2013/14 Aviva Premiership Review - Round 17

Round 17 of the Aviva Premiership was one of the most emotional rounds yet. It produced massive highs and extreme lows and continued to show exactly why the Aviva Premiership is one of the most exciting and competitive leagues in the world. 

On Friday Night at Sixways Worcester hosted London Wasps in a hugely tense encounter that once again ended with a home loss. Dean Ryan hit the nail on the head in his post-match interview: “Sport is pretty cruel, you throw everything that you've got at it and sometimes you don’t get what you deserve, it is really tough take and it hurts”.

His side have certainly experienced a huge amount of heartbreak already this year; however, the result on Friday night would have hurt the most. For 80 minutes Worcester had control of the game, they worked themselves into the ground and even started to play with confidence.

Although, once the clock had gone red Jake Cooper-Woolley's try and Andy Goode's conversion snatched the match away from them and that was that. Prior to that point Wasps had hardly entered the Worcester 22 and had delivered a performance that lacked precision and penetration. Final Score Worcester Warriors 11 – London Wasps 13.

The shock of the weekend came at the AJ Bell Stadium as the Sale Sharks comprehensively swept aside the Northampton Saints... something that they haven’t been able to do since 2011.

The Saints were forced into a late change when Stephen Myler pulled out through injury and that meant Will Hooley was thrust into the limelight to gain his first ever Premiership start.

An early Mark Cueto try set Sale on their way and they proceeded to cross the try line twice more before half time. Northampton looked disjointed and didn’t achieve the level of fluidity that we expect from them.

Sale defended as if their lives depended on it and when the elements worsened and Saints came back at them they dug their heels in and secured the win.  Final Score Sale Sharks 19 – Northampton Saints 6

On Saturday afternoon Kingsholm was treated to 73 points from 10 tries, 7 conversions and 3 penalties.

Gloucester looked to have the match wrapped up on 60 minutes with a 37-7 lead over Newcastle; however, then they crumbled and in the words of Nigel Davies “fell off a cliff”.

The Falcons came back all-guns-blazing and gained a valuable two points from the match - something that will have caused Worcester hearts to break even more.

Once again Rob Cook put in a strong performance for Gloucester and for the Falcons their back line looked sprightlier than it has done all year, led by the dynamic duo Sinoti Sinoti and Noah Cato.  Final Score Gloucester Rugby 40 – Newcastle Falcons 33

On Saturday afternoon in North London it was a Derby Day with a difference as Premiership Rugby took over Wembley Stadium. In front of 83,889 rugby fans Saracens crossed the whitewash five times to gain a bonus point in front of their World Record Crowd.

It should worry all of the other teams in the Premiership that in the post-match press conference Mark McCall described the changing room as a ‘frustrated one’ and said there was 'much to improve on' before Wasps next weekend. 

Farrell commanded the game superbly; Brits’ dancing feet were a thing of pure beauty and Burger continued to tackle like a man possessed.

Harlequins had a difficult day at the office as we all thought that they might do; however, there were some positives to take away. Their 20 year old tighthead Kyle Sinckler delivered the game of his life and was highlighted by Conor O’Shea as a ‘one to watch’ and Luke Wallace put in a shift and a half in the back row, though, on the whole, Quins were their own worst enemies. Final Score Saracens 39 – Harlequins 17

It was an emotional day at the Madjeski Stadium on Saturday afternoon as London Irish celebrated their annual St Patricks Day Party and said goodbye to their club captain Declan Danaher who retired after 17 years of playing for the club.

Bath did not allow themselves to be engulfed in the emotion of the day, though, as they expertly crashed the Irish party; although it did take them a little while to do so.

The Exiles fought hard, playing with good continuity and kept in touch with their opponents for the first forty minutes. In the second forty it was all about Bath and their blockbuster backs: Stringer, Rokoduguni, Watson, Eastmond and Abendanon, who, together, ignited the match and worked hard to secure the bonus point win. Once again George Ford was outstanding... he scored 24 points and made 30 tackles to guide his team to victory. Final Score London Irish 23 – Bath Rugby 44

At Welford Road the Leicester Tigers welcomed the Exeter Chiefs and despite a hearty Exeter performance the Tigers simply had too much to handle and out muscled their opponents.

Niki Goneva provided us with another master-class in rugby; Ben Youngs showed he has benefitted from consistent club game time during the 6 Nations and Muilpola's all-around game was outstanding.

Exeter showed a lot of heart, they worked hard at the breakdown and never gave in; Henry Slade had an assured day although he will want to improve his kicking percentage from the tee.

The Leicester Tigers are building exactly when it matters and with 6 rounds to go and they now have a little points cushion between themselves and Sale in 5th.  Final Score Leicester Tigers 45 – Exeter Chiefs 15