premiership Semi Finals as Saracens welcomed Harlequins to Allianz Park for the most important London Derby of the season.

Saracens have been in outstanding form and the expectation laid on the shoulders of Mark McCall’s men was huge. The last time that the selected squad stepped out onto a pitch together they produced one of the most outstanding displays of rugby that we have seen in years. In the build up to the game you could tell that they were quietly confident however equally they all knew that in order to beat Harlequins they had to deliver the same again and replicating brilliance is never easy. Conor O’Shea said before the match that he was sick of his side being written off and if you stop and pause for a moment you can understand his point. Harlequins didn’t make through to the Semi Final by accident; instead they worked tirelessly playing cup final after cup final in order to have the opportunity to run out at Allianz Park. 

Some say that Allianz Park is quite a quiet stadium and one that often lacks in atmosphere, well I can assure you that this was not the case on Saturday afternoon, the moment that Steve Borthwick led Saracens out, for the last time at home, whilst carrying his young child was truly special one and the noise throughout was ear piercing. Quins started well, they weren’t over-awed by the occasion and crucially they didn’t allow Saracens to race away from them. Instead they calmly recorded the first points of the match and sent a message to their opponents that they were there to break up the party. For all intents and purposes during the early stages of the game Quins looked to be the stronger of the two sides, they utilised their assets well and took their points when they had the opportunity. As with every single match that Saracens are involved in the physicality was brutal, at times it was shocking and I mean that in a good way and Quins matched this to a man. The manner in which Jacques Burger clears out rucks is eye watering brilliant and the clattering hits from both sides reverberated around the sunny stadium. Harlequins took advantage of the yellow cards to Bosch and Stevens and just before half time struck gold thanks to Mike Brown and that meant that after 40 minutes it was 17-11 to the visitors.

Owen Farrell had an uncharacteristically nervy day from the kicking tee and actually missed two penalties and one conversion and that mean that clawing the game back was a little harder than it should have been for McCall’s men however as we all suspected mid-way through the second half they began to dominate and find fifth gear. Whilst Quins began to look tired and battered Saracens went for the jugular and tries from Brad Barritt and Chris Ashton took the game to a place where Quins simply could not reach it. Focusing on individuals for a moment worryingly Mike Brown left the field injured and whilst the extent of his injury is unconfirmed it could be a nervy race against time to get him ready for England duty. For Saracens MOM Billy Vunipola treated us all to a delightful display and Schalk Brits continued to defy his job title as he, once again, looked more like Centre than a Hooker and when it mattered the whole squad showed their class to close out the match.

Harlequins should be immensely proud of their performance and equally of what they have achieved this season. O’Shea’s men have endured injury after injury after injury and yet they have powered through and during the process uncovered some brilliant talents; Kyle Sinckler and Dave Ward being the two most notable. However on Saturday afternoon it was just one step too far and Nick Evans summed it up following the game when he said “we gave it our all but sometimes that’s just not enough”.

Over the past 8 months Saracens have won the hearts and respect of all that watch the Aviva Premiership, they have evolved their game plan and become a world class side. Now Mark McCall’s men have another shot at Aviva Premiership glory and on top of that they have the chance to make history by doing the domestic and European double. I’m sure that at this moment, on Saturday evening, a few beers will be being consumed in celebration of a hard fought win however there will only be a few because now the work really starts... first stop Cardiff and Toulon before on 31st May they go head to head with the Northampton Saints in what is guaranteed to be an absolutely outstanding Aviva Premiership Final. 

See all of the Out On The Full Photos HERE

Knockout Rugby... East Midlands' Style - Aviva Premiership Semi Final 1

13,491 people at Franklin’s Gardens and millions more watching on BT Sport witnessed the most dramatic and enthralling match of the season on Friday evening, it was a Semi Final of the highest calibre and it resulted in the Saints reaching their second successive Aviva Premiership Final.

Image Claire Jones Red Hat Photography

Saints went into the match billed as the favourites, they were in form and they were at home, these are two factors that are usually match winning ones, however during the first forty minutes neither looked to be useful to Mallinder’s men as the Tigers’ bulldozed to a 17-6 lead. Tigers were clinical and when they had the opportunity to put points on the board they did so courtesy of two tries and a penalty. Initially the home side just weren’t quite firing on all four cylinders... it wasn’t due to a lack of desire, they were simply stifled by the intensity of the Tigers and small errors cost them many points scoring opportunities. As expected the physicality of the match was at the top end of the bone crunching scale and Dickinson’s first hit on Mulipola really did set the tone early on in the game. Manu's try was well worked however it was Ben Young’s that provided us with the best try scoring celebration that we have seen ever from Richard Cockerill, the double fist pumping was quite something to behold and he was equally animated in the tiny away dressing room at half time.

After the break Saints meant business, they knew that they needed to score first in order to keep themselves in the match and that they needed improve on their precision if they were to have any chance of getting back into the game. As with all East Midlands Derbies the players' emotions began to soar and on 50 minutes one individual's boiled over when Ma'afu threw a punch off the ball at Tom Youngs. The result was a yellow card for Youngs for instigating the incident however more significantly it was a red card for Ma'afu and the mountain that the home side had to climb grew by about 20 feet! In the minutes that followed the card the Saints did exactly what Leicester had done during the first half when they had a man in the bin, they upped their game and played fearlessly. Lee Dickson raised the tempo of the match and helped to step change home side's game and they clawed right back into it the Welsh wonder that is George North crossed the line. 66 minutes gone... Northampton Saints 16 Leicester Tigers 17. Leicester scored next, a coolly slotted penalty from young Owen Williams, however the momentum was still with Mallinder's men and with less then ten minutes remaining they had the bit between their teeth and the skill to match it. After what seemed like twenty phases of attacking play, I'm sure it was more like 9 in real like but stick with me here, Tom Wood powered his way across the line and stole the lead. Agonisingly for Saints Myler’s conversion hit the posts and it gave Tigers one final chance if they re-gained the restart to grasp back the match that they had thought for so was theirs. For Cockers' men it was not to be, in the dying seconds Saints gained the restart, wound the down the clock and then rejoiced as JP Doyle's final whistle sounded and Franklin’s Gardens erupted.

The Tigers put their hearts and souls into the game, they put their bodies on the line and captain Ed Slater led the side with maturity. Ed's record since taking over the role has been impeccable however he will be bitterly disappointed that it is on his watch that the team that has dominated the Aviva Premiership for so long won't be a part of the final. Huge plaudits should go to the workfare of the Youngs brothers, the physicality of the whole squad and the feet of Matthew Tait who had a storming game. 

All in all it was a simply outstanding game of rugby, so much occurred that if I missed your favourite part I do apologise, but I hope that I have been able to capture the essence of what as a match that made me proud to be a rugby fan. It was a game that touched all of our hearts due the raw emotion shown by all of the players, coaches and fans and the twists and turns throughout captivated us from minute one to minute eighty.  Whilst Leicester head home empty handed, Jim Mallinder’s men march on to Twickenham, the phrase this driving them this year is “It is our time” and after a win like that over their biggest rivals and the reigning Aviva Premiership Champions you can see why they believe it. 

Northampton Saints Photos © Claire Jones RedHatPhoto.com all proceeds supporting Restart, the rugby players' charity. See the full album HERE

Aviva Premiership Rugby Awards

The 2013/14 Aviva Premiership Season has been simply breathtaking, the matches have been closer than ever before and although some clubs’ seasons aren’t over just yet on Thursday 15th May it was time to pause for a moment and celebrate at the Aviva Premiership Awards.

The Awards Ceremony took place at the Park Lane Hilton, and the evening was hosted by BT Sport’s Craig Doyle. Craig is a fantastic presenter and interviewer and he had the audience in the palm on his hand for the entire night as he seamlessly led us through 10 awards and 10 brilliant interviews, more about them later!!  

Prior to the champagne reception as media we had the opportunity to speak to a number of the nominees and find out just how they were feeling about the evening, their seasons' and their forthcoming matches, if they had any. Firstly I spoke to Chris Pennell and having interviewed him a month or so ago it was great to congratulate him in person for being included in the England Training Squad. Chris' team may have had a difficult season and now find themselves in the Championship however right now he is focused on his own game and seeing what he can do to impress Stuart Lancaster. Next I chatted to Sale's captain, Dan Braid, was nominated for a number of awards and he was on tenderhooks... not only waiting to see if he’d won any of them, but secondly due to the fact that his wife is about to give birth any day now!! Finally I spoke to Anthony Watson who was nominated for the Landrover Discovery of the Season Award and whilst he was thrilled to be nominated he did admit that it was slightly bitter sweet given the 'heartbreak' that he and his team are still recovering from after their defeat to Harlequins last weekend. 

As I mentioned there were 10 Awards that were handed out over the course of night and I won't dwell on every single one, instead I thought that would provide you with a few of highlights and quotes from the night that you might not have heard about reading the articles online or following on Twitter, the inside scoop if you'd like to call it that!!

The speech of the night went to young Billy Vunipola who was awarded the Landrover Discovery Of The Season award. Since joining Saracens this year Billy has gone from strength to strength and naturally Craig asked whether there was anything in particular that has made him push himself hard this season and progress. He answered truthfully saying that the fact that his brother is with him at training every day pushes him because he if he isn’t working hard enough Mako gives him a 'clip around the ear'!!!! Secondly when he was asked what his mantra was before a game he simply said that he simply tells himself to run as hard as possible and then I hope for the best!! It seems so simple doesn’t it!!?! Then I supposed when you are 6 foot 2 inches tall, 19 stone and bursting with natural talent you don’t need to complicate things do you!?!

A couple of the winners were not in attendance on the night and instead they had their awards picked up for them by a colleague or in the case of Northampton's Tom Collins his Director Of Rugby Jim Mallinder. Tom won the ITV Sport Try Of The Season for his stunning finish against Gloucester Rugby and of course Jim took the opportunity to sing the young praises of his young winger. Ever the professional Craig didn't let Jim leave the stage without grilling him on the East Midlands Knockout Derby and Jim he had the room in stitches when he suggested that Richard Cockerill wasn't at the event due to the fact that he was practicing spot of yoga at home to calm himself down before such a huge match whereas he preferred to have a few beers!!

The last award of the night was the big one, the Aviva Premiership Player Of The Season and I believe that the whole country smiled when Mike Brown was announced to be the winner. The award is Mike's third of the year having already won the RBS 6 Nations Player of the Championships and the Man of the Series in the Autumn Internationals, however there is absolutely no hint of complacency from the Harlequins and England Full Back. Mike is a humble guy and took the opportunity to praise the talent and support of his Premiership team mates as well his Director Of Rugby. He also revealed that around the club at Harlequins Conor is known as 'Mike's Dad'!! Seeing Conor after you could tell that he was a very, very proud Dad!!

The evening was a simply stunning celebration of what has been an outstanding season of rugby, it was an honour to have been invited to attend the night and I must say I had a cracking time!! Although the awards are over for another year there is still the small matter of two humungous Aviva Premiership Semi Finals; an East Midlands and a London Derby. In the room last night you could almost taste the excitement and speaking to a number of the players involved in those matches they cannot wait... Schalk Brits summed it up perfectly when he simply said 'this is why we play rugby'.  

In signing off this piece I would like to do two things; firstly I'd like to congratulate all of the award winners and secondly I'd like to thank every single player that took part in this season, whilst handful were nominated and won awards to be great you have to have great competition to play against. Rivalries between teams and within teams bring out the best in professional sportsmen and with three games left of the season prepare yourselves to be amazed and delighted a little more before the final whistle of the final game of the 2013/14 Aviva Premiership is blown and we wave goodbye to the domestic season for another year. 

Out On The Full Awards

The 2013/14 Aviva Premiership Season has been more eventful than we could have possibly predicted, over the past nine months the competition has exceeded all expectations and it is not over yet. After 22 rounds the time is right to look back and showcase some of the key highlights, individuals and moments that have contributed to such a fabulous season. Now I realise that the award format is an extremely popular one and others that have more knowledge and resources than myself will be publishing their own however I felt that I couldn't let the season pass by without posting the Out On The Full Awards, I simply wouldn't be fulfilling my rugby duty if I did that. The awards are not an exhaustive list, if they were then we would be here until the Double Header in September because so many individuals have made the headlines and have delivered moments that have captured our hearts however here are just a few. 

Rugby is filled with big characters and we often get the chance to know them a little better during their media duties, we all know that the self proclaimed Archbishop of Banterbury, James Haskell, has a lot to say for himself however this year he has been eclipsed by another; Mr Joe Marler. Undoubtedly Joe's greatest moments were during the RBS 6 Nations' O2 Inside Line programmes and I do suggest that you dig them out later however he also provided us with a corker or two in the Aviva Premiership. The one that made the headlines and rightly so was when he asked referee Andrew Small whether he was wearing his brightly coloured boots for a bet!! Naturally Joe’s humour translates into his Twitter feed (@JoeMarler), his profile picture is a close up of Jonny May wearing a rather fetching bandage around his nose during the France game and he loves a lookalike or two. On the other side of the world The Honey Badger leads the way when it comes to humour and personally I am gunning for a Honey Badger and Marler double act interview because that would be extremely entertaining... Joe Marler wins the Out On The Full Gift Of The Gab award! 

When it comes to the spoken word there are a group of individuals that we rely on week in week out to provide the back drop to our televised matches; the commentary teams and one man in particular leads the way when it comes to creative yet informative commentary and that is Nick Mullins. Last year Nick provided us with one of the best descriptions of a player that I have ever heard when he said that Tom James was ‘like a giraffe on steroids’ and he has kept up his high standards. “Leroy Houston has had to leave us because he has a problem” and “Steve Borthwick scoops it up like a JCB” were a couple of my personal favourites this year and with the Semi Finals and Final still to come I can't wait to hear him end the season in style. Nick's commentary is a superb blend of extreme attention to detail and knowledge with classic crackers like the above and I take my hat off to him. Premiership Rugby simply wouldn’t be the same without our Out On The Full Commentator of The Year Nick Mullins. 

The Out On The Full Must Try Harder Award has to be awarded to the 'support team' at Gloucester Rugby after the infamous post facade at Kingsholm in Round 10. How can any of us forget the moment when the inflatable ball broke the posts and the hilarity that followed?? The Gloucester faithful must be complimented for their quick thinking and chants of ‘You don’t know what you are doing’ were delivered whilst the tractor driving debacle unfolded. Although a delay in kick off was extremely frustrating for the players even they hide their amusement as the tractor was positioned, moved and eventually the post hammered back in place. On behalf of everyone that watched that game and I’d like to say thank you ever so much for the entertainment, and I do mean that sincerely as it was very funny to watch!!! 

Heading back onto the pitch as rugby becomes more physical than ever choosing the Out On The Full Hit Of The Season has become almost impossible, week in week out we witness players being smashed into next year and I count my lucky stars that I am not out there on the pitch however there is one hit that happened fairly recently that we all enjoyed!!! I’m 99% sure that you will already know the one that I mean, it was delivered by referee Wayne Barnes on Schalk Brits and it gets better and better every time you watch it due to Schalk’s stunning facial expressions. Schalk has been phenomenal this season, he does things that no-one else in his position even dares to attempt and on top of that he is a lovely man. Many others players would have been terribly disgruntled by all the stick that has been directed his way since that fateful tackle but Schalk has simply taken it in his stride and I’ve heard that he might even use it on his own highlights reel when he eventually retires!!! The Out On The Full Hit Of The Season is awarded to referee Wayne Barnes with a little help from the weight of his Ref Cam!

Another Saracen that has been making the headlines is Jacques Burger, he has been outstanding from Round 1 and I believe that he could have been nominated for the Aviva Premiership Player Of The Month every single month, however in the spirit of 'sharing the love’ he wasn't. Jacques' complete disregard for his own safety whilst tackling and the fact that he often leads with his face has meant that he has received more stitches in one season than I have in my lifetime and continues to attack every single game in exactly the same way regardless of whether he has recently had bits of him stitched back together. More recently we have learned about the amount of maintenance work that he has to put in off the field to be able to go out and play the game that he loves and personally I am tremendously grateful for his dedication as he enriches all of our rugby lives. The only fitting title for this award is the Out On The Full Commitment To The Cause Award.

Stitches central! @Nabasboer

The formal awards for the Aviva Premiership Player of the Season, Director of Rugby of the Season, Young Player Of The Season and many more will be handed out at the Aviva Premiership Awards on 15th May and Out On The Full will be there to bring you all of the action from the evening and the reactions of the award winners therefore I am not going to even touch those categories!!!

The above are a selection of memorable moments/individuals from a season that has been one of the closest and most dramatic of recent years. Every single club, whether it has been mentioned or not, has contributed to a stunning 8 months of Aviva Premiership Rugby, it has been a joy to watch and write about. There are just three games left of the 13/14 season so it is time to savour every single minute of action before the Aviva Premiership closes its doors for another year.