Saracens and Exeter set for a big showdown
Since Saracens picked up their form, their round 18 visit to Sandy Park has been highlighted as a pre-playoff eliminator. Bristol were also in contention for 5 after their 21-19 win over Bath on Friday night. However, Saracens and Exeter both then won and thus eliminated Bristol from contention. This leaves a two-horse race which will be won and lost on Saturday afternoon. Exeter needed to bounce back after their shock defeat to Harlequins and did so brilliantly to hand Leicester a rare home defeat. Saracens beat Harlequins, as was expected, and will provide a real test for the Chiefs. Saracens still possess an an unmatched level of experience in this moments so Rob Baxter and Henry Slade will have to quickly get the less experienced Chiefs onto the correct page.
Leicester and Bath on course to play twice in two weeks
As mentioned above, both of these teams lost at the weekend and so the prospect of a home semi-final is still realistic for both. Funnily enough, they are also both guaranteed to play each other regardless of who wins this fixture. Bath are two points ahead, so a draw will be enough, but they will be very disappointed to be in this position. There is also some concern over Bath's form with the club losing 4 of its last 5 games; the only win in those games was against Newcastle. Both sides will have to figure things out in time for next week in order to earn a home semi-final which would be a huge advantage in such a tight fixture.
The situation in Salford is becoming untenable
Away from the playoff race, Sale are going from bad to worse. The Sharks have now lost 3 in a row and gave up a 35-10 half-time lead to Newcastle on Saturday evening. The Sharks have made a bunch of high profile signings for next season but, if performances don't improve soon, how much confidence remains in Alex Sanderson's ability to get this team to where it wants to be?
Add comment
Comments