Brutal and Extremely Emotional - Aviva Premiership Round 22 Review

There you have it, the regular season is over, *insert a large sigh or even a little sob here, it has been a dramatic season of rugby and Round 22 was the icing on the cake. So let's dive into a full review of the action; 

At 3.15pm The Stoop and Harlequins braced themselves for the most emotional game of the

season, as Bath Rugby arrived in town for their head to head, winner takes all, playoff shoot out. With so much on the line it was always going to be physical but my goodness me it was difficult to watch at times, even the players on the benches were wincing at some of the hits. The first blood, went to Eusebio Guinazu and Bath’s hooker crisis was tested however Tom Dunn stood up well to the task at hand. O'Shea's men were brutal and unsurprisingly George Ford received a huge amount of ‘special attention’ as they ran at him time and time again however he is a tough young man and relentlessly took the hits. It was George's stunning piece of brilliance that gave Bath their try and whilst they made multiple line breaks they didn't finish them all and it was their lack of clinical precision that cost them the game. Harlequins’ big game players delivered as we all knew that they would; Chris Robshaw, Nick Easter, Mike Brown, Danny Care and Nick Evans all were electric and I think that young Dave Ward booked his seat on the plane to New Zealand. Bath’s pack stood up as they have done all season however Harlequins simply had 1% more than their visitors; Bath were courageous and they gave it absolutely everything that they had however in the end it wasn't enough and Quins' stunning resurgence continues. Final Score Harlequins 19 Bath 16

Image Claire Jones

Northampton needed just one point to book their home Semi Final and they achieved that within 38 minutes. London Wasps raced to a 13 - 0 start thanks to tries from Charlie Davies and Tom Varndell however after that they didn't score again in the match and Northampton Saints ran in 11 tries! It was the largest win of the season and for London Wasps it was a nightmare; Dai Youngs said that the performance was 'pretty embarrassing' and it was certainly a huge comedown from the high of qualifying for Europe last weekend. Northampton had a ball, they relaxed and opened up to devastating effect; captain Phil Dowson scored two, as did Lee Dickson and George North stretched his oh so powerful legs. Alex Corbisiero enjoyed a good half an hour of rugby and it was great to see him back on the pitch again after such a long spell  out. Saints' record breaking win sets them up for their outrageously exciting Semi Final against the Tigers whilst Wasps must regroup quickly to host Stade Francais at home. Final Score Northampton Saints 74 Wasps 13

Talking about Leicester they welcomed a 'young' Saracens side to Welford Road, on paper it was supposed to be a walk in the park for Cockers’ men however in practice it was a little more challenging. Toby Flood’s pinpoint kicking was fitting of his final home match at Welford Road whilst the emergence of Tom Croft from the bench with 10 minutes to go made the whole country smile and not just those at Welford Road. Saracens’ strong performance was jaded by a red card (just after half time) to German International Justin Meck as it was thought that he had eye gouged another player, Saracens are working hard to have this decision overturned as soon as possible as it is believed to have been a terrible mistake on the part of the officials. Young Maro Itoje (England U20 Flanker) enjoyed his first ever Premiership start, Ben Spencer ignited proceedings from scrum half and overall it was a competitive affair and more thrilling than it should have been in the circumstances. Leicester finished the day unscathed and now they will travel to Franklin’s Gardens for a repeat of last year’s Aviva Premiership Final. Saracens head home to Allianz Park where most of this squad will not feature heavily in their Semi Final  against Quins however they all will be richer for their Welford Road experience. Final Score Leicester 31 Saracens 27

Worcester ended their Premiership campaign at Sixways and gave their extremely loyal fans something to smile about recording a 28 - 27 win over Gloucester. Dean Ryan's men showed tenacity and character to overcome a slightly depleted Gloucester side and finished their Premiership season with a smile. It was a day to remember for two reasons for Freddie Burns, firstly it was his final game for the Cherry and Whites and secondly due to the fact that he ran out with his younger brother Billy for the first time. Sticking with the visitors in attack they opened up, Jonny May reminded us all why he is considered to be a 'special talent' and Shane Monahan added to his try count. Gloucester's game summed up their season as they gave away some silly penalities and stupid errors... the famous d word, discipline, cost them yet again. Worcester's resurgence came too late however hats off to their backbone Jonathan Thomas and Chris Pennell for leading the side with dignity and charisma throughout this match and the season. The Championship awaits for the Warriors and we all wish them extremely well whilst for Gloucester it is holiday time!! Final Score Worcester 28 Gloucester 27 

London Irish's last game of the season was at the Madjeski against the Sale Sharks. The home side's recent Aviva Premiership form has been less than ideal having lost 7 of their last 8 fixtures and they targeted this match to finish with a bang. For the Sharks it was a 'nothing game' they had 80 minutes to enjoy before the off-season and by their own admission they struggled to get motivated for the match. Two of Irish's departing Exiles signed off in style; Marland Yarde crossed with a trademark blistering run whilst James O'Connor's boot added valuable points to their tally. Andrew Fenby continued his stunning form with two tries and that was that. If this match had been played during the middle of the season Steve Diamond would certainly have had something to say to his men who 'threw away' a 17-7 lead instead he is more concerned that they won't have any buses close by for their end of season party, I promise that wasn't made up he was quoted saying that!! As a team the Sharks have been extremely impressive and now the focus shifts to one Shark in particular to see if he will be on the plane to NZ. Good Luck Mr Cipriani!  Final Score London Irish 22 Sale Sharks 20

The final match of the weekend was between the Newcastle Falcons and the Exeter Chiefs up at Kingston Park or as many would call it a ‘dead rubber’ match, however for 20 year old Luke Cowan-Dickie it was one of the biggest match's of his career as Stuart Lancaster was sat in the stands just to watch him. England’s hooker crisis is well documented and indeed a problem however Luke passed his audition with flying colours, he scored a try and worked tirelessly for 64 minutes, his performance shouted; “Hello Mr Lancaster I’m your man, I want to help you out!!” Switching the focus to the Newcastle Falcons they went into the match with a fifteen match winless run and sadly they didn't break that however in parts they played some good rugby. I keep banging on about him however young Joel Hodgson turned heads once again and commanded the game... after another off season of gym work expect him to return to the Premiership bigger and stronger again. The Chiefs successfully released a lot of their frustration after their topsy turvy season and Henry Slade reminded us all of his credentials for now and the future. Exeter will aim for a touch more consistency next year whilst Dean Richards has already said that he will change his side’s game plan completely and utilise his new signings (notably the two Tuilagi brothers) to great effect in the 2014/15 season. Final Score Newcastle Falcons 13 Exeter Chiefs 23

So that is that... after 22 rounds of rugby we have our four Aviva Premiership Semi Finalists and now I suggest that you fasten your seat belts because from hereon-in it is going to be a bumpy ride through to the Final on 31st May.  

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