Round 16 of Prem Rugby had some ridiculous score-lines and some epic rugby. It also saw the playoff race become even tighter once again. Here are the scores from a memorable weekend of rugby:
Northampton Saints 94-33 Bristol Bears
Bath 69-12 Newcastle Red Bulls
Harlequins 41-12 Exeter Chiefs
Saracens 30-14 Gloucester
Sale Sharks 33-47 Leicester Tigers
Bears bow out with a whimper
There are two ways of looking at the events that took place on Friday night; one the one hand, it was an excellent attacking display from Northampton but, on the other, Bristol were embarrassingly awful. The first half, in particular, was a disaster. Conceding 60 points in one half can never be acceptable and it left the Bears with 40 minutes of pointless rugby to play in the knowledge that their playoff dreams were over once again.
Questions will now be asked of the hierarchy at the Bears. The team's CEO came under fire for comments that suggested he places more importance on a player's marketability than their ability as a rugby player. The Bears also still lose millions of pounds per season and have a small squad as a result. This leaves them particularly vulnerable to injuries which have plagued them once again this season. Bears fans will rightly question the ambition of this ownership group if changes aren't made. Pat Lam will also come under more scrutiny having failed to miss the playoffs once again. Conceding 90 points in a game only serves to further sour the opinions of fans towards him.
The bonus point system is becoming a farce
The other big takeaway from that game is how absurd the bonus point system in the Prem is. It beggars belief that Bristol could come away from that game with a point due to scoring 4 tries. Across the channel in the Top 14, the system used is very different; teams gain a bonus point by scoring 3 or more tries than their opposition. This rewards dominance rather than just scoring points. In previous years the argument in favour of the 4-try bonus point has been that it encourages scoring but that's not an issue in the Top 14. It is also increasingly irrelevant given how many points are now scored in the modern game. It has just been announced that the Champ is taking on this rule so hopefully the Prem follows very soon.
Saracens are closing in
Bristol are still technically in the race but they will face Bath last week, which is likely to formally end their bid. Saracens, who them last week, have now moved up to 5th with a win over Gloucester. They were also helped by their London Rivals Harlequins, who beat Exeter 41-12 at the Allianz Stadium. This leaves Saracens just 3 points behind the Chiefs and potentially sets up their round 18 encounter as a de facto Quarter-final. Harlequins will visit the StoneX in the next round so nothing is guaranteed for Saracens but it's also quite likely that Exeter lose to Leicester next weekend. This is now a shoot-out between two great rivals that might only reach its conclusion in the final seconds of the regular season.
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