Thrilling title race goes to final day
THE race for the top four will go down to the final round on Saturday, although Northampton and Saracens secured their berths with big victories yesterday.
The Saints secured a home draw with a 90-point demolition of Gloucester at Franklin’s Gardens – the biggest victory in the Premierships this century – and Saracens will be at the StoneX for their semi-final if they secure a point at home to Sale, who are in fourth, after ending Bristol’s winning run.
Bath need a point from their clash against Northampton at The Rec and the Saints may be tempted to ring the changes knowing that they will be in the top two whatever the result.
They may end up facing Bath in the first of the semi-finals on Friday May 31, but the final playoff position remains in the air with Sale, Exeter, Harlequins and Bristol all in contention.
Sale have never won at the StoneX and have only triumphed once at Saracens in the Premiership, back in 2005 in the season they won the title.
Exeter are best placed to take advantage of any Sale slip-up. They are at Leicester, who cannot finish higher than eighth after losing their last three matches, a ground where they conceded 62 points last season. Exeter DoR Rob Baxter said: “Leicester are a good side, they have got a lot of pride. We have to take every opportunity we can and see if we can get to the play-offs.
Quins and Bristol, who are sixth and seventh in the table, meet at The Stoop but even a bonus point victory may not be enough. “The fourth try we scored at the end could be crucial, but the second half performance was not acceptable in a Quins jersey,” said their head coach Danny Wilson after his side collapsed at Exeter having been level at the interval.
Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said that his side’s impressive home record against Sale would count for nothing on Saturday when last season’s finalists meet. “I watched them beat Leicester on Friday night and it will be one hell of a challenge for us,” he said.
Sale boss Alex Sanderson announced he had signed a new contract to remain at the AJ Bell for another three years having joined from Saracens in 2021. “Our dream is still alive,” he said. “It comes down to Saracens on the final day and there is no way we will come off that pitch without having fired a few shots.
“We have gathered some momentum now and you would be stupid to bet against us. We know it will take a monumental effort at Saracens but we believe we can win.”
JUST like Manchester City, Saracens become remorseless when the finishing line looms into view. Bristol may have been on a run of six successive victories but they became enmeshed in the web exquisitely spun by the champions.
The more the Bears tried to extricate themselves, the more stuck they became. It was a masterly display by Saracens who conceded an early 10-point lead as they looked to respond to Bristol’s running game in kind.
In the previous round at Bath, they accepted the invitation to an arm wrestle and ground down the home side. Here they hustled free-flowing Bristol into mistakes and gorged off them, a team for all weather and occasions.
Their two tries in a first half that saw them recover from 10 points down to lead by 10 at the break came from moves that started when Bristol, buoyed by Joe Batley’s early try that followed Harry Randall’s quick thinking, were in possession. And so did their two after the break.
First, Ellis Genge dropped a pass he had to reach for in his 22 with Bristol down to 14 after Siva Naulago deliberately knocked on. Sarries regathered, Juan Martin Gonzalez stepped inside two defenders and Maro Itoje reached for the line.
Nine minutes later, Bristol had a lineout close to Sarries’ 22. Gabriel Oghre threw long, failed to find his target, Owen Farrell secured a 50-22 with a raking kick and Itoje scored again from the resulting drive.
Bristol started the second half knowing their season hinged on their response. After Elliot Daly, taking over from Farrell who felt a tightening in his groin, had landed his third penalty of the afternoon, Sarries were reduced to 13 when Itoje was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Steven Luatua and Ben Earl quickly followed for a breakdown offence.
Bristol used the second yellow to launch an attacking lineout and replacement hooker Harry Thacker secured the biggest cheer of the afternoon. James Williams, kicking with AJ MacGinty having failed a head injury assessment, converted to make it a six-point game.
This was Bristol’s moment, but it lasted only as long as it took them to lose another lineout. Sarries may have had a numerical disadvantage, but it merely made the contest a shade more even.
Another Daly penalty and a Rotimi Segun try left Bristol wondering what had happened before Gonzalez supported a piercing Lucio Cinti counter-attack after Virimi Vakatawa dropped the ball for the try of the afternoon.
Bristol came close through Noah Heward but their failure to secure a bonus point means they no longer control their own destiny. They had some strong individual performances, from Max Malins, who dominated the air, to the battling Luatua, but collectively they were a long way short of Saracens as they lost to them for the sixth successive match in the top flight.
Saracens have resorted to what they describe as the goldfish mentality: forget what’s has just happened and give all your energy to what comes next.
It allowed them to stay detached and strong in the moments when Bristol were on top before delivering a telling riposte. The Bears are on the right direction of travel, but as their rivals Bath discovered, Saracens are some way ahead of them.