Round 6 of the Aviva Premiership arrived in town with a lot of pressure heaped on a number of sides' shoulders. As we all know it was the final outing before the second European break and therefore it was the last chance for teams to cement or improve their table position. Without question the Exeter Chiefs' performance at the Ricoh Arena was the standout of the weekend, albeit marred by Henry Slade's injury, and elsewhere Gloucester and the Saints pushed their way to key victories.
The round opened on Friday night at Kingsholm where David Humprehys' side used every ounce of their home advantage to deliver a victory over the Sale Sharks. Arguably Sale played the better rugby with, Nev Edwards, Sam James and Josh Beaumont all catching the eye however they didn't take all of their opportunities. On the other hand Sione Kalamafoni grasped his start with both hands, a few eyebrows where raised when Ben Morgan was left out, however Kalamafoni was inspired and it was his two tries that changed the face of the game. For David Humprehys this match was all about the result while for the Sharks it will compound the frustration that they felt going into Round 6. Man Of The Moment: Gloucester Rugby’s Sione Kalamafoni. Full Time: Gloucester Rugby 23 Sale Sharks 19 
At The Stoop Harlequins maintained their six year home unbeaten record against London Irish thanks to three tries from Tim Visser and a captain's outing from Danny Care. The scrum-half will have certainly caught the eye of one, important member of the crowd, as he effervesced and led the home team with a smile on his face. Harlequins dominated the set piece and in all honesty every aspect of the match. Prior to kick off London Irish lost captain Matt Symons to illness and while they will have been pleased to have kept Quins try-less in the opening 30 minutes they didn't have the legs to stem the tide any longer. Alex Lewington stood out however it wasn't a day to remember with their head coach admitting 'there's not a lot we can take out of that... we were totally outclassed." Men of the Moment: Tim Visser & Danny Care. Full Time: Harlequins 38 London Irish 7 |
| Great day all around for Tigers' fans |
At Sixways the home crowd were left disappointed after such a promising and bright start to the match. The opening half was all about the Worcester Warriors with Dean Ryan's side winning the collisions and owning the territory battle. The result was a thoroughly deserved 17-0 lead however they then suffered at the hands of Wayne Barnes. Donncha O'Callaghan's second yellow meant that he saw red and then a card to Gareth Milasinovich left the Warriors with just 13 on the field. The Leicester Tigers capitalised, they were spurred by Tom Young's work in the loose and as they sharpened up their game the points arrived. Telusa Veainu continued to excel, his solo try, again highlighted what a great signing he is and then another card influenced the outcome. Matt Cox went to the bin, the Tigers gained the penalty try, and the final dagger blow was Lachlan McCaffrey’s score. The final result equalled Leicester’s largest ever come back in their 135 year history and broke Worcester supporters’ hearts. Man of the Moment: Tom Youngs. Full Time Worcester Warriors 29 Leicester Tigers 20
Bath Rugby hosted the Northampton Saints at the Recreation Ground and it was a game that neither side could afford to lose. The story of this match was the scrummage, referee Craig Maxwell Keys took exception to Bath Rugby’s output and as a result that provided Northampton Saints the platform to gain points from. It infuriated the home crowd, and Mike Ford, and ultimately proved to be the difference. Bath’s precision still isn’t there, their errors were infectious and George Ford had a sticky day at the office. The Saints pack inspired their side, for in all honesty they didn't fire too many big shots in attack however Ben Forden looked sprightly from full back and JJ Hanrahan made the ten jersey his own. Man Of The Moment: Kieran Brookes. Full Time: Bath Rugby 11 Northampton Saints 13
The Ricoh Arena witnessed 68 points in and 9 tries in total. The Exeter Chiefs found a Wasps’ weakness early and boy did they exploit it to great effect. The Chiefs’ driving maul was fruitful and tremendously powerful delivering the side with the bonus point after just 34 minutes. Frank Halai’s score just before the half-time whistle was absolutely critical for Wasps to feel that they had any chance of pushing back and Ashley Johnson bulldozing over shortly after the break gave the game a different perspective. That said you had the sense that this was a game that the Chiefs simply weren’t going to lose. Instead it was another very large statement that Rob Baxter and his side mean Premiership business. Thomas Waldrom’s hat-trick was inspired however the cloud over the fixture was the horrendous leg injury to Henry Slade. Henry has such a bright future ahead of him and we wish him all the speediest of recoveries. Man Of The Moment: Exeter’s pack. Full Time: Wasps 27 Exeter Chiefs 41
Bath Rugby hosted the Northampton Saints at the Recreation Ground and it was a game that neither side could afford to lose. The story of this match was the scrummage, referee Craig Maxwell Keys took exception to Bath Rugby’s output and as a result that provided Northampton Saints the platform to gain points from. It infuriated the home crowd, and Mike Ford, and ultimately proved to be the difference. Bath’s precision still isn’t there, their errors were infectious and George Ford had a sticky day at the office. The Saints pack inspired their side, for in all honesty they didn't fire too many big shots in attack however Ben Forden looked sprightly from full back and JJ Hanrahan made the ten jersey his own. Man Of The Moment: Kieran Brookes. Full Time: Bath Rugby 11 Northampton Saints 13 
The Ricoh Arena witnessed 68 points in and 9 tries in total. The Exeter Chiefs found a Wasps’ weakness early and boy did they exploit it to great effect. The Chiefs’ driving maul was fruitful and tremendously powerful delivering the side with the bonus point after just 34 minutes. Frank Halai’s score just before the half-time whistle was absolutely critical for Wasps to feel that they had any chance of pushing back and Ashley Johnson bulldozing over shortly after the break gave the game a different perspective. That said you had the sense that this was a game that the Chiefs simply weren’t going to lose. Instead it was another very large statement that Rob Baxter and his side mean Premiership business. Thomas Waldrom’s hat-trick was inspired however the cloud over the fixture was the horrendous leg injury to Henry Slade. Henry has such a bright future ahead of him and we wish him all the speediest of recoveries. Man Of The Moment: Exeter’s pack. Full Time: Wasps 27 Exeter Chiefs 41 |
| @Saracens |
Kingston Park hosted the final game of the weekend between Saracens and the Newcastle Falcons. The opening half was dominated by kick tennis and points from the tee, in all honestly it wasn't the type of rugby that we all wanted to see given the calm conditions and players on the artificial surface however such is life. Charlie Hodgson was accurate off the boots and Saracens were pragmatic and in control. After the break it didn't improve drastically, Newcastle put together more phases however Saracens cracked it up in the dying minutes following Nick Tompkin's try and Charlie Hodgson's interception. Billy Vunipola snatched the bonus point try with the time in red and Saracens continue into the European break unbeaten, it may not be beautiful but at the minute it is highly effective. Man Of The Moment: Charlie Hodgson. Full Time: Newcastle Falcons 3 Saracens 38
