Aviva Premiership: Round 7 Review - New Year... Same ‘Great’ British Weather

Once again the Great British weather did it's best to thwart our Aviva Premiership weekend however in true hardy Brit style our Aviva Premiership teams defied the odds and delivered some noteworthy rugby.

Notably Saracens' pack annihilated the Leicester Tigers at Allianz Park, the Newcastle Falcons gained their first victory over Bath Rugby at Kingston Park since October 2003 and both Gloucester Rugby and the Worcester Warriors achieved handsome comebacks however only one ended victorious.

The rugby stated on a rainy New Year's Day at Franklin’s Gardens where Northampton Saints hosted the Exeter Chiefs.  The form book was certainly in the favour of the Chiefs however for one reason or another Rob Baxter’s side simply couldn’t turn it on. It wasn’t a beautiful game, far from it and in attack the Saints still didn’t have all of the answers however their  defence held strong and once again their pack pack did the business. Rob Baxter admitted that he ‘couldn't put his finger on why’ his side weren’t at the races however Gareth Steenson's late penalty meant that they left with a losing bonus-point and will brush this one off quickly. Standout performances from Mikey Haywood and Tom Collins were the highlight on an otherwise fairly forgettable Premiership affair to start the new calendar year.  Full Time Northampton Saints 8 Exeter Chiefs 3

In a Kingsholm mud fest that any festival would be proud of Gloucester Rugby produced an impressive comeback to take the result against London Irish. The visitors were the quicker of the two sides to start; Ciaran Hearn crossed for his first try in Exiles' colours and then Alex Lewington brilliantly took a perfectly weighted cross field kick from Chris Noakes. However in the second-half Gloucester's pack took hold and the home side showed the confidence and endeavour of one that is slightly more secure in their own skin. The tries from Matt Kvesic and Billy Burns added to 17-points from James Hook's boot in order to finally secure the victory the hard way and start the new year in the right way. Full Time Gloucester Rugby 27 London Irish 14

At Kingston Park the Newcastle Falcons welcomed Bath Rugby to town and recorded their first-ever victory over the visitors at home since October 2003. This is yet another indication that in this competition anything can happen and certainly mixes things up at the foot of the table. Bath Rugby will be frustrated and annoyed with themselves, their discipline still continues to plague them giving away 14 penalties in total, as do the personal errors that they just can't shake off. Conversely although the Falcons missed points their Director of Rugby thought that 'they came up with the goods and deserved it'. Needless to say it was a useful four-points for the home team and strong character shown by 22-year-old fly-half Craig Willis to nail the final two penalties of the afternoon. For Bath Rugby the questions will now come in thick and fast, just what isn't working? How can it be fixed? They’ll need to find the answers quickly as they have a Champions Cup meeting with Toulon to contend with and the three time European Champions aren't a forgiving bunch. Full Time Newcastle Falcons 19 Bath Rugby 14

The match at the AJ Bell Stadium between the Sale Sharks and Wasps was another that was played in conditions that you can only describe as 'less than ideal'. The visitors we know have a backline that can thrill however in the wind and rain weren't able to fully do so. In contrast the Manchester based home side were a little more wily and had the local knowledge to nudge out the fixture. Danny Cipriani's boot was the source of all Sale's 15-points and his Man of the Match rewarded was thoroughly deserved and with that the calls for his England inclusion are becoming louder again. Both sides had try-scoring opportunities however Sam Tuitupou and Rob Miller couldn't finish them due to a combination of the inclement weather and some very good cover defence. It wasn't always a free flowing game of rugby however that won't trouble Steve Diamond in the slightest however for Wasps their winless Premiership run continues. Full Time Sale Sharks 15 Wasps 9

At Allianz Park Saracens produced an almighty second-half performance to send the Leicester Tigers back up the M1 with nothing in their pockets. The performance of Mark McCall's pack was one of the strongest that we've seen from any Premiership side as they took the Leicester pack to the cleaners. The net result was a five-pointer from Jamie George and three penalty tries in total; the home side played the conditions well and like they've done many times before inflicted a strangle hold on their opponents. Losing both Tom Croft and Ed Slater to injuries didn't help the visitors at all as they are key men however overall the Tigers lacked the bite required. Full Time Saracens 26 Leicester Tigers 6

The final match of the weekend, indeed the only Sunday fixture, was at Sixways where the Worcester Warriors welcomed Harlequins to town. This was a thriller that included 5 tries in total and the home side coming back from 3-24 down to the final score of 20-24. Harlequins started the better of the two sides with Charlie Walker showcasing his electric feet, twice, and Luke Wallace finishing a driving maul score however Dean Ryan's side weren't ready to lie down and take the loss. In the second-half Ryan Mills' kicking out of hand was put them into all of the right areas of the field, Marco Mama started the try-scoring and his scored was followed by a penalty try and another of from Phil Dowson. Mills’ conversion attempt never looked like it was going through the posts, which was a shame as we could have had another grandstand drop-goal finish at Sixways, instead Harlequins held on and gained the W with the final whistle.  Full Time Worcester Warriors 20 Harlequins 24