Today sees the start of the 2008/09 Premiership season with the now traditional Twickenham double header. London Irish take on Wasps starting at 2:30 followed by Harlequins playing Saracens , kicking off at 5:00.
The balance of the Premiership matches take place tomorrow with the pick possibly being Gloucester hosting Leicester in a repeat of last year's play-off semi final. Elsewhere there is a local derby with Bristol hosting Bath, Worcester travel to promoted Northampton and Newcastle are at home to Sale.
As this is the first round of matches to be played under the controversial ELV's (Experimental Law Variations) I think that there may be some confusion among the players, referees and spectators until a greater understanding is reached through use.
Personally I feel these are a needless interferance in the game and will certainly have an adverse effect on certain teams (and indeed countries).
- Arctophile's blog
- Login or register to post comments
First round results
In the first of Saturday's matches London Irish dominated Wasps and were worthy winners by 26-14. In the second match Harlequins had the better of a much closer match winning by 24-21 (helped by a Saracens error from the opening kick off which led to a try after 58 seconds.
In the Sunday matches Northampton were first up and made a winning return to the Premiership beating Worcester 24-13. Sale overcame a Jonny Wilkinson less Newcastle 14-9 and Bath got their first win at Bristol for several years winning 33-20, although Bristol's David Lemi probably scored the try of the day.
In the repeat match-up of last season's semi finalists Leicester got their third successive win at Gloucester by 20-8
So there were some surprises and some expected results but in all honesty the playing conditions at most of the grounds were not conducive to attractive rugby. Also it appears that one of the much vaunted ELV's has actually slowed play down rather than speeded it up as was the express aim.
Second Weekend
The second weekend gets underway tonight with Sale hosting Saracens. Sale make a few changes, most notably wing Rory Lamont, hooker Sebastien Bruno and prop Andrew Sheridan all returning to the starting fifteen after missing out on last week's win. Saracens welcome back Richard Haughton after injury to add pace to their back line.
Saturday sees Bath play in another West Country derby when they host a Gloucester side no doubt smarting after last week's home defeat. Harlequins,who take on Bristol, have lost new signing Nick Evans to injury after his assured debut appearance last week. Bristol will need to improve their defence after shipping so many points last week.
Tomorrow's other match sees Leicester host London Irish.
The final two matches are on Sunday when Newcastle welcome back Jonny Wilkinson as they face Northampton, and Wasps look to kick start their season as they host Worcester.
Second Week Results.
Sale got the second weekend off with their match against Saracens on Friday night. Playing in what is generally described as typical Manchester conditions the match was dominated by the boot with all the points coming from kicks and being won by a Charlie Hodgson drop goal with the last play of the match.
Saturday saw Gloucester put the previous week's home defeat behind them by winning at Bath for the first time in the history of the Premiership. Their cause was mightily helped by Bath outside half Butch James missing all five of his kicks at goal but Bath did manage to keep in close enough touch to gain a bonus point in defeat. Harlequins had by far the better of their match against Bristol and became the only team so far to get a bonus point for scoring four (or more) tries in a match. In the other match Leicester managed to just get the better of London Irish to register their second win of the campaign.
The two Sunday matches produced probably the two most surprising results of the weekend with a Jonny Wilkinson inspired Newcastle defeating Northampton and Worcester beating Wasps again with the last kick of the match.
At this early stage in the season it looks as though the major struggle for survival in the Premiership will be at Bristol as their defence seems to be shipping points far too easily. Wasps and Saracens need to kick start their season soon as neither side would want to have to make up too much ground later on, particularly in Wasps case when they lose a lot of players to the Autumn internationals.
Week Three
The third week kicks off again on Friday night with Bristol (still seeking their first point of the season) hosting unbeaten Sale. There are no easy matches these days and Bristol need to get their act together very quickly to avoid being isolated.
Saturday sees four more matches with table topping Harlequins visiting Gloucester, London Irish hosting Bath, Wasps seeking to kick start their season at Northampton and Worcester fresh from their win away to Wasps hosting the bookies favourite Leicester.
Sunday sees just one match with Saracens playing Newcastle
Week three results
Sale started the third weekend off by winning their trip to Bristol on Friday evening. The score of 9-6 just about sums up the match as although Sale have yet to concede a try, all their points were from the boot of Luke McAllister so they failed to touch down for the second out of three matches.
Saturday saw Wasps attempt to get their season back on track start disasterously when Northampton scored inside the first minute.Wasps were kept in the hunt by the boot of Dave Walder who kicked five penalties while Bruce Reihana had a bad day for Northampton, but two more converted tries and one successful penalty gave Northampton a four point lead. The theme of poor place kicking was also prevalent at Gloucester where Chris Malone also had a nightmare missing at least ten points, which proved decisive as Gloucester held on for a 24-20 win (the exact same score as at Northampton). Butch James for Bath was another to have a bad day with the boot, and eventually handed over the kicking duties to Jack Cuthbert who landed three penalties in their 20-16 win over London Irish.The other Saturday match between Worcester and Leicester was a typicaly hard fought match with the Tigers coming out on top 19-17 to go to the top of the table (albeit on points difference from Sale).
In the one match played on Sunday Saracen's Glen Jackson was the exception to the "dodgy kicker syndrome" landing four penalties a drop goal and a conversion in his side's outstanding 44-14 victory over a disapointing Newcastle. Sarries had the match sewn up and were actually 44-0 ahead before leaking two late converted tries .
Week Four
This week's fixtures commence on Friday with three matches. Probably the stand out match is that between injury ravaged Leicester and ailing champions Wasps.Despite the tribulations of both sides this match is always one of the most hard fought of the season. Although it is early in the season another match on Friday could be looked on as a potential relegation battle with Newcastle hosting bottom of the table Bristol. The other match pits undefeated Sale against Gloucester.
Saturday sees Bath take on a vastly improved Worcester, Harlequins facing a London Irish side that have started to struggle for results and Saracens fresh from their first victory of the season facing Northampton.
Week Four results/Week Five preview.
In the first match to kick off on Friday Sale maintained their unbeaten start to the season by defeating Gloucester by 23-9 (and actually scored two tries in the process). Newcastle came out on top of what was described as the battle of the strugglers and in doing so left Bristol in deeper trouble. In the heavyweight clash at Leicester, Wasps cast aside their early season troubles and obtained their first win of the season inflicting Leicester's first defeat in the process.
The stand out match on Saturday turned out to be London Irish defeating Harlequins by 28-27 having been 8-20 behind at half time.Bath had a convincing bonus point victory over Worcester and Saracens built on their first win last week by defeating Northampton to continue their march up the table.
The teams have very little time to get over knocks for the next round of matches as these are all in midweek, starting with Gloucester hosting Newcastle on Tuesday. This is followed by four matches on Wednesday, with desperate Bristol hosting resurgent Saracens, Leicester playing at home to Northampton in the East Midlands derby, London Irish playing Sale and Wasps looking to build on their first victory when they play Bath. The final match, on Thursday, sees Worcester take on Harlequins.
Week Five reeults
In the first match of the midweek session Newcastle travelled to Gloucester and suffered another heavy defeat (23-39). Even worse for them (and England) Jonny Wilkinson suffered a dislocated knee and is out for a considerable time. At this stage of the season it looks as though Newcastle will be relying on their home form to keep out of the relegation dog fight.
Wednesday saw Wasps continue their disappointing season losing at home to Bath although they did have the consolation of Danny Cipriani making his return from serious injury. London Irish tore up the form book and annihilated Sale scoring the first try against them this season - and then following up with three more, Saracens had a hard fought victory at Bristol who did at least get a bonus point but lost their fifth straight match this season and overall have a losing streak now stretching to eleven matches. In the East Midlands derby Leicester scored two late tries to defeat Northampton.
The final match of the week saw Harlequins continue their frenetic start to the season by getting their fourth bonus point in five matches during the course of a 30-23 win at worcester.
The Premiership now has a five week break as the EDF (Anglo Welsh) Cup and the Heineken European Cup commence. The first round in the EDF this weekend sees a lot of the Premiership teams resting a large number of players ahead of two weeks of European action. I am not sure when the sponsorship deal for this competition runs out but it does appear to be a quite unwelcome addition to an already crowded fixture list.
Week Six (finally)
After the "Cup" induced break (and a further week off for the first International weekend) the Guinness Premiership finally got back into action on Friday. The first match saw Sale lose at home to Worcester, a result that moved the visitors 4 places up the table (and away from the bottom). In the one Saturday match Bath opened up a 20-3 half time lead in their table topping clash with Leicester (and were deemed lucky to be in this position - even by their own supporters). Leicester's well known fighting spirit saw them claw back the deficit and actually take the lead by one point with just three minutes to go but in a final twist Bath scored the winning try with the last move of the match.
The Sunday fixtures saw Gloucester halt Saracens recent run of good form with a hard fought and narrow 25-21 victory, and Newcastle suffer a comprehensive 8-24 home defeat to a rampant London Irish. Harlequins moved into second place in the table with a comprehensive 32-10 victory over a heavily depleted Wasps side (a result that left the visitors second from bottom in the table) and Bristol finally open their account with their first league victory of the season against Northampton.
Week Seven fixtures
The latest round of fixtures sees two matches being played on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The round starts off with a West Country derby between Gloucester and Bristol while improving Worcester take on struggling Newcastle.
Saturday sees fourth placed Leicester host second placed Harlequins and Northampton play table topping Bath.
The final two games see two free scoring sides in opposition as London Irish entertain Saracens, and increasingly desperate Wasps at home to a Sale side that seems to have lost it's way slightly in recent matches.
Week seven results
As expected Gloucester got the weekend under way with an easy bonus point victory over Bristol and Worcester continuing to consolidate by beating Newcastle.
Saturdays matches saw three of the top four teams in action with fourth placed Leicester defeating second place Harlequins and leaders Bath again scoring a late try to snatch a high scoring draw at Northampton.
Sunday saw Wasps slip to yet another home defeat (albeit by only one point) to Sale and London Irish comprehensively beat Saracens.
This meant that after these results Bath stayed top of the table with London Irish up to second and Gloucester up to third. Leicester remained fourth, Sale moved up to fifth and Harlequins dropped from second to sixth. There are however only five points covering the top six teams.The bottom three of Bristol, Wasps and Newcastle are starting to lose touch slightly and need to find their form quickly to keep in contention.
Week eight fixtures
The weekend gets under way tonight with fifth place Sale hosting fourth place Leicester with both teams boosted by the return of some of their internationals. The other match sees two of the struggling sided facing each other with Wasps visiting Newcastle. Both of these matches are really ones that neither side can really afford to lose.
Tomorrow sees third placed Gloucester looking to consolidate their position whenthey welcome Northampton.
Sunday sees bottom team Bristol play second placed London Irish, leaders Bath visit sixth placed Harlequins and mid table teams Saracens and Worcester in opposition.
Week Eight Results
The weekend started with Wasps gaining a vital away victory at Newcastle and Sale defeating a disjointed Leicester side, clinching their victory with an injury time breakaway try.
Saturday saw Gloucester score a bonus point victory over Northampton.
The three Sunday matches saw leaders Bath lose at Harlequins, Saracens score an easy victory over Worcester and London Irish hold on to defeat a spirited Bristol side.
As a result of these matches London Irish moved to the top of the table ahead of Gloucester and Bath. It is so tight at the top however that seven points cover the top seven teams.
Wasps victory moved them up to ninth and Bristol are becoming slightly isolated at the bottom.
Week Nine Results/Round Ten fixtures.
For once the complete programme was played on Saturday with the outstanding match being London Irish hosting Gloucester. The Irish opened up an early lead and then never looked back securing a 42-12 victory. Bath yet again left it until the last minute to score the winning points in a 24-20 victory over Sale.
Harlequins showed the strain from their back to back European victories and went down to Northampton while Wasps got their first home victory of the season in an error strewn but high scoring victory over Saracens. Bristol managed to come away from Worcester with a draw and Leicester scored their expected victory over Newcastle.
Christmas Fixtures
Sale v Wasps
Bath v Northampton
Bristol v Gloucester
Harlequins v Leicester
Newcastle v Worcester
Saracens v London Irish
Week Ten Results/Round 11 Fixtures
Sale got the round off to a cracking start by powering past an understrength Wasps team, beating them by 31-3. The following day saw three tight matches and two rather more one sided. London Irish lost their lead at the top of the table when they went down 16-13 to Saracens. New3castle and Worcester shared the league points with a 16-16 draw, as did Harlequins and Leicester after the excitement of their 26 all encounter. Gloucester came out on top of their West Country encounter with Bristol gaining a bonus point in their 29-10 victory and Bath kept up their challenge with a 25-14 victory over Northampton. This left just 10 points separating first and seventh in the table - and with potentially five points available for a win there will be a lot more twists before the season is over.
Next fixtures:
Saturday, 03 January 2009
Gloucester v Saracens
London Irish v Newcastle
Northampton v Bristol
Worcester v Sale
Sunday, 04 January 2009
Leicester v Bath
Wasps v Harlequins
Week 11 Results/Week 12 Fixtures
The weather had the first word on Saturday with Worcester's match at home to Sale being postponed. The remainder of the weekend's matches took place albeit with some difficult pitch conditions to contend with.
Gloucester looking to bounce back from their recent mauling by London Irish managed to do just enough to defeat Saracens in a dour and basically unexciting match. London Irish, themselves looking to come back from a narrow defeat last week, took full advantage of a seriously weakened Newcastle side winning 48-8 and scoring 7 tries in the process. Northampton kept up their good home form with a 30-8 victory over a struggling Bristol side who remain anchored at the bottom of the table.
Sunday saw Leicester gain a narrow victory over Bath and Wasps difficult season potentially take a turn for the better with a 24-18 victory over London rivals Harlequins. They will no doubt hope that this win ignites their season and is the start of their traditional after Christmas run of success.
Next fixtures:
Friday, 09 January 2009
Sale v London Irish
Saturday, 10 January 2009
Bath v Wasps
Harlequins v Worcester
Northampton v Leicester
Sunday, 11 January 2009
Newcastle v Gloucester
Saracens v Bristol
Week 12 Results
The weekend got off to a cold start - especially for London Irish on their visit to a freezing Sale. Despite having a half time lead of 8-6 the league leaders felt the cold in more ways than one as Sale upped the tempo and ex England pair Mark Cueto and Charlie Hodgson scored the points that gave Sale a 14-6 victory, and tightened the top of the table.
The weather was definitely the winner on Saturday as Bath's match at home to Wasps and Worcester's visit to Harlequins were both postponed. In the one surviving match Northampton won the East Midlands derby 17-13.
Sunday's two matches both beat the weather and the major shock of the weekend came with second from bottom Newcastle grinding out a 10-7 victory over second placed Gloucester. In the one remaining fixture Jekyll & Hyde team Saracens had a crushing 37-13 win over Bristol. This was the visitors eighth consecutive league match without a win and left them even further adrift at the bottom of the table.
The Premiership now takes a two week break to accomodate the final group matches of the Heineken cup.
Catch up matches
In an efort to make up for cancelled matches there were three league matches played last weekend. Gloucester were looking for revenge against London Irish after their earlier horrific defeat, and were probably feeling hard done by when two players from the visitors were released from the England squad to get more match time whereas their contingent had to stay. Their mood wasn't probably any better when they went in at half time 9-18 behind, only being kept in touch by the boot of Olly Barkley. However they kept chipping away and finally came out on top 23-21 and replaced the visitors at the top of the table.
Meanwhile Harlequins were looking to get their stuttering season back on track and were fortunate to come up against a Northampton side that don't perform very well away from Franklins Garsdens. The home side opened up a 13-0 half time lead. They consolidated in the second half to run out 27-6 winners.
In the final match Worcester entertained Sale with both sides needing the points and the visitors were always in control,turning their 16-10 half time lead into a convincing 37-20 bonus point earning victory.
There are no fixtures this week as the Six Nations gets under way but there will be a full programme next weekend (clashing with the second round of internatioanals) with some teams being a lot harder hit by international call ups than others. This is, in my mind, something that needs some changes made and perhaps the ending of the EDF cup which would free up weekends for league matches that don't clash with internationals.
Week 13
The coming weekend kicks off on Friday with what is already being described as a relegation dog fight with Bristol hosting Newcastle. On Saturday there are a further four matches with Gloucester taking on Sale, Harlequins travelling to London Irish, Northampton looking to defend their unbeaten home record against Saracens and Worcester playing Bath.
Sunday sees the clash between Wasps and Leicester who are probably the two teams hit hardest by the International weekend.
Week 13 Results/ Week 14 Fixtures
The weekend started with the Friday fixture between the two struggling teams of Bristol and Newcastle. For this match Newcastle turned up with a definitive game plan and executed it perfectly coming away with a handsome bonus point victory and leaving their hosts even deeper in trouble.
Saturday saw another four matches and Gloucester again had to come from behind at half time, which they did to defeat Sale and cement their place at the top of the league table. Northampton retained their unbeaten home record with a narrow victory over Saracens, and Bath maintained their challenge in the league with a comprehensive victory at Worcester. The other match saw Harlequins defeat long time league leaders London Irish, a result that was made easier by the early dismissal of Irish hooker David Paice. Even so there were only five points in it and Irish so nearly snatched the match right at the end.
Sunday's match saw Wasps continue their good form against Leicester who at least managed the unusual feat of gaining two bonus points from a losing match.
Fixtures:
Friday, 20 February 2009
Newcastle v Saracens
Sale v Bristol
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Bath v London Irish
Harlequins v Gloucester
Leicester v Worcester
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Wasps v Northampton
Week 14 Results/Week 15 Fixtures.
In Friday's two matches all four sides were in urgent need of points for various reasons. With high flying Sale playing bottom club Bristol it looked as though it would be an easy five points for the home side. However for the first half hour it appeared that nobody had told Bristol this and they had the termerity to open up a six point lead and only went in at half time 13-6 down. Unfortunately for them it seemed that their early efforts had drained them and Sale moved through the gears in the second half to run out 32-13 winners and go top of the table overnight. In a complete contrast Newcastle turned round 3-9 down at home to Saracens but scored 10 unanswered points in the second half to win their second match in a row and move further away from the bottom of the table.
In the most exciting match on Saturday Bath turned round 17-0 up against London Irish, and finished up desperately holding on for a 20-20 draw. Harlequins entertained top side Gloucester but unfortunately neither side really entertained the crowd. Quins however deserved their victory in my view as at least they scored two tries ( to none). As described elsewhere Leicester were too strong for Worcester and the visitors are probably glad that Bristol are playing even worse than they are as they slipped to second bottom in the league.
Sunday's match was yet another dour fixture with Wasps coming out on top thanks to the boot of Danny Cipriani in defeating Northampton 9-5.
There is another full round of fistures this week coinciding with the third round of the Six Nations.
Fixtures:
Saturday, 28 February 2009
Gloucester v Bath
Northampton v Newcastle
Worcester v Wasps
Sunday, 01 March 2009
Bristol v Harlequins
London Irish v Leicester
Saracens v Sale
In the chase for the end of season play off places (top 4) and European places (top 6) the positions are:
Played Points
1 Gloucester 15 46
2 Sale 14 45
3 London Irish 15 43
4 Bath 13 42
5 Harlequins 14 39
6 Leicester 14 39
Week 15 Results/Week 16 Fixtures
In one of the most important matches of their season Worcester (who had been sinking down the league at a rate of knots) were hosting Wasps who themselves were in need of points. In another dour encounter the home side came from one point behind at half time to win 13-12 and probably guarantee themselves Premiership rugby next season. The worrying thing for Wasps was that this was the second match in a row where they had not scored a try, relying on the boot of Danny Cipriani for all of their points. Northampton tested their home record against probably the form team of the moment in Newcastle and found themselves in the unusual position of being 19-0 down quite early on. Although they reduced the deficit to 10-19 at half time the second half saw them only able to add a further three points and the home record (stretching back to last season was gone.
The other match on Saturday saw the fiercely contested West Country derby between Gloucester and Bath. Although Bath took an early lead, Gloucester hit back and led 23-17 at half time, including two tries from James Simpson-Daniel before he went off with yet another injury. The home side did just enough to stay ahead in the second half but Bath's efforts were hindered when Alec Crocket was shown a red card and they were reduced to 14 men. Bath had a kick at goal with the last play of the match which would have given them a bonus point but unfortunately for them Butch James missed so they came away empty handed.
Sunday saw the almost doomed Bristol take on Harlequins and open up a half time lead. At that stage it seemed as if a shock was on the cards but the visitors did just enough to scrape home 17-14, and consign Bristol to yet another defeat (their 13th in 15 league matches). The Leicester report is in full elsewhere and the final match saw a feast of attacking rugby when Saracens took on Sale. The home side led 14-10 at half time and after exchanging scores throughout the second half held on for a one point victory.
There is another full round of fixtures this weekend with some of the fringe international players returning but the starters being still retained with their countries.
Saturday, 07 March 2009
Bath v Bristol
Harlequins v Saracens
Leicester v Gloucester
Worcester v Northampton
Sunday, 08 March 2009
Sale v Newcastle
Wasps v London Irish
Week 16 Results/Week 17 Fixtures
Bath got the weekend underway with what can only be described as an anihilation of Bristol. Although they were only 9 points up at half time they scored a further 28 unanswered points in the second half to keep themselves in contention at the top of the table and consign their visitors to almost certain relegation. Harlequins took on a Saracens side reeling from the announcement that 15 players were being released at the end of the season and managed to hold on in a very scrappy match. Worcester were looking to build on their victory from last week against a Northampton side still smarting from losing their unbeaten home record. The visitors proved the more resiliant team and came out 22-12 ahead and in my humble opinion deserved the win by scoring three tries to nil. The Leicester victory over Gloucester is described elsewhere.
In the first of the Sunday matches Sale took on the form team of the moment (Newcastle) and they produced probably the most excirting match for several weeks. The lead changed hands several times but Newcastle eventually came from 16-11 down at half time to win 32-25. In the final match Wasps took on London Irish and in another scrappy match did manage to record two tries (albeit the first one being a penalty try). This helped them to hold on for a narrow victory.
After the dust (and mud) had settled the table was left looking just a little crowdwd, with Gloucester ahead on 51 points and then Leicester,Harlequins,Sale and Bath all on 47 with London Irish one point further back. As only the top four teams are involved in the end of season play offs every point now assumes even more importance.
Fixtures for the coming weekend:
Friday, 13 March 2009
Bristol v Leicester
Saturday, 14 March 2009
Gloucester v Wasps
Northampton v Sale
Sunday, 15 March 2009
London Irish v Worcester
Newcastle v Harlequins
Saracens v Bath
Week 17 Results/Week 18 fixtures.
After Leicester had got the weekend under way with an uncomfortably close victory over strugglers Bristol, Saturday saw leaders Gloucester taking on Wasps and Northampton hosting Sale. The Saints were still smarting after the recent loss of their unbeaten home record and certainly took their frustration out on Sale. After turning round 19-3 up at half time they piled on another (unanswered) 19 points in the second half and in the process obtained their first try scoring bonus point of the season. The unusual part of the match was that there were two sets of brothers playing and in each case one was on either side, with the Saints pair the happier at the end. The leaders in the meantime were engaged in a match that ebbed and flowed and in the end did just enough to come out 24-22 ahead and retain their lead.
Sunday saw the final three matches with high flying Bath coming unstuck at unsettled Saracens, despite the home side's kicker Glen Jackson missing with every effort ( and this from the leagues leading points scorer). Meanwhile fast improving Newcastle were hosting Harlequins and came away with their sixth consecutive victory which will no doubt have them cursing their dire early season form which has really ruled them out of play off contention. The only one of the top sides who actually played up to their expected form was London Irish who ended their recent poor run with an emphatic 38-17 victory over Worcester.
After the weekend Gloucester retained their four point lead over Leicester (now joined by Sale). Bath's bonus point in defeat had moved them on to 48 points with Harlequins and Sale still on 47.
This week's fixtures:
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Bath v Newcastle
Leicester v Saracens
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Harlequins v Sale
London Irish v Northampton
Wasps v Bristol
Worcester v Gloucester
Week 18 Results/Week 19 Fixtures.
Newcastle took their impressive recent record to Bath on Saturday and soon found themselves up against it. The home side went in 22-7 up at half time and the Falcons had a mountain to climb. Unfortunately for them the home side did enough in the second half to comfortably keep them at bay and ran out winners 36-25. In the meantime Leicester had gone back to the top of the table with a comprehensive 6 try defeat of Saracens as described elsewhere.
On Sunday the major surprise came at Sixways where Worcester overcame previous leaders Gloucester 14-10 with ironically 9 of their points coming from the boot of Willie Walker on loan to them from ... Gloucester. There was nearly an even bigger upset as Wasps hosted bottom side Bristol. The visitors were 12-9 ahead at half time and maintained their lead for a large part of the second half. They unfortunately ran out of steam in the end and Wasps edged the match 21-19.
Harlequins took on a Sale side that seem to be in freefall at the moment and from a half time position of 12-12 ran away to a 38-20 victory. In the final high scoring match London Irish were just shading Northampton 16-15 at half time. In the end it turned on which team had the most successful kicker and Irish just shaded it by 32-27.
This week is a truncated fixture list as Gloucester and Northampton are playing in the EDF Cup semi finals.
Fixtures:
Friday, 27 March 2009
Newcastle v Leicester
Sale v Bath
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Bristol v Worcester
Saracens v Wasps
Wednesday, 01 April 2009
Bath v Wasps
Harlequins v Worcester
Week 19 Results/Week 20 Fixtures
As can be seen from the above fixture list three of the teams were playing twice in a few days as a result of the earlier bad weather. Bath decided to rest some of their regulars for their Friday night visit to Sale (who themselves having only one match put out their strongest available team). Sale were also desperate to halt their losing streak and powered ahead in the first half to lead 15-3 at half time. Bath clawed their way back in the second half and although they were unable to bridge the gap entirely they did come away with a potentially vital losing bonus point. Sunday saw the leagues bottom two sides in competition when Worcester visited Bristol. The home side are in a virtually hopeless position, but for once played with complete freedom to open up a 17-7 half time lead. Although Worcester reduced the lead to just three points early in the second half Bristol then stormed away and scored their first "Four Try" bonus of the season, eventually winning 37-18. Although their position is still nearly beyond redemption this will give them faint hope for their remaining three matches. In the other match a troubled Saracens side were hosting a fading Wasps. For most of the match it seemed that the boot would rule with Saracens leading 12-9 going into the last five minutes. A moment of skill saw Wasps score a try to take the lead but they were unable to defend the kick off properly and Saracens broke away to score the winning try, which with the conversion gave them a 19-14 victory.
The first of the two Wednesday matches saw struggling Worcester travel to in form Harlequins and although they were within 12 points at half time , and reduced the gap to only five just into the second half the roof then fell in on them. In the last 35 minutes Harlequins scored another seven tries to storm to a 60-14 victory, and in so doing improved their points difference to such an extent that they are now on top of the table. In the meantime Bath took on Wasps and although they trailed 9-11 at half time they persevered and ran out 22-14 winners thus joining Harlequins and Leicester at the top of the table on 57 points. With just three league matches left for each team these three are one point ahead of Gloucester, with London Irish a further point back, thus the top five teams are covered by just two points and as it is only the top four that get to the end of season playoffs there is now no room for error.
Next round of fistures.
Saturday, 04 April 2009
Bath v Harlequins
Leicester v Sale
London Irish v Bristol
Northampton v Gloucester
Worcester v Saracens
Sunday, 05 April 2009
Wasps v Newcastle
As can be seen there is a match up between first and third, and also second and sixth (Sale - who are on 51 points)
Week 20 results
The table topping clash between Bath and Harlequins turned out to be a nightmare for the home side. Their scrum was never able to come to terms with their opponents and they found themselves in such disarray at one stage in the first half that the referee decided to award a penalty try. Unfortunately for the spectators this was as close as either side got to crossing the line and from being 10-3 ahead at half time Harlequins added a further nine points (some from the boot of ex Bath player Chris Malone) to finish up 19-3 victors. Their pragmatic coach Dean Richards will not mind however how it was won - the important thing was the victory. At the other end of the table Bristol took their almost hopeless quest for survival to Reading to face London Irish knowing that even a victory would not necessarily be enough. In the event they were unsuccessful despite playing their part in an entertaining match losing by 38 - 21. Worcester, who were the only other side in the relegation equation made certain of their survival with a 22-8 victory over Saracens.
Long time leaders Gloucester took their quest to Franklins Gardens to face Northampton and came out second best in a high scoring game, losing 22 - 40 and dropped out of the top four.
In the one match on Sunday Wasps stuttering form continued and they edged out Newcastle by 12-6 with neither side threatening the try line. It is strange to see Wasps in such a state after their recent successes but the fact that they are one of the lowest try scoring teams in the league shows where some of their problems lie.
The Premiership takes a week off this week as the European competitions stage their quarter final rounds.
The next staggered round of matches is as follows:
Friday, 17 April 2009
Sale v Harlequins
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Northampton v London Irish
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Bristol v Wasps
Newcastle v Bath
Saracens v Leicester
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Gloucester v Worcester
Week 21 Results/Week 22 fixtures
The penultimate week of the regular season got underway on Friday night with Sale hosting Harlequins with points being vital for both sides. After Quins took an early lead with a penalty Sale hit back and were eventually rewarded when the referee awarded them a penalty try (much to the disgust of Quins manager Dean Richards).Despite turning round at half time only 3-7 behind this seemed to knock the confidence of the visitors and Sale took full advantage with a further three converted tries to which Quins could only reply with one further penalty, and the hosts eventually ran out winners 28-6. This gave them the five leagur points they desperately needed in their quest for a top 4 place at the end of the season but their delight was short lived when it was announced that they had been hit with a one point deduction for playing an unregistered player.
Saturday saw Northampton take on London Irish and despite going behind to an early interception try they kept plugging away and eventually the points started to come - to such an extent that they turned round 21-8 ahead. Unfortunately for their supporters nerves they seemed to switch off at that stage and three second half penalties from Delon Armitage got the Irish back to only 4 points behind. That was however as close as they got and the Saints closed their home campaign with only one defeat all season.
Sunday saw relegated Bristol take on Wasps and for once this season the visitors produced the kind of attacking rugby they are well capable of. From a half time position of beiing only 8-6 ahead they cut loose and eventually ran out winners by 36-18. Newcastle took on a Bath side still trying to comr to terms with their last minute defeat in the Heineken cup the previous week.The Falcons turned round 14-0 ahead helped by Butch James being unable to kick any of his goal attempts (and in fact being replaced at half time). The change did little for Bath initially with replacement Ryan Davis continuing to miss the posts, but eventually Bath got their act together and eventually ran out winners 15-14. Leicester's victory at Saracens has been described in full elsewhere.
The final match of the round saw Gloucester taking on Worcester with the hosts trying to overcome the memories of their supine performance in the final of the Anglo Welsh cup on Saturday where they looked second rate against Cardiff. Unfortunately for them the performance never really got off the ground and the went down to a defeat by 6-13 leaving their top four hopes hanging by a thread.
Heading into the last round of matches the league table shows Leicester on top with 66 points and guaranteed a play off place. Harlequins, Bath and London Irish who are all on 61 points are really in the driving seats for the other three places, with Gloucester and Sale needing a miracle to join the party.
The final round of matches is as follows:
Bath v Saracens
Harlequins v Newcastle
Leicester v Bristol
Sale v Northampton
Wasps v Gloucester
Worcester v London Irish
Week 22 results.
For the final week of the regular season the matches all had a bearing on next season, either with a play off place beckoning or a shot at getting into the Heineken European Cup as even seventh place may qualify.
London Irish who had been in the top four for most of the season travelled to Worcester and although they were being held 10-10 at half time, turned on their attacking ability in the second half and ran out 32-15 winners and thus secured their place in the play offs. Harlequins in the meantime were taking on Newcastle and had the match won by half time when they led by 31-7. All credit to the visitors as they managed the only score of the second half but went down by 31-12. Quins therefore ensured their place and a home match with Irish.
Bath took on Saracens in a bad tempered match at the Rec and after turning round with a five point lead went away in the second half to win 22-18. The aftermatch scuffle may have ramifications as Bath second row Justin Harrison faces a citing commission and any suspension would put him out of their semi final at Leicester who had demolished Bristol (report elsewhere).
Sale had done all they could to gatecrash the party with a bonus point victory over Northampton who themselves were hoping that their bonus point might clinch seventh spot in the league.In the end that hope was dashed with Wasps defeating a fading Gloucester 34-3 and securing that place for themselves.
Wasps now have to wait for the outcome of the European Shield final between Bourgoin and Northampton with the winner guaranteed a place in next season's major competition. A win for Northampton and Wasps are in the second level European Shield.
Second semi-final
The second semi final between Harlequins and London Irish took place at the Stoop with the winners knowing that Leicester were waiting in the final. With both teams having a reputation for open play the last thing that was expected was a niggling fractious match - but unfortunately that was what was served up. Neither team seemed to want to score and all the attacking talent on show combined to give a scoreless first half. The kickers of both teams (but expecially Quins) totally mislaid their radar with all six kicks in the first half going astray. Even more surprising was that the referee saw fit to only issue one yellow card in the first half (and that should have been red in my humble opinion) given the lengths Irish were going to to disrupt the Quins scrum.
Delon Armitage eventually got the scoreboard moving with the first successful kick at goal and then replacement second row James Hudson scored a try (converted by Armitage). With Quins 10 points down they started throwing the ball around with even more desperation and from one of these wild passes Mike Catt intercepted and cantered in for the second Irish try. Armitage's conversion was the final nail in Quins coffin and saw Irish through to their first play off final.