Aviva Premiership 2014/15 Round 12 Review

Across the country there were no signs of New Year’s hangovers as our Aviva Premiership sides delivered a superb round of domestic rugby. From the bright lights at Franklin’s Gardens to the jam packed Ricoh Arena and everywhere in between it was, quite simply, a delightful weekend of action.

The Northampton Saints had the honour of kicking off domestic rugby in 2015 and just like in Round 1 of this year’s competitive they do so in style, however the Newcastle Falcons pushed them all the way in a superb fixture at Franklin’s Gardens. The match delivered a try scoring bonus point a piece and a view of some of the best rugby that we have seen this season. Saints’ offloading game is a thing of rugby beauty, Ben Foden was majestic and Stephen Myler again stated his case for further International recognition. The Falcons were more than worthy opponents, physically strong in defence, asking questions of Saints at scrum time and potent in attack. Again Tom Catterick turned heads at fly half and in Chris Harris Dean Richard’s has unearthed a real gem of a player. It was a night that showcased the best of both sides and a thoroughly entertaining 80 minutes of rugby. Final Score Northampton Saints 39 Newcastle Falcons 31

On Saturday afternoon Allianz Park was the venue for Saracens' first game of the year as they entertained London Irish. Two David Strettle tries, a monstrous performance from Billy Vunipola and the accurate boot of Owen Farrell sealed the deal for the home side as they dealt with the conditions sensibly and showcased the depth of their squad. Historically London Irish have performed well at Allianz Park, they are one of only two teams to have ever beaten Saracens there, however a poor first half put them on the back foot. Brian Smith shared after the game that he had 'pretty strong words' with his side at half time and asked them to set up and be counted for in the second. Irish did so with Alex Lewington looking particularly strong however the solid brick wall that was Saracens' defence, led by the mid field trio of Farrell, Taylor and Tompkins, never fell. Final Score Saracens 22 London Irish 6

The Exeter Chiefs’ 100th game in the Aviva Premiership game did not end as planned as they narrowly lost a pulsating match to Gloucester Rugby on home soil. Gareth Steenson missed a conversion late on in the match and the visitors held firm until Andrew Small blew the final whistle. It was truly a game of two halves; the first delivered just 6 points from the boot of Greig Laidlaw however the second was a breathless encounter that provided no less than 45 points. Exeter will rue their missed chances in the first half as, in the words of Rob Baxter; they ‘put a lot together but didn’t finish anything off’. Jack Nowell played a blinder for the home side and it was his try on 49 minutes ignited proceedings whilst once again the aforementioned Greig Lawidlaw took the bull by the horns for the Cherry & Whites. Ben Morgan sealed his re-signing with what proved to be a winning try on and day in which neither side deserved to lose. Heartbreaking for Exeter however it could be season defining for Gloucester such was the strength of character that they had to show to finish off the match. Final Score Exeter Chiefs 25 Gloucester Rugby 26

Wasps continued to enjoy life at their brand new home as they brushed aside the Sale Sharks with ease and secured their second home bonus point victory. Wasps inflicted the killer blows during the first forty minutes as Christian Wade ran circles around Sale and collectively they scored three first class tries. Sale weren’t allowed into the game, up front their forwards struggled and they weren’t allowed to finish anything. Joe Simpson’s second try of the day secured Wasps’ bonus point on 45 minutes and after that the game lost a little bit of its sparkle. Sale won’t take too much from their trip down to the Ricoh other than a few bumps and bruises, a game to forget for Steve Diamond’s men whilst Wasps move up to fourth in the table and march on to Bath with a swagger in their step. Final Score Wasps 41 Sale Sharks 16

At Welford Road Leicester finally put to bed the nightmare that was Saturday 20th September at The Rec with a gutsy 17-8 win however Bath failed to adapt to the run of Matthew Carley’s whistle and that cost due to the accuracy of Owen Williams’ boot. The work rate and performance of one Tiger in particular must be noted, a certain Tom Youngs, for he was at the heart of a dominant set piece. In his first Premiership start Sam Burgess was denied what would have been a memorable first Aviva Premiership try however it really wasn’t Bath’s day. Instead, it was a day in which Tigers’ spirit shone and even Richard Cockerill was satisfied as he described it as a ‘massive win and a great building block’. Final Score Leicester Tigers 17 Bath Rugby 8

The final game of the weekend was at the Kassam Stadium where London Welsh endeavoured to gain their first win of the Aviva Premiership season over Harlequins. For periods of the game London Welsh led proceedings however eventually the confidence of Harlequins over took as Justin Burnell's men struggled to have to belief and power to finish things off. It was exactly the type of start that the home side needed with a Paul Rowley try on 21 minutes however when Harlequins did switch on they were more clinical and took their opportunities with both hands. It was a game in which London Welsh truly deserved to get something from for they are edging closer each week to that first Aviva Premiership win.  Harlequins won’t dwell on the fixture too much; Conor O’Shea described it as ‘scratchy’ and he’ll be ready to field some of his more experienced players at home to the Leicester Tigers in Round 13. Final Score London Welsh 13 Harlequins 24