Gloucester, Saracens and Falcons win, Sale rampant
Gloucester, Sale, Saracens and Newcastle claimed wins over London Irish, Worcester, Harlequins and Northampton in the Premiership on Saturday.
London Irish 29-33 Gloucester
St.Patrick's Day flavour in Berkshire did its best to help new technical consultant Declan Kidney feel right at home as he took his bow in London Irish colours, but Johan Ackermann's side extended no such house warming present to the 2009 Grand Slam winning coach.
With Newcastle playing later on Saturday afternoon and Leicester taking on Wasps 24 hours later, Gloucester knew a win would put them into the top four; if only momentarily.
The first 25 minutes could have spectators thinking it was Irish with aspirations of the top four; cruising into a 17-0 lead. James Marshall's penalty opened the scoring before second-row Josh McNally went over. The home side retaining possession for long periods in the Gloucester 22 and after some high phase play McNally was pushed over.
Shortly after, with the momentum firmly in the London Irish corner, a penalty was kicked to the corner and a driving maul was formed following a retained lineout. Piet van Zyl fooled the visiting defence with a show and go to waltz over the try line.
With 25 minutes on the clock London Irish had in excess of 75% possession and territory and showed no signs of slowing up. The Cherry & Whites, without a win since early February, soon came to the fore though with three tries in a little over ten minutes tipping the contest on its head.
James Hanson got the first after an attacking lineout culminated in the front-row going over under the posts. Billy Twelvetrees converted after coming on to temporarily replaced Billy Burns. The former Leicester man featuring prominently in Gloucester's second when he popped the ball up for Tom Marshall to run over after Henry Trinder had gone to within five minutes.
The comeback was complete a few minutes later with Lewis Ludlow diving over unopposed in the right hand corner. The score owing much to a Willi Heinz break after the scrum-half kicked ahead and regathered; the ball was then switched across the field to allow the flanker to score.
A whirlwind opening 40 had thrown Gloucester into the ascendancy and there was little let up after the interval. Ackermann thought his side had secured the bonus point when they crossed in the corner but it was chalked off after a block was noticed in the build up. Their South African coach didn't have to wait long though to see Mark Atkinson slip through some poor tackle attempts to run over for try number four.
A fifth try came shortly after in acrobatic style when Marshall scored his second of the day. Gloucester cut through the Irish defence and the winger had to evade the covering defence by dotting down right by the touchline.
With the score 33-17 it looked as if the hosts were running out of ideas but, as has been so often this season, they staged a late comeback to rival Gloucester's own. First fly-half Theo Brophy Clews slid off some lacklustre tackles to dive over and allow Tommy Bell to add the extras.
With ten minutes remaining London Irish then cut the gap to four points when winger Joe Coganasiga utilised his speed and power to go over in the corner despite the best efforts of the Gloucester defence.
With the contest drawing to a close Gloucester exercised some excellent game management; playing the territory game well and allowing Irish little attack opportunity to see out what was a riveting contest.
The scorers:
For London Irish:
Tries: McNally, Van Zyl, Brophy Clews, Cokanasiga
Cons: Marshall 2, Bell
Pen: Marshall
For Gloucester:
Tries: Hanson, Marshall 2, Ludlow, Atkinson
Cons: Twelvetrees 2, Burns 2
London Irish: 15 James Marshall, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Tom Fowlie, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Theo Brophy Clews, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Ofisa Treviranus, 7 Conor Gilsenan, 6 Arno Botha, 5 Josh McNally, 4 Franco van der Merwe (c), 3 Ollie Hoskins, 2 David Paice, 1 Ben Franks
Replacements: 16 Dave Porecki, 17 Harry Elrington, 18 Petrus Du Plessis, 19 Sebastian De Chaves, 20 Jake Schatz, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Tommy Bell, 23 Aseli Tikoirotuma
Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Mark Atkinson, 11 Tom Marshall, 10 Billy Burns, 9 Willi Heinz (c), 8 Ruan Ackermann, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Jake Polledri, 5 Mariano Galarza; 4 Tom Savage, 3 John Afoa, 2 James Hanson, 1 Josh Hohneck
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu'u, 17 Val Rapava Ruskin, 18 Gareth Denman, 19 Jeremy Thrush, 20 Freddie Clarke, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Billy Twelvetrees, 23 Tom Hudson
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant referees: Adam Leal, Paul Burton
TMO: Martin Fox
Sale 58-25 Worcester
Sale Sharks' league position on Saturday morning had them as close to the trap door as it did to the much sought after final play-off spot. Looks can be deceiving however and what was a seven point deficit to fourth place is now just three.
Within the opening ten minutes Sale were 12 points ahead courtesy of two Worcester errors. Firstly capitalising on a knock on that allowed Marland Yarde to assist Ben Curry in going over. AJ MacGinty adding the extras.
A second Worcester knock on, this time with them on the attack, allowed Yarde to combine with Mike Haley and Faf de Klerk in executing a perfect counter attack that culminated in the South African crossing the whitewash.
A MacGinty penalty pushed the score out to 15-0 before Worcester fly-half Jamie Shillcock kicked to penalties of his own to reduced the gap somewhat. That deficit soon widened however as Steve Diamond saw his side secure the bonus point before the interval.
Yarde, after featuring prominently in the opening two scores, put his name on the scoresheet as he dotted down in the left corner. The fourth coming after lock Andrei Ostrikov went bounding down the wing before offloading to Denny Solomona who strolled over.
The Warriors scored a try of their own early in the second half when Wales wing Josh Adams read a Sam James pass to run the length of the field and score under the posts allowing for an easy conversion.
The Sharks responded instantly however when full-back Mike Hakey fielded a clearing kick before running through the Worcester defence to score an excellent solo try. Try number six of the day was a far more collective effort with Josh Strauss the beneficiary of a driving maul that had begun after Sale retained their own lineout. The number eight making the score 41-13.
Scotsman Byron McGuigan was introduced into the game just before the hour mark and the internal wingers competition continued. On the field a little over two minutes and McGuigan chased onto a MacGinty kid before hacking on himself to go under the posts.
Worcester's winger Adams then exploited a gap in an overexcited Sale defence to bag a brace of his own. De Klerk kicked a further three points before the AJ Bell were treated to a tenth try of the day courtesy of Wallaby James O'Connor. The replacement going over from close range after the ball was well recycled in the Worcester 22.
Sale's scoring for the day even if Worcester's didn't. Inside centre Jackson Willison scoring with two minutes left on the clock in what was an entertaining if immensely one sided clash and Sale's top four ambitions gain yet more legitimacy.
The scorers:
For Sale:
Tries: B Curry, De Klerk, Yarde, Solomona, Haley, Strauss, McGuigan, O'Connor
Cons: MacGinty 5
Pens: MacGinty, De Klerk
For Worcester:
Tries: Adams 2, Willison
Cons: Shillcock, Olver
Pens: Shillcock 2
Yellow Card: Barry
Sale Sharks: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Denny Solomona, 13 Will Addison (c), 12 Sam James, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Ben Curry, 6 Jono Ross, 5 Andrei Ostrikov, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Marc Jones, 17 James Flynn, 18 Alexandru Tarus, 19 Josh Beaumont, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Will Cliff, 22 James O'Connor, 23 Byron McGuigan
Worcester Warriors: 15 Josh Adams 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Ben Te’o, 12 Jackson Willison, 11 Dean Hammond, 10 Jamie Shillcock, 9 Jonny Arr, 8 GJ van Velze (c), 7 Alafoti Faosiliva, 6 David Denton, 5 Will Spencer, 4 Darren Barry, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Ethan Waller
Replacements: 16 Kurt Haupt, 17 Ryan Bower, 18 Gareth Milasinovich, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Matt Cox, 21 Michael Dowsett, 22 Sam Olver, 23 Tom Howe
Referee: Andrew Jackson
Assistant referees: Steve Lee, Peter Allan
TMO: Trevor Fisher
Saracens 24-11 Harlequins
The Olympic summer of 2012 gripped England's public with a passionate craze and desire to succeed, this spring their rugby side has done little to replicate such feelings but in the stadium where pandaemonium became a daily occurrence rugby took centre stage.
Two stalwarts of a once upwardly mobile and now stuttering England side Jamie George and Maro Itoje returned immediately from international duty with the latter silencing his critics of recent weeks. A first try of the season capped a virtuoso performance for the second-row.
Saracens further cementing their control over London, proving that inside or outside the M25 loop they are the capital's premier side.
Alex Lozowski kicked an early penalty to put Saracens 3-0 up before they exercised their running game. The initial break coming from Sean Maitland off his wing to venture deep into Harlequins territory. The ball, quickly recycled, went through the hands before Alex Goode provided the final pass for Liam Williams to dot down in the corner.
Sarries doubled digit lead was cut to four points courtesy of two Dimitri Catrakilis penalties; the fly-half continuing his comeback from injury. It was short lived though as he was withdrawn, hampered by injury, to see his colleague Marcus Smith assume the role he has occupied for much of this year.
Itoje, acting as first receiver, then reasserted Saracens vice grip on the contest as he cut through some poor tackle attempts to dive over. Lozowski missed the conversion but atoned when he kicked the first points of the second 40 with a penalty.
Harlequins wrestled their way back into the contest after sustained pressure. Australian James Horwill continued his impressive try scoring record against the European champions when he barged his way over. A third Lozowski penalty of the day made the score 21-11.
Francis Saili came off the bench to add his inevitable energy and the former Munster man thought he pulled Quins back into the contest only to see his try chalked off by the referee. With Harlequins pushing Saracens task was made harder when replacement Max Malins was sent to the sin bin for the final ten minutes.
Quins efforts were continually undone by basic errors and a late Lozowski penalty sealed the contest and handed Saracens the victory and their temporary home for the day.
The scorers:
For Saracens:
Tries: Williams, Itoje
Cons: Lozowski
Pens: Lozowski 4
Yellow Card: Malins
For Harlequins:
Try: Horwill
Pens: Catrakilis 2
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Liam Williams, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Alex Lozowski, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Jamie George, 1 Richard Barrington
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Titi Lamositele, 19 Ben Earl, 20 Blair Cowan, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Max Malins, 23 Chris Wyles
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Alofa Alofa, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Danny Care, 8 James Chisholm, 7 Luke Wallace, 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 James Horwill (c), 4 Charlie Matthews, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Joe Gray, 1 Mark Lambert
Replacements: 16 Dave Ward, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Collier, 19 Mat Luamanu, 20 Jack Clifford, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Francis Saili
Referee: Tom Foley
Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe, Jonathan Healy
TMO: Graham Hughes
Newcastle 25-22 Northampton
Newcastle moved up to third position in the Premiership standings after they beat Northampton Saints 25-22 at St James' Park on Saturday.
This result lifts them above Wasps, provisionally at least, and three points behind Saracens in second, with Saints remaining in tenth spot.
The Falcons led 16-12 at the half-time break after Vereniki Goneva's 22nd minute try and the boot of Toby Flood gave them the upper hand.
David Ribbans and Rob Horne did cross for Northampton Saints in the opening 40 minutes, with the game looking set to go down to the wire.
Flood extended the Falcons' lead to seven points with a 43rd minute penalty but when Nafi Tuitavake scored for Saints it was a tied game.
The Falcons fly-half and opposite number Stephen Myler would then trade a penalty apiece at goal to make it 22-22 before Flood struck on 67 minutes, with that the final score of a game that ended with Northampton pressing on the Falcons ten-metre before George North knocked on.
The scorers:
For Newcastle:
Try: Goneva
Con: Flood
Pens: Flood 6
For Northampton:
Tries: Ribbans, Horne, Tuitavake
Cons: Myler 2
Pen: Myler
Newcastle Falcons: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Michael Young, 8 Nili Latu, 7 Will Welch (c), 6 Evan Olmstead, 5 Sean Robinson, 4 Calum Green, 3 Trevor Davison, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Sam Lockwood
Replacements: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Rob Vickers, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Will Witty, 20 Ally Hogg, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Maxime Mermoz
Northampton Saints: 15 Ahsee Tuala, 14 Nafi Tuitavake, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Piers Francis, 11 George North, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Ben Nutley, 7 Jamie Gibson, 6 David Ribbans, 5 Christian Day (c), 4 Api Ratuniyawara, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Mikey Haywood, 1 Campese Ma’afu
Replacements: 16 Reece Marshall, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 19 Michael Paterson, 20 Mitch Eadie, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Harry Mallinder, 23 Ben Foden
Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant referees: Ian Tempest, Hamish Smales
TMO: Sean Davey