Aviva Premiership: Round 5 Review - Rain Never Stops Play

The ‘Great’ British weather did its best to ransack proceedings  in Round 5 of the Aviva Premiership however our hardy teams and fans triumphed as matches belied the testing conditions.

Saracens’ imperious performance at Twickenham Stadium means that they extend their reign at the top of the table, Exeter held onto their home record but he skin of their teeth and the Newcastle Falcons finally picked up their first table points of the year.

Under Northampton Saints’ Friday Night Lights the home side’s pack gave Gloucester Rugby’s a lesson in scrummaging and manoeuvre the home side to victory as Stephen Myler slotted his penalties. Northampton’s dominance manifested itself in Paddy McAllister being substituted after just twenty minutes however the Cherry and Whites continued to struggle. Behind the set piece it wasn’t a vintage affair as the two sides embroiled themselves in a game of kick tennis and didn’t really look like scoring for long periods. Victor Matfield’s entrance was a highlight however in short it was a night for the purists! Full Time Northampton Saints 15 Gloucester Rugby 3

At Twickenham Stadium Saracens were in imperious form and delivered a ruthless performance against Dean Ryan’s Worcester Warriors. In fairness to the Warriors few sides, in Europe, let alone the Aviva Premiership are able to keep with Saracens at the moment. Scrum-half Ben Spencer took his starting opportunity with both hands as he set up one try, scored another and distributed superbly. Chris Ashton reminded the stadium of his finishing ability and strengths in terms of support lines and Charlie Hodgson’s accuracy off the tee pushed him over the 2,500 Aviva Premiership points mark. Worcester showed the type of grit and character that we associate with them pushing until the end and being rewarded with tries from Joe Rees and captain GJ Van Velze however on the whole it was a tough day at the office. Full Time Saracens 48 Worcester Warriors 18 

The second fixture of the double header was between London Irish and Wasps. Tom Coventry said before the game that he hoped playing at Twickenham Stadium would ‘add a little bit of flavour’ to their performance and although the scoreline doesn’t suggest so, it did. Irish produced stoic defence for much of the match and made Wasps have to go through the gears to deliver their four tries. It won’t surprise anyone to know that Wasps’ Elliot Daly and Nathan Hughes were instrumental in their performance and should continue to turn Eddie Jones’ head with the latter available from June this year. The Exiles’ positives contained two tries from 19 year-old Johnny Williams who crossed for a third consecutive game, Alex Lewington’s attacking endeavour and Ben Franks’ impact in the set piece. Final Score London Irish 15 Wasps 33

At Sandy Park the Exeter Chiefs’ unbeaten home record was pushed to its limits against a Harlequins side that is determined to play and had an opportunity to take the game with a late Tim Sweil penalty. The two packs arm-wrested throughout and although Harlequins achieved a penalty try it didn't reflect the rest of the contest as Moray Low was off the field being treated at that point. Both sides are looking great going forwards, James Short continues to excel and Charlie Walker showed that anything Short can do he can do too. 21 points off Gareth Steenson’s boot underlies his value and assisted the Chiefs is prevailing after a slower opening half. At the end of the season this is likely to be one of the matches that Rob Baxter looks back on and circles as an important victory in the grand scheme of the competition. Full Time Exeter Chiefs 26 Harlequins 25

Exactly like at Sandy Park the AJ Bell Stadium crowd enjoyed a dramatic finish as Sale’s Danny Cipriani also had a last minute penalty to take the game. Cipriani had slotted his previous five attempts at goal however the all important sixth alluded him, much to his frustration. It won't surprise you to hear that the conditions weren’t conducive to attractive rugby with hammering rain and at times it did dampen the quality of the rugby. The Falcons’ defence looked much stronger than in previous rounds and their front row put in a good shift having done their homework on their opponents. It wasn’t a day to judge either side fully however frustration is the overarching Sharks’ feeling with Steve Diamond letting his side know ‘in no uncertain terms’ that he thinks they are underachieving. Full Time Sale Sharks 15 Newcastle Falcons 15

Finally at Welford Road the Leicester Tigers fought against biblical wind and rain and a Bath side that played all of the rugby to deliver their twelfth consecutive home victory. Bath started the game with purpose and looked to be out to produce the type of rugby we have been waiting for them as Kyle Eastmond’s early break and Antony Watson’s try set the tone. However for all of their possession they didn’t create more points and Telusa Veainu’s interception try proved to be a huge momentum shifter just before to half time. In the second half George Ford managed the conditions brilliantly using the wind to full advantage however the Tigers were resolute  , Bath made errors and then the home side took their opportunity when it arrived with Dan Cole scoring his first try in over 70 matches! Mike Williams was throughly deserving of his man of the match performance and the noise surrounding Brendon O’Connor will only increase after going toe to toe with Francois Louw for eighty minutes. It was a victory that Tigers will savour after being so comprehensively beaten by Bath on a number of occasions last year and one that will be hugely frustrating for Mike Ford and his team. Full Time Leicester Tigers 21 Bath Rugby 11