Aviva Premiership Round 22: 5 things we learned

1. Close but no cigar

It was an exhausting final round of Premiership action, especially if you were following the race for the final play-off spot. Needing to finish on a superior points difference to Saracens, Exeter blew Sale away at home, scoring seven tries on their way to a 44-16 win. And had Sarries been playing anyone else, that margin might have been enough. As it was they had the gimme game against London Welsh – although to the credit of the Welsh Exiles, they made a good fist of it for around 60 minutes before the floodgates opened. Sarries’ 68-17 win was enough to leave them 20 points better off than Exeter, and see them complete the top four that was many pundits’ predicted semi-final line-up before the season began. It is a crying shame for Exeter, who have given us more than their share of thrills this season with an attractive brand of rugby played by several young English stars of the future. Given the signings they have made in the off season, there’s little doubt they’ll be up there again next year.

2. Lessons learned

Last year, Bath sat comfortably in the play-offs for the majority of the season only to spectacularly self-implode at the crucial time, seeing their play-off and title hopes obliterated in the process. This year, despite a brief blip after Christmas, they have been one of the two sides in the league that have been consistently excellent, and after their final day demolition of Gloucester they are duly rewarded with a home semi-final. It is no less than the West Country club deserve – after shooting themselves so badly in the foot last season, when for all intents and purposes they looked like a top four side for 90% of the season, it shows they have learnt from that chastening experience and have added a steely composure to their game. It is the final addition to a team that possess all the physical attributes to be the best in the land, and they are now one game away from their first ever Premiership final.

3. Return to the scene of the crime

Leicester eased into the play-offs with a not-altogether-convincing win at home to a second string Northampton side, earning third place and a trip to Bath in the process. After having played so impressively the week previously away at Wasps, this performance was another step back, returning to the one-out-runner attacking strategy that had seen their game stagnate so badly this season. In the end their greater power and experience was enough against a Saints side boasting several players short on game time this season, but they will need to be much more adventurous, disciplined and accurate at the Rec next weekend. It is a return to the scene of one of the club’s darkest days in the past few seasons, the 45-0 pummelling in round two of this year’s competition. They shipped five tries that day and never looked like scoring one themselves. If they do not play with the adventure and vigour that they proved they could do against Wasps, then it will be another long afternoon for the Tigers.

4. The future’s bright

Most of the focus was, quite rightly, on the play-off race at the weekend, but the performances of a few other clubs are worth noting also – if not for what they mean now, for how they bode for next season. Newcastle rounded off a highly impressive campaign – one in which they have not won as many games as perhaps their performances have deserved – with a comfortable 37-21 victory over Harlequins at Kingston Park. They may have only won five games but their eight losing bonus points prove how they have been challenging all comers this year. The team finishing just above them – London Irish – also finished the season in style; they may not have won, but their 40-40 draw against Wasps was an astonishing game of rugby and proved the core of talent that runs through this team. With a new coaching staff and several big names arriving in the off season, they will have high hopes. In fact, with no London Welsh-shaped safety net next season and with either Worcester or Bristol (both with the resources to comfortably survive in the Premiership) coming up, it is difficult to predict right now who exactly is going to be in the relegation mix.

5. No need to panic

The news that Manu Tuilagi is out of the World Cup after assaulting a police officer would, a couple of years ago, have been unspeakably bad news for England and their prospects at the tournament. Now, you could argue that it is far from a big deal. For starters, Manu hasn’t been a regular feature in the England team for some time. But more importantly than that, there are a host of English centres performing with aplomb week in, week out in the Premiership and that continued in the final round. Kyle Eastmond was at his impish best in the Bath midfield, jinking and darting into holes that do not exist to regular people. Henry Slade was showing how good his distribution was to send his Exeter back three over for several tries, while Elliot Daly was in typically dangerous form for Wasps, scything through London Irish’s defensive line on countless occasions. Losing Manu is a blow, of course, but there is certainly no need to panic – the midfield cupboard is well stocked.

By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images