Premiership Rugby Reflections

…and then there were four!

After 22 rounds and 725 tries over our Aviva Premiership semi-finals are set and what a duo we have on the way in two weeks time. Tickets are already selling like hot cakes for the derby at the Ricoh Arena and it goes without saying that Sandy Park will be a sell-out for the arrival of Saracens on May 20. 

As we all expected it was a corker of a final round and while the delay at the Ricoh Area was unfortunate and took a little bit off the drama, safety is paramount. Personally I'm of the view that I don’t think it impacted the way that Wasps that approached the end of match. Whether they knew about the impact that a bonus-point would have or not they are an ambitious attacking team and would have pushed for it regardless. It was a strong performance from a Wasps side that have had a few bumps since that dismantling at the Aviva Stadium and one that was required ahead of knockout rugby arriving again. I don't know about you but I felt a sense of them getting their mojo back slightly and as I say that will be critical when it comes to meeting Leicester in their semi-final. 

Elsewhere the victory at Franklins Gardens’ was a strange one for both sides as Harlequins took away the main prize of Champions Cup rugby. It now leaves the Saints hoping for a Cherry and White slip-up in the Challenge Cup final so that they have a potential route into the top-flight European competition. An odd dynamic for them to deal with on the day and now being slightly in limbo while Harlequins are heading into the off season with a smile on their face. 

At the AJ Bell Stadium Bath left it too late to take the victory over Sale which will perturb them. However unlike Northampton they do have Champions Cup rugby to look forward to next season and that is vital for a club with their ambitions and calibre of payers. As Todd Blackadder’s side move into their summer break I’m sure that there will be a few lingering ifs and buts about the season just gone. A play-off place and nothing less will be their aim next season and the route to achieving it will be enhancing their consistency. 

2016 Final flashback

Saracens’ decision to rest the core of their internationals turned a few people’s heads but in my book it was absolutely the right call from Mark McCall and showed what an astute Director of Rugby he is. The title holders know how to win a semi-final away from home and with a Champions Cup final around the corner it isn’t possible to go full strength week in, week out. The loss to Wasps won’t impact them one jot and they remain firmly on course for the double, double.

Exeter Chiefs haven’t lost a game in the Premiership competition since October and coming from behind against Gloucester showed the type of character that they’ll need for the repeat of last season’s final at Sandy Park. Rob Baxter has already said that training next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be a ‘bit spicy’ because players will want to lay down some markers to secure their place in the squad and that healthy competition should take them up another gear. That fixture in Devon is going to be a fascinating semi-final and it will be interesting to see the Chiefs' approach because we'll see just how much they've learned and grown since this time last year. 

The strength of the Leicester Tigers’ squad is great and they have use every ounce of their experience and character to push themselves into the play-off mix for the 13th season in succession. Teams with less experience and gumption would have crumbled with the upheaval that has occurred over the last nine months and yet come Round 22 they had their fate in their own hands and delivered. 

Following the round we all were made aware of the tragic news about Tom Youngs’ wife Tiffany and we all send our heartfelt thoughts to the Youngs family. My hope is that the outpouring of wishes and love from the rugby community will offer some support to them during this unimaginably difficult time. 

Looking at the rest of the table I believe that a point to take note of is the foundation that the Newcastle Falcons have set this season. The Falcons finished with their highest league finish in 11 years and did so through attacking their rugby with purpose. The five try-bonus points - while not a huge number in comparison to others - indicates that they’re here to play rugby. I remember a season when they were struggling to score even a handful of tries over an extended period of time and that era is long gone. The introduction of the likes of Maxime Mermoz and DTH van der Merwe will only add to that and a solid pre-season could see them continue on with intent in the 2017/18 season. 

Of course I haven’t been through every single Premiership side in this reflections article however they will be a series of Out On The Full reviews en route following the European finals. In these reviews I’ll be looking at each team’s season in a little more detail as well as running the rule over their key signings for next season. For now I’ll leave you with a few key Premiership Rugby stats and facts. 

• Alex Waller has now been named in Northampton Saints squad for 151 successive Premiership Rugby matches. He's actually played in the last 140.
• Denny Solomona broke Nnamdi Ezulike's Premiership Rugby record by scoring a try in each of his first five appearances in the competition.
•  At the age of 18y 137d Sale Sharks’ Tom Curry became just the third youngest to score a try on his Premiership Rugby debut, at Bristol
• Thomas Waldrom became just the 18th player & only the second forward to clock up 50 Premiership Rugby tries. Only Neil Back was older to the mark