Gallagher Premiership: Five Talking Points from Rounds 16 and 17
Harlequins celebrate a try in their 30-17 win over Northampton Saints - but what is going wrong with Saints?
Credit: Steve Bardens/Getty Images
The Gallagher Premiership continues apace following its resumption, with four rounds now in the books in just over two weeks.
Selection headaches, rotation decisions and young blood stepping up have already become dominant themes as all twelve teams navigate a hectic schedule and any remaining rustiness.
Exeter have had the best of the early rounds and extended their lead at the top of the table to 14 points after knocking over nearest challengers Bristol and Sale in Rounds 15 and 16.
The race for the top four has taken off in style as the Bears and Sharks inconsistencies have been exposed by the dramatic turnaround in fortunes at Wasps.
Meanwhile, the existing challengers Bath and Northampton Saints continue to shoot longing glances at the playoffs.
Saracens continue to prepare for their European odyssey in two weeks’ time, despite their fate sealed, and the bottom few in the table tussle to establish some confidence going into next season.
Here are some of the big talking points after Round 17.
Has Saints’ halo fallen off?
Marcus Smith was dominant as Quins overcame Northampton Saints
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The early rounds of the season saw Northampton Saints emerge as one of the teams that could genuinely challenge the top two in the 2019/20 Premiership.
With Dan Biggar and Rory Hutchinson picking teams apart with apparent ease, Alex Mitchell showing he has the chops to replace the departed Cobus Reinach and the rampaging Taqele Naiyaravoro the icing on the cherry out wide, the Saints produced some sparkling attacking rugby to really announce themselves as Premiership heavyweights.
However, the interruption to the season has done the East Midlanders no favours.
Since the restart, they have lost three from four and are rapidly becoming more and more in danger of slipping out a top four race they looked as though they would control all season.
Defeats to fellow top four hopefuls Wasps, Bath and Harlequins has seen them drop to sixth, looking nervously at Quins below them as even their Champions Cup qualification credentials are being tested.
The 30-17 defeat at the Stoop may be the most damaging but one should take nothing away from Quins, who were excellent on the day.
Marcus Smith has hit top gear very quickly following the restart, pushing his England squad claims along with Jacob Umaga.
There is an important point to make in the sense that Saints have bucked the selection trend and chosen to have two sides of roughly similar strength to alternate, whereas others appear to have very much picked a first and second team.
This has led to Northampton simply being outgunned in some of the matches they have faced, although they have still been well in most games they’ve played.
They deserve props for their commitment to giving the young players a chance and putting faith in their full squad of players, with Director of Rugby Chris Boyd saying pre-match against Harlequins they may be “trying too hard”
However, it is all about results on the pitch and things do not look any rosier with the visit of Exeter Chiefs followed by a trip to Bristol Bears in the next two weeks.
The Leicester Tigers rollercoaster continues
Ollie Thorley put Leicester Tigers to the sword, taking advantage of a very young Welford Road outfit during the Cherries 46-30 victory
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It must be a tricky life to be a Leicester Tigers fan at the moment.
It would have been difficult, one imagines, for even the most dedicated and optimistic supporter not to feel a glimmer of concern when the team sheet for the Round 17 fixture at Kingsholm against Gloucester was released.
The Cherry and Whites were pretty much at full strength, whereas not many too names on the Tigers list would have inspired much confidence.
It was remarked at Castle Flanker that Tomas Lavanini, a fully-fledged Puma international, must have felt like he was running the Welford Road daycare, so surrounded was he by young players just starting to find their way in the first team.
Changes were forgivable - the established stars had made very hard work of beating London Irish 13-7 in Round 16 and there was no sense in not trying something different.
The problem was, the Tigers young bucks never had a chance to show what they could do as they found themselves 30 points down after about as many minutes.
The arrival onto the scene of Ben Youngs, George Ford and in particular Jordan Taufua, who was excellent, from the bench by the time the second half kicked off told its own story of the Tigers’ struggles.
Although they did mount a comeback and threaten something special, the reality is their squad depth has been badly exposed by the current playing time restrictions.
Head Coach Steve Borthwick will know now, if he didn’t already, the scale of the job before him to return them to the glory days.
Bristol and Sale locked in fascinating runner-up scrap
Faf de Klerk was brilliant as Sale demolished Bristol 40-7, but both teams must find consistency
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Two of the most-fancied outfits coming into the Premiership restart have so far struggled to consistently make good on that promise.
Sale and Bristol, both boosted by big-name signings (in what we might as well call the off-season) in Manu Tuilagi and Semi Radradra, were both casting their eye towards toppling Exeter at the top rather than fending off those below.
However, with both having been dispatched by the men from Devon since the restart and sitting with 2-2 records, it is hard to say either has made a convincing case for second place as yet.
Selection issues have played their part, with Bristol’s young team up against the top Sale side looking an unfortunate mismatch from the word go in the 40-7 Round 17 win for the Sharks.
However, the fact remains that both sides know they will need to find consistency over the last rounds of the regular season if they are to harbour genuine hopes of taking the title at Twickenham in October.
There is no denying both have star power, with Tuilagi adding some serious penetration to go with the mettle that already peppered Sale’s midfield.
Radradra has already proved his value as an all-weather threat in his limited Premiership experience, with the Fijian scintillating in Week 15 against Gloucester.
It is also worth saying Faf de Klerk showed he is back on song and ready to take the fight to Bristol, which could be a massive boon for Sale as the run-in takes shape.
However, relying on individual magic is not going to get you past the juggernaut of discipline and accuracy that is Exeter, as was superbly demonstrated as the Chiefs’ second team walked out of Ashton Gate having earned a win over Bristol’s best.
What we do know, however, is that the battle for second place is going to be fascinating as the Bears and Sharks fight their corners and Wasps continue their sneaky rise up the table.
Saracens machine ticks along nicely
Us lot at The Flanker pondered how Saracens might respond to their inevitable relegation once rugby restarted, but it appears to have made no difference whatsoever with the North London side still the same old outfit we know and love/hate.
Their two routine wins over Gloucester and London Irish over the past week have been prime examples of Saracens rugby.
Although both sides were far from from first choice in their midweek fixture, Tom Woolstencroft’s second half hat trick was built from a typical Saracens play in the form of their driving line out.
Then, when the big boys came to the party on the weekend, they showed what they’re capable of yet again.
Sarries were utterly dominant against a struggling Irish side, with all of their tries coming from close range. Billy Vunipola, Brad Barritt and Maro itoje all put in quality performances in a game which was sorted before half time.
As far as preparation goes for an away clash against Leinster in the Champions Cup, it’s pretty damn good.
Unbeaten since the restart, the men from Barnet will face tougher challenges in the form of Sale and Exeter Chiefs before that monumental clash on September 19, but Mark McCall will be very happy with his side’s preparation.
His big stars are getting solid playtime, while not being overexposed, with a well stocked fridge able to step up in the meantime.
With Leinster now in full finals mode in the Pro 14, they could face a fitter and fresher side come quarter-final time.
Wasps pull off win in difficult circumstances
Wasps eked out a tight win despite key injuries to their front row after a gritty 27-23 win over Bath in Round 17
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Despite a tough midweek loss against Sale, Wasps managed to sneak a crucial 27-23 win over in form Bath on Sunday which edges themselves towards a play-off spot many would have thought nigh impossible a season ago.
They did so at a huge disadvantage, however.
Both starting hooker Tommy Taylor and his replacement Gabriel Oghre were forced off with injuries during the first half, leaving them without a proper line out thrower.
Scrumhalf Dan Robson was even given a slightly farcical effort just before half time.
They persevered, however. The aforementioned Robson, who had a fantastic battle with the in-form Ben Spencer all day, was clever taking quick taps to catch the West Country outfit off guard and they made full use of the uncontested scrums with their first phase play.
A number of players stood out. Jacob Umaga looks better every time he steps out on the field while Zack Kibirige appears to be an absolute steal from Falcons.
Meanwhile, Malakai Fekitoa seems to be getting back to his Highlanders and All Blacks best.
When Wayne Barnes gave Wasps a penalty try late on after Sam Underhill dropped a maul, it capped a fine afternoon for the Coventry outfit. At 13-0 they were dead and buried but now find themselves in the top four.
Bath fans will hope the loss inspires their team to another unbeaten streak, with the West Country men still in the playoff hunt.
