Round 14 of Prem Rugby brought four thrashings and one excellent game of rugby. Here are the headlines from the weekend's game.

SCORES

Bristol Bears 53-12 Gloucester

Leicester Tigers 62-3 Newcastle Red Bulls

Exeter Chiefs 28-35 Northampton Saints

Bath 48-15 Halequins

Sale Sharks 19-85 Saracens

The split is huge

It was obvious already, but this weekend proved beyond doubt that this league is now split into a group of 6 teams with ambitions this season and 4 teams that are already planning for next season. It kicked off on Friday night when Bristol beat Gloucester 53-12. This was followed by Leicester beating Newcastle 62-3 and Bath beating Harlequins 48-15. These results happened for a variety of reasons but they do highlight the competitive inequality currently present within this league.

2 places will be fought for between 4 teams

The results also made a big difference as to who will make the playoffs come the end of the season. Leicester, Bath and Bristol all recorded dominant wins over inferior opposition whilst Northampton had the best weekend after beating Exeter away at Sandy Park. This keeps Bath and Northampton as the strong top-2 they've been for basically the whole season and leaves Bristol, Saracens, Leicester and Exeter fighting for the two remaining spots. The Tigers and Chiefs are currently in those spots with a decent buffer, but Saracens and Bristol showed this weekend that they are back in some great form.

The vibes are terrible in Salford

Of the 4 teams cut adrift from the playoff spots, it's Sale who seem to have the unhappiest fanbase. Losing 85-19 at home obviously doesn't help, but there has been plenty of negativity surrounding this team for a while. Each of 4 teams are without hope for this season and each have made some splashy signings for next year, including Sale, so what's different about the Sharks?

Harlequins have announced Jason Gilmore as their new head coach. Yes he's been there all season already, but giving him the reins properly gives the team a fresh start with a (hopefully) much healthier playing squad. Newcastle have been making back-room changes throughout the season whilst announcing a slew of exciting new signings for next season. Gloucester have brought in Kris Boyd, who is highly regarded for his work at Northampton, to help rebuild the club. These are all big changes that have given teams the feeling that a fresh start is on the horizon. Sale have made some big signings but the leadership remains unchanged and Sanderson looks to be struggling. He has stayed resolute in his belief that he is capable of motivating his side but, after coming so close for several consecutive years, is now the time for a refresh in Salford? Plenty of fans seem to think so.