The playoff race has been turned upside down
Going into this round of games, Leicester and Exeter had a comfortable lead over Bristol and Saracens for the final playoff spots. After last weekend, Bristol are in the top 4 and Saracens have taken a leap closer to Leicester after beating the Tigers at home. The next round of games will see Leicester visit Northampton, Exeter visit Bath and Saracens and Bristol playing each other. There is a very realistic scenario in which Saracens emerge from that round as the only victor amongst the 4 teams and find themselves just a couple of points outside the playoff places.
Saracens are still way behind the other three teams but they have the motivation and the know-how to win big games and make a push for the final game of the season. Their trip to Exeter on the final day of the season looks set to be a blockbuster. Bristol beat Newcastle comfortably but suffered several more injuries whilst Leicester will have to start looking down rather than up. It's almost impossible to call how this regular season will end.
Things are only getting worse in West London
A long way away from the playoff spots, we find Harlequins. One of the most iconic brands in the world of rugby has been on the decline since winning its surprise title in 2021 and things don't seem to be getting better. The club found itself on the wrong end of a heavy defeat once again this week against a Sale team that is hardly in a good place itself. Even former stars like Joe Marler have had enough with the former prop calling for those at the top to walk away. That's not going to happen and it's hard to see how things will get better anytime soon.
This problem is crystalised when you look at how the 3 other stragglers are set up for next season. Sale have made several big signings like: Courtney Lawes, Nicky Smith, Joe Marchant and others. Gloucester have brought in Kris Boyd to give their staff a new structure and have signed: Dewi Lake, Dan Robson, Jac Morgan and more. Newcastle are going through a massive revamp with a whole host of new players, but the headline siginings are: Hoskins Sotutu and Franco Molina. Harlequins have signed James Dun, who is a useful addition, and have probably spent a fair chunk on George Furbank despite already having plenty of back-row depth. Harlequins are in serious danger of being the league's worst team next season without some big changes in the summer
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