Premiership rugby: Five things as barmy weekend comes to close
Round three of the Premiership saw monstrous comebacks, outstanding clashes and what could be the last ever match for one particular club. The league is in full swing and you cannot take your eyes off of it. Here are five talking points from the weekend’s action.
Sunday Funday
Exeter’s 43-42 win against Harlequins perfectly rounded off a barmy weekend of rugby. Having been 31-7 up, Exeter managed to lose the lead before scoring the winning try deep into the red.
It was a superb advert for the Premiership and showed how high the quality of play can be when nearly all of the best players are available to represent their teams.
Quins No10 Marcus Smith was sublime yet again and all eyes will this morning be on Eddie Jones’s training camp squad, where there could be a couple of surprises.
With attendances seemingly on the slide, this was just the sort of match that could help reverse that concerning trend.
Worcester wave off
It could be the last Premiership game at Sixways for a number of weeks, with Worcester Warriors expected to miss their Monday deadline to avoid suspension from the league, but what a swansong it may prove to be.
Their 39-5 win over Newcastle gave the fans something to cheer about at a time when the future of the club is uncertain.
The club must prove by 5pm this evening that they have the funds to function for the rest of the season – something many believe is unlikely – but the heart shown on Saturday, if anything, could be the fuel to get the club through the next few months.
Same old Gloucester
It’s almost a long-standing unofficial tradition for Gloucester to blow an unblowable lead and capitulate at least once in a season, and that happened yesterday in their 41-39 loss to Saracens in north London.
The away side weren’t too fancied going into the match against the favourites to lift the title this year but found themselves 12 points up with minutes to go, only for the brilliant Saracens unit to find their way over the whitewash twice and nick it with the last kick of the game.
Last year’s losing finalists didn’t look great but they had periods of being unplayable, and that’s something Gloucester themselves will look to develop into their game in the coming months.
Tiger feat
It was the defending champions Leicester Tigers who came out on top in the 250th East Midlands derby with a storming 21-41 win over Northampton Saints.
The home side got off to a flyer but the Tigers soon found their groove and ran away with it. Questions were raised about refereeing across the matches this weekend but no more so than in this contest – Tigers somehow gave away just two penalties all game.
Saints still look like an outfit who can challenge for the top four but in their new set-up under Phil Dowson they’ve got to find their stride, and quickly.
Wasps stung
Wasps managed to pick up their first win of the season on Friday as they downed Bath 39-31 at the Rec. But once again they blew a huge first-half lead.
After their 21-point lead was scuppered against Gloucester in round one, Wasps nearly lost a 31-7 half-time advantage in round three.
It could speak to their fitness, but more so their seemingly preemptive changes. Wasps have looked in recent weeks to bring on replacements no matter the game situation, and it seems this policy – rather than playing the game in front of them – has hit them a little bit.
But they’re up and running now and unless the club goes into administration soon, they now have something to build on. As for Bath, it’s going to be a long few weeks until they start hitting their stride.