Final round headlines

Nothing changed

Going into this round, I predicted that every team with something on the line would win - I was correct. Unfortunately for neutrals, these results were predictable and led to minimal drama over the 80-minutes. Sale came close to throwing away their playoff spot against Exeter but ultimately managed to come through due to an errant pass by Stu Townsend who ended his Exeter career in an unceremonious fashion. Bath were already guaranteed top spot so they fielded a weakened team which then lost to Saracens. Leicester were never in any real jeopardy against Newcastle so 2nd place wasn't really in contention. Bristol were able to comfortably beat Harlequins after an end-to-end first hour. As I said, Sale came close to dropping out but Gloucester and Saracens left themselves too much to do on the final day.

Some big goodbyes

This final round saw many big names play their final games for their clubs and many others make their final regular season appearance. An atmosphere of thanks was most present at Leicester where Dan Cole and Ben Youngs made what one would have to assume were their final starts of their careers before departing the pitch together shortly after half-time. They will, however, likely make one more appearance at home in their semi-final against Sale. Mike Brown came off the bench and may not feature in playoff games so this may have been the final action of the fullback's incredible career. Elsewhere, Carreras said goodbye to Gloucester and Halfpenny made his final appearance for Harlequins. In north London. Alex Goode waved goodbye to Saracens after a stellar, devoted career.  There were many others who have been pillars of the sport for years and who will be greatly missed. 

Saracens miss out

There were many questions looming over Saracens going into this season due to the departures of multiple senior pros and Saracens seemed to be back on track. However, the lack of experience and injuries combined to put them outside of the playoffs with some work to be done for next season. There are already strong rumours of a return for Owen Farrell after his rough stint in Paris.