Newcastle fall short against strong Chiefs team
Newcastle Red Bulls 14-38 Exeter Chiefs
On a weekend in which 3 games were played at large grounds, Newcastle opted for more familiar surroundings for their match against the Exeter Chiefs. It didn't work. This game was never that close. Exeter got themselves an early lead of 24-0 after 25 minutes and Newcastle never really hit back. The second half was closer; the only 2 tries came from Exeter in the 41st minute and Newcastle in the 79th minute. The second half will give some comfort to the Red Bulls but they would've expected more from this fixture.
Exeter were missing a few key men but you couldn't tell due to the performances of those who replaced them. Their backs were phenomenal and the likes of Slade, Ikitau and Feyi-Waboso are all going to be added back to the line-up. Paul Brown-Bampoe and Campbell Ridl were both exceptional and have helped to set up Exeter as the challengers to Bath and Northampton at the top of the table.
Gloucester knocked out after 15 minutes
Gloucester 17-36 Leicester Tigers
A half-empty Villa Park was home to the latest edition of the Slater Cup in which Leicester and Gloucester go against each other on an occasion that helps to raise awareness about, and celebrate those who live with, motor neurone disease. It was eventful day even before kickoff. There were various noble money-raising efforts made and tributes paid to Ed Slater and Lewis Moody.
That was followed by the viral incident between Geoff Parling and a couple of TNT Sports presents. During an uncleared live segment, a new addition to the TNT crew took a kick at the posts, under which the Leicester Tigers players were warming up. No one was hit by the ball but that didn't stop Parling, the Leicester head coach, marching over to the presenters then shoving one, swearing and telling them to get off the pitch. It was taken well and there appears to have been minimal fall-out with apologies made on both sides, but it will live long in the memory of Tigers fans, who seemed to enjoy what Parling did.
When the actual game started, Leicester were out of the gates quickly. Ben Redshaw, the Gloucester fullback, had a nightmarish start to the game. He missed two tackles that led directly to tries and made a poor clearance that allowed Leicester to score very easily from the ensuing counter-attack. Gloucester managed to dig in well, and almost got themselves back into the game, before Harry Wells put the game to bed in the 77th minute. Leicester will have been disappointed that they let Gloucester back into the game whilst the "home" team will be left wondering how they could start so slowly.
Worst loss of the season
Bristol Bears 14-18 Harlequins
Bristol returned to the Principality Stadium where they beat Bath last year. This time, they were not so successful. Their opponent on Saturday was a beaten-up Harlequins team that has been out of the playoff race since last year. The Bears were also bolstered by their international stars returning and looked set to put their under-performing visitors to the sword. Instead, they struggled to even string more than 2 passes together and mostly failed to break down an otherwise leaky Harlequins defence.
Harlequins will be happy to have some momentum going into their Champions Cup clash against Sale whilst Bristol will have to regroup before their trip to Toulouse. If they play like this next weekend, they will get crushed by the French Giants.
More home heartbreak at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Saracens 17-21 Northampton Saints
This was the best game of the weekend. A sold-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was the perfect venue for this tight encounter. Saracens were vastly improved from their battering in the West Country but it wasn't quite enough against the league-leaders. Archie McParland stood out at scrum-half for the Saints, bookending the scoring with tries in the 12th and 78th minute. Henry Pollock also impressed in the week that he signed for Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Talent Agency.
This result leaves Saracens 12 points behind Exeter in 4th with just 6 rounds left of the season, Their main concern will be the recent performances of Owen Farrell. He is obviously an England and Saracens all-time-great, but he is struggling to pull the strings in North London right now. The Saints are marching on whilst Saracens are just clinging on in Mark McCall's final season at the helm.
Sale fall short once again
Sale Sharks 26-31 Bath
Sale are currently leading the race between the bottom four who are all vying for those final Champions Cup spots, knowing that the playoffs are beyond them. They did manage to secure two bonus points, but losing to what was essentially Bath's second team is another sign of how far this team has fallen. Bath will be delighted that they managed to walk away with all 5 points given their team whilst Sale will just want their league season to be over. Both teams are facing familiar opponents in the Champions Cup next weekend; Bath will face Saracens whilst Sale will travel to South-West London to face Harlequins.
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