Aviva Premiership Round 20 - Review

Heading into Round 20 I said that this was the weekend that would go a long way to deciding the make up of this season's Premiership table and as a result we witnessed some intense and enthralling matches. From the predictable to the unpredictable the round had it all, so let's take a look at the ins and outs of Round 20. 

At Kingsholm Gloucester put in a performance to be proud of against Exeter Chiefs. David Humphreys side held their composure and nerve to deny their opponents any points and to prevent them securing a play-off spot after Round 20. 0-0 after forty minutes wasn’t the best way to start the Premiership weekend but a potent period after the break helped us forget a fairly uneventful opening. Ollie Thorley’s try was the only one of the match as he capitalised on a great offload from Tom Savage and from there on Gloucester stayed composed. Jack Nowell’s yellow card, that in my opinion shouldn't have been given, made life difficult for the Chiefs and they found themselves unable to reach the heights of their European encounter just 6 days prior. The result sets up a tasty rematch against Wasps after the European weekend with both sides looking to secure second place while Gloucester keep their Top 6 hopes alive for another week. Full Time Gloucester Rugby 16-9 Exeter Chiefs

Sixways witnessed a remarkable match with more points scored than minutes played and no less than 14 tries being put on the board. Of course the man of the moment was Christian Wade who notched up a staggering 6 tries on his 100th appearance for the club, equalling the Premiership record for individual tries scord in a single game. Wade was in the zone and ran riot and his performance caused Dai Young to openly ask Eddie Jones to have another look at the winger. Neither side put their best defensive foot forwards, uncharacteristic for Wasps, and that's something that they'll need to fix ahead of their European semi-final. After the full time whistle Dean Ryan wasn’t the happiest man, he blasted his side for their ‘totally unacceptable first-half' saying that they didn’t want to be ‘involved in any end-of-season jamboree’. Needless to say I expect that there will be a little more training done than time off over the next two weeks before they head to Welford Road on May 30th. Full Time Worcester Warriors 35-54 Wasps

88,000 people packed into the home of football to watch Saracens facing Harlequins. Conor O’Shea’s side knew that if they lost it would put an end to their play-off ambitions and while their opponents didn’t blast them off the pitch Saracens did perform their trademark strangulation technique. Two tries from an in-form Chris Ashton and another from George Kruis put the league leaders in control with all of Harlequins' points coming from the boot of Ben Botica. As expected individuals stood up on pristine turf, none more so than Alex Goode, who continues to remind us all how much he has to offer. In Mark McCall’s words Saracens were ‘a little bit below the standards that we would expect’ but they finished the job and will take their game to another level for this weekend's European semi-final. Full Time Saracens 22-12 Harlequins

At Franklin’s Gardens play-off rugby was on the line and it was the Leicester Tigers that finished the 80 minutes with their noses in front in spite of Saints' late charge. As always it was a tempestuous match with plenty of physicality and some great scores but for once no cards. Without question Harry Thacker try was the pick of the bunch, the hooker is a tremendous athlete and one that has to be on Eddie Jones' radar. For the home side Harry Mallinder came on early and really got stuck into the derby fixture and his development has been a huge positive for the side this season. Freddie Burns notched up another 20-points in Leicester's 10 jersey and continued to pull the strings with supreme confidence. For a Northampton side that was shawn of so many of their key players their performance was gutsy and full of character, but slight errors cost them the match. Full Time Northampton Saints 24-30 Leicester Tigers

Bath Rugby travelled to the AJ Bell Stadium to face the Sale Sharks and Steve Diamond's side gave their Top 6 hopes a significant boost with the victory. The home side enjoyed a positive opening before Bath wrestled their way back into the match and with the scores level at 17-17 heading into the final quarter the stage was set for a big finish. Danny Cipriani and George Ford both missed kicks that each should have slotted in their sleep and when Dom Day was sin binned for collapsing a maul Sale took advantage and David Seymour darted over. Mark Easter's final try put a little gloss on the afternoon for the home side and it exploited the fact that Bath only had 13 men on the field. Kyle Eastmond had been stretchered off after a nasty blow to the head and the visitors weren't able to replace him because it wasn't a HIA and they'd used all of their replacements. Sale attacked the match in the same manner that they've done the season, quietly and confidently, and their five-points are significant ones. Full Time Sale Sharks 39-17 Bath Rugby

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The final game of the weekend was the big one, the relegation decider and it was a tense and strained as we all expected it to be. It wasn't ever going to be beautiful or a vintage classic instead it was match of missed Irish opportunities and stoic Newcastle defence. Marcus Watson’s try was the decider, the former sevens man showed his pace off a dropped Irish ball and then the Falcons let their defence do the rest. As the match continued it was clear that Irish didn't have the answers to unlock Falcons defensive wall. The best opportunity was down the left-hand wing and only Aseli Tikoirotuma will know why he didn’t back his pace and drive for the line. Even though mathematically Irish can still stay up you sense that this is it for Tom Coventry's side and a season in the Championship beckons. Full Time Newcastle Falcons 13-6 London Irish