Premiership power rankings: Gloucester and Harlequins drop down the ladder as new leader confirmed
Saracens have climbed to the top of the power rankings for the first time this season.
Following the conclusion of Round Three of the Premiership season, here are our power rankings based on the teams’ results and performances from their respective fixtures.
10. Newcastle Falcons (-)
Once again, the Falcons find themselves bottom of the power rankings. Steve Diamond’s side fell to their third defeat in three games against Leicester Tigers, but it was arguably the worst one yet, as they were blown away by their opponents. They have made a point of being more competitive this year, but they didn’t really lay a finger on Leicester at Kingston Park.
9. Exeter Chiefs (-)
Sitting just – and only just – above Newcastle in the power rankings are Exeter, after their heavy defeat to Saracens. Rob Baxter’s side seem incredibly low on confidence following their opening two defeats, which in turn is making everything rushed in their play. They STILL cannot finish off the chances they create, and worryingly couldn’t get over the gainline. Key players Henry Slade, Dafydd Jenkins and Jacques Vermeulen are still to come back into the mix; which could be the catalyst for their season, but it’s tough going for Exeter at the moment.
8. Harlequins (-3)
Should have won against Northampton, but let a huge lead slip; which you simply cannot do if you want to compete for silverware. Quins are still down on troops, and notably experienced troops at that; which probably explains why they let their foot off the gas. This performance almost served as the true metaphor for Quins; when they were good, they were excellent, but when they slip off this standard they quickly unravel.
7. Gloucester (-3)
Another big climber this weekend is Gloucester, after their narrow loss to Sale. Whilst a three-place jump in the power rankings following a four-point might seem harsh, you felt this was the perfect chance for them to do a number on the Sharks. Alex Sanderson’s side are without some key men, but the Cherry and Whites couldn’t make the most of this. You can tell they have improved from last year though.
6. Northampton Saints (+1)
After their fantastic comeback against Harlequins, Northampton finally shift into the top six. Phil Dowson’s side showed tremendous courage and intent to claw themselves back into the game after falling behind early doors, but importantly this is the first sign of Northampton at their best. It’s been fairly clunky to date, but against Harlequins their backline looked a lot more settled and importantly on the same page. It’s still pretty hard to tell where they are, but this has certainly given a better indication of it.
5. Sale Sharks (+1)
The best way to get over a heavy defeat is grab a bonus-point win, and that’s exactly what Sale did this weekend. Scoring tries has been a genuine issue for the Sharks in recent times, but they were able to unlock the Gloucester defence consistently. What will be more pleasing for Sanderson is that they did it with some new combinations in their backline.
4. Bristol Bears (+5)
Wow, what a performance from Pat Lam’s side at the Rec. Bristol have struggled to get out of second gear so far this season, but against Bath they showed just what they can do when they properly let it rip. This was the first real time they showed their all-court game, with both backs and forwards contributing to the fast-paced attack, but they backed that up with some solid basics too. They will be slightly annoyed they let Bath get back into it in the latter stages, but overall they were fantastic.
3. Leicester Tigers (-)
Michael Cheika-less Leicester arguably put in their best performance of the season against Newcastle, and it keeps them in the top three in the power rankings. A big reason for the defeat against Bath was their error count and an inability to take their chances, but they were ruthless against the Falcons and really put them to the sword. They looked sharp across the board, and balanced their attack with some serious efforts in defence.
2. Bath (-1)
An off-day, or a sign of things to come? It was an unusual performance from Bath, and we’ve not seen them ripped apart that easily in quite a while. Since Johann van Graan has come in at the Rec, they’ve made it a thing to impose themselves on opposition teams; however last weekend Bristol were the ones who came out the traps quickly and really forced them into some sloppy errors. Yes, they have a few injury concerns in the backline, but it wasn’t the Bath we’ve come to know recently.
1. Saracens (+1)
For the first time this season, Saracens occupy top spot in the power rankings after their mammoth victory over Exeter. Their performance at the StoneX seemed to balance the Saracens of old with their new-look group, but my oh my did they look good as a result. They were physically dominant in defence, which looked like the Wolfpack mentality that helped guide them to those four titles in five years, but this was then off-set with the silky, fast-paced attack they have adopted this year. Frighteningly good from Saracens, and it sent a serious message out to the Premiership.