Bye, bye Newcastle
With a saddened heart Newcastle are relegated from the Gallagher Premiership following their rather bizarre season this year. A year ago they were getting ready to face a semi-final and this season they are saying goodbye to their friends in the premiership. The whole Newcastle team have worked tirelessly this season to try and make things happen on the pitch but it just hasn’t been enough.
Embed from Getty ImagesLeicester had the most important loosing bonus point of their lives
Leicester have had the extremely stark reality that they could have been relegated next week when they lost to Harlequins on Friday night. The former northern hemisphere giants need a long hard look at themselves this summer as something has to drastically be done over the summer rest period and during pre-season to avoid the extremely poor season they have encountered repeating itself again next season. It is saddening for the club to see them in such a poor place however, they simply cannot be competing at this level with the lack of game plan that they have had in place. They need to work hard and fast to get back to being Leicester of old.
Embed from Getty ImagesNorthampton are one step closer to the playoffs
Their convincing win over Worcester this weekend sees Northampton climb ever closer to the play-off spots. The saints have had a mixed season finding form for a few fixtures and then losing it for a while. Since winning the Premiership Rugby Cup earlier this season they have had much more momentum behind them in putting their best foot forward and working harder as a team to get the most out of their fixtures. They have only currently won one more than they have lost, which only reiterates their unbalanced season but they seem to be on the right track to putting things right in the top four.
Embed from Getty ImagesIs putting out second teams fair?
Both Saracens and Exeter put out a fairly second rate side this weekend, with both teams guaranteed a home semi-final. But it raises a question as to whether the two best sides are taking away the competitively of the sport by not putting out a first team. If this fixture was played earlier in the season and not schedule to one of the last weekend’s, then the team sheets would be a lot more competitive. Saracens are preparing for the European Final this weekend which is a reflection as to why they put out a weakened team. But should this be the case? What could have been one of the most exciting, competitive fixtures of the season but instead it was a one sided, rather lack lustre affair.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe last ten minutes will haunt Wasps
Three late tries from Bath saw the visitors go from winning to not even taking a losing bonus point home; making it increasingly hard for them to make top flight European rugby next season. Some calls defiantly didn’t go their way such as during the first half when a sublime team try was denied after a controversial forward pass was shown. Wasps did spend the majority of the second half on the back foot, which eventually led to Bath scoring their last three tries in the space of eight minutes. It is now extremely hard for Dai Youngs’ men to make it into the top six, with just one round left to play.
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The Openside 