Category: Premiership Rugby

• Bath fend off bottom side Newcastle with 28-17 victory
• Tom O’Flaherty caps Sale’s bonus-point win at Leicester

Bath moved a step closer to the Premiership playoffs with a 28-17 win over rock-bottom Newcastle at Kingston Park. The away side secured the attacking bonus point in a rampant first half – Thomas du Toit, Ben Spencer, Joe Cokanasiga and Matt Gallagher all scoring tries – with only Jamie Blamire’s double providing respite for their opponents.

Finn Russell, returning after a groin injury, was imperious from the tee, nailing all four conversions to give his side a commanding 28-10 lead at half-time. Sam Stuart’s try after the interval was reward for a spirited display from the home side, who stopped Bath from adding any points to their first-half haul – but there was no comeback for the crowd to savour, with Bath moving second.

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• Vunipola given formal warning after incident in Mallorca
• Forward cleared to play for Saracens in league and playoffs

Billy Vunipola is free to finish the season with Saracens after escaping a suspension from the Rugby Football Union, which has instead issued the No 8 with a formal warning following his arrest in Mallorca.

The RFU has warned Vunipola according to its rule that governs misconduct but, having considered the forward’s contrition and “the circumstances around the incident”, the union has not seen fit to take further disciplinary action. In effect, the RFU has given Vunipola – who is set to move to France in the summer – a slap on the wrist.

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Saracens’ momentum and knockout rugby experience stands out as all eight teams face the season’s crucial remaining weeks

Whatever happens in the remaining weeks of the season it has been a year to remember for Northampton who pushed Leinster close last weekend and are expected to seal their place in the playoffs on Saturday against Gloucester. A raft of youngsters who emerged under Chris Boyd – who remains an influential presence on the other end of the phone to director of rugby Phil Dowson and head coach Sam Vesty – have peaked while Saints are reaping the rewards of Courtney Lawes’s international retirement and have picked up clever signings in Curtis Langdon and Tom Pearson. All the while Fin Smith continues to look an elite Test fly-half despite only turning 22 on Saturday. It has made Northampton a thrilling side to watch this season with a defensive resilience – after bulking up in preseason – allied to their unmatched attacking game. Defeat by Bath on the final day might just see them knocked off top spot but Northampton won’t care as long as they secure a home semi-final.

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Fewer players in fewer teams, rule changes and a relentless season have combined to create a thrilling climax to the league

In the minutes after Harlequins’ Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Toulouse on Sunday, the sense of frustration, of missed opportunity, was palpable. To a man they believed they would have pulled off the greatest European victory in their history without making quite so many first-half mistakes. “You know that emoji with the monkey face? That’s how I feel,” said Danny Care. “We genuinely felt we could get close against a team as good as Toulouse and could have won. Maybe we should have. Now it’s back to the Premiership and we’ve got to dry our tears pretty quickly.”

They then made a hurried exit stage left, promptly drying those tears because they face a trip to Exeter on Saturday, a six-day turnaround for a match that will go a long way to determining whether they reach the Premiership semi-finals. If they win it then the same could be said for their final regular-season match, against Bristol. It is quite the run of fixtures for Quins, but then most of the sides in the top eight of the leagueface the same predicament.

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The vibrancy of domestic game on field is something to enjoy but no one should lose sight of certain financial realities

They published the annual salary-cap report last week. Premier Rugby has turned this into quite the glossy document, as if to underscore how seriously the concept of the salary cap is taken these days.

Poignantly, this is the first time since You Know What that Saracens finished the season as champions. Thus they were subjected to the extended audit they themselves inspired, whereby the champion club have their emails and text messages forensically imaged and searched. “Saracens should be commended on their approach, support and full compliance,” says the report. Oh, brave new world!

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• Bath 12-15 Saracens
• Fly-half seals points after home side rally

There are plenty of would-be contenders to win this year’s Premiership but they still have to prise Saracens’s stubborn fingers off the trophy. When push comes to shove the defending champions tend to raise their game and a resolute defensive display was rewarded when Owen Farrell kicked the winning penalty goal three minutes from time to edge a tense contest.

So much for the increasing trend towards wide open, free-flowing Premiership try-fests. This was a frequently rugged, old school game, ultimately shaped by defensive commitment, and when the dust finally settled it was Sarries who emerged best placed to secure a potential home semi-final when the playoffs commence next month.

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Scrum-half guides playoff-chasing Bears around at a whirring tempo and he also has his eye on an England Test recall

Trying to catch lightning in a cider bottle would be only slightly harder right now than containing Bristol’s dazzling attacking game. The Bears have been averaging 50 points per match in winning five successive league fixtures and, before Saturday’s crucial visit to Leicester, are playing with a freedom and momentum few of their playoff-chasing rivals can match.

Setting the pace has been their pocket dynamo Harry Randall, who guides his team around the field at such a whirring tempo they are blowing opponents away. Last week they put 85 points on a hapless Newcastle and when Randall last played at Welford Road a couple of months ago he starred in England A’s 91-5 win over Portugal, underlining his credentials as a classy catalyst who could add a further spark to the senior England team.

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