Aviva Premiership: Week 12 Review

Exeter 9-11 Harlequins

Harlequins bounced back from their first Premiership defeat of the season as they overcame Exeter Chiefs in a tight encounter at Sandy Park.

Danny Care's unconverted score after just three minutes gave Quins the perfect start but the home side recovered well and took the lead through two penalties from Ignacio Mieres. The visitors regained the lead just before half-time when Rory Clegg slotted his first penalty of the afternoon as the pendulum continued to swing.

In a second half that was desperately short on scoring opportunities, Exeter thought they had won the game when replacement kicker Gareth Steenson was successful with a penalty six minutes from time. But it was the league leaders who snatched victory when, with just three minutes remaining, Clegg bisected the posts with his second penalty and handed Quins the win by the smallest of margins.

 

Newcastle 14-32 Northampton

Northampton Saints climbed to third in the Aviva Premiership table with a deserved bonus-point victory over bottom side Newcastle Falcons.

The visitors raced into a 10-0 lead with a Ryan Lamb penalty and a converted try from Ben Foden before Newcastle closed the gap to two points with a penalty from Jimmy Gopperth and an unconverted Suka Hufanga score. Lamb and Gopperth then exchanged penalties before half-time as Saints led 13-11 at the break.

Gopperth struck a penalty early in the second half to give Falcons the lead but that was as good as it got for Alan Tait's side as Northampton then ran riot. Foden's second try added to further scores from Soane Tonga'uiha and Tom May as the Saints ran out convincing winners and confirmed their place as the form side in the league.

 

Bath 30-3 London Irish

Bath made a stunning return to form as they thumped London Irish by 27 points at the Rec on New Years' Day.

The home side took the lead through a converted try from Anthony Perenise before Stephen Donald's first penalty extended the advantage. Tom Homer then slotted a penalty for Irish to close the gap to seven points at half-time but the visitors were then outclassed in the second period.

Donald struck his second penalty early in the second half before Michael Claassens dived over to extend the hosts' lead to seventeen points. A third penalty from Donald furthered the gap before the same player converted a penalty try with six minutes remaining to give Bath a comfortable victory and stop Irish's climb of the table firmly in its' tracks.

 

Leicester 28-23 Sale

Leicester Tigers saw off a brave effort from Sale Sharks at Welford Road to move into the Aviva Premiership play-off places.

The hosts took a commanding lead through an early penalty try, a converted score from skipper Geordan Murphy and a Toby Flood penalty. Sale responded quickly with a converted try from second row Fraser McKenzie and a penalty from Nick MacLeod, leaving them 17-10 behind at the interval.

MacLeod and Flood swapped penalties early in the second half before Alesana Tuilagi's try for the home side put them firmly in charge. Rob Miller's sensational converted try then put the visitors within five points as they looked set to turn the game on its head.

Flood's third penalty ended the game as contest with ten minutes to go but MacLeod's late drop-goal ensured that Sale took a much-deserved losing bonus point from a wonderful.

Saracens 15-15 Gloucester

A late penalty from Freddie Burns earned Gloucester a share of the spoils with Saracens at Vicarage Road on New Years' Day.

Owen Farrell kicked Sarries' first points with his opening penalty but Burns soon levelled matters with first effort from the tee. Torrential rain was making it difficult for both sides to play any attractive rugby but that didn't bother Farrell as his struck two more penalties to put the home side 9-3 in front.

Burns reduced the arrears just before half-time with his second penalty but Farrell's fourth successful effort soon cancelled that out early in the second half. Handling errors were frequent in the terrible conditions and Burns bisected the posts twice more to level up the game at 12-12.

Saracens may have thought they had clinched victory when Farrell stepped up and slotted his fifth penalty of the afternoon but with just two minutes remaining, the ever-reliable Burns put his final three points on the board and secured a vital draw for the Cherry and Whites.

 

Wasps 0-6 Worcester

Worcester recorded a priceless away win at London Wasps and at the same time recorded their first Premiership victory on the road for nearly three years.

In what was ultimately a scrappy encounter at Adams Park, the first half was a scoreless affair until Worcester's Joe Carlisle slotted a penalty on the stroke of half-time to give the away side a slender advantage.

Warriors' winger Marcel Garvey was sin-binned early in the second half but Wasps could not put themselves on the scoreboard in his absence; a missed chance that was to prove crucial later in the game.

Carlisle kicked his second penalty ten minutes from time to secure a solid, if unspectacular, away win for his side and ensure that they move above Wasps in the Aviva Premiership table.