Harlequins stay solid
Friday's trip to Newcastle was a potential banana skin for Harlequins in a game they needed to win. They did just that. It was a messy first half with the score tight at half time but Quins made their quality count in the second half. This is another game at Kingston Park in which the home team's lack of depth came back to bite them. Harlequins stay in the playoff race and Newcastle stay rooted to the bottom of the table.
Gloucester march on
Gloucester continue to go from strength to strength this season and remain firmly in the hunt for a spot in the top four. Tomos Williams once again showed himself to be the signing of the season in the Premiership so far. His dazzling performance included a chip-and-chase which he scored himself as he dominated the game. Sale will hope to have George Ford available for most of the rest of the season; he was sorely missed on Saturday.
Tigers edge out Chiefs
When Leicester took an early two-try lead at Welford Road many Chiefs fans would have been fearing a repeat of previous visits to Leicester. However, Exeter fought back and got themselves back into the game. They were within striking distance in the final quarter but couldn't make the pressure count. What really highlighted the difference between the two teams was who cam off the bench. Exeter are an inexperienced side compared to most teams but that difference was particularly stark when Leicester brought on England cernturions, Dan Cole and Ben Youngs. The two Leicester stalwarts have found themselves on the bench a lot this season but have still made big impacts. Last week, it was Dan Cole who emerged from the bench to score a last minute try and draw the game against Harlequins at Twickenham (or should I say the Allianz Stadium). This week Ben Youngs used his experience and accrued nouse to sneak over the line with a pick-and-go from a few metres out. Whilst clearly not as fast as he once was, Youngs is still making invaluable contributions to this team.
Saracens stabilise
This was an important game for Saracens, having been embarrassed last week against Bath. The players did what you would expect from those in a Saracens kit and responded emphatically. Tom Willis was the best player on the pitch by a mile, he is surely in Steve Borthwick's mind for a place in the Six Nations squad later this month. Elsewhere, Reece Burke had his best game in a Saracens shirt up against Worsley who struggled again this weekend. there were signs of promise for Bristol when Harry Byrne came on and lead the team to a more competitive score-line but couldn't quite rescue a losing bonus point.
Saints win classic to keep season alive
This was arguably the game of the season. Northampton needed to win and did so in dramatic fashion with the final kick of the game by Fin Smith. Northampton came out firing before Bath worked their way back into the game and lead with just a few minutes remaining after a controversial Alex Mitchell sin bin for catching Ollie Lawrence in the face whose delayed reaction was booed by home supporters. Northampton were then struggling to make a breakthrough on the edge of Bath's 22 before Sam Underhill gave away the decisive penalty which was converted to keep the Saints' season alive.
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