Aviva Premiership moments of Round 6
The Aviva Premiership Round 6 was the highest scoring round to date with plenty of drama and dramatic moments arriving all over the country.
From the Leicester Tigers’ colossal comeback at Sixways to the 68 point thriller at the Ricoh Arena we’ve plenty to talk about as we review some of the key moments of the round.
First let’s head to that cracker in Coventry where the Exeter Chiefs made their most emphatic statement of the season so far. The Chiefs’ driving maul was a sight to behold and something that Wasps didn’t ever have a comprehensive answer to. After 13 minutes Thomas Waldrom’s try, the first of three for the Tank Engine, set the tone for the afternoon. Needless to say the Chiefs employed the tactic of ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ and pushed themselves to an early 27-6 lead before Wasps awoke and wrestled the game back to 27-27. Once again it was the Chiefs’ pack that took matters into their own hands as they drove over from 5m out and from then on the Chiefs were never going to let the victory slip from their grasp.
Saturday afternoon’s match at Sixways saw the Worcester Warriors romp to a well deserved 17-0 victory before they suffered at the hands of Wayne Barnes’ cards and the Leicester Tigers finally waking up. This is a match that leaves you wondering what if? What if Donncha O'Callaghan hadn’t received a second yellow that automatically turned into red, just how would the match have panned out? Clearly working with a personnel deficit greatly hindered both Worcester’s confidence and their foothold in the game however at the same time the Tigers awoke. Telusa Veainu’s solo score again showed just what a great signing he is for the club and once they were back on a level terms, at 20-20, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Warriors.
Finally on Sunday afternoon the Newcastle Falcons hosted Saracens at Kingston Park. The opening half wasn’t the most inspiring that we have seen this term and indeed the game was moving along at a glacial pace until the final moments. However on 78 minutes Charlie Hodgson rolled back the years and ran in an interception try from inside his own half. This was exactly the spark that Saracens required and from there they sensed that the bonus point could be on!
Saracens ignored the clock and with the time in red they kept the ball alive and calmly made their way up the length of the field. Billy Vunipola was the man to finish their endeavour as he bulldozed over form close range and Saracens left the North East with the bonus point in hand. Two minutes before full time the match was a pedestrian affair however Charlie’s intervention awoke the visitors ‘appetites and it is for that reason this was Ben Kay’s Imagine Change moment of Round 6. The Round 6 victory means that Saracens finish the opening block of Premiership matches unbeaten and indeed are the only side in the Northern Hemisphere to have not lost this competitive season.
As a proud partner of Premiership Rugby, Ricoh is encouraging fans to share and discuss the game changing moments of the Aviva Premiership Rugby season using #ImagineChange. Follow @ImagineChangeUK to find out more!
