And then there were four: Everything’s in place for a spectacular Premier 15s sprint finish
And then there were four.
Gloucester-Hartpury: The table toppers. The first-placers. The cherry and white history makers, who made a statement on day one and have hit headlines like Neve Jones hits rucks ever since. The circus, whose be-scrunchied ringmaster dazzles, whose flyers are physics-defying, and whose strong women have marched them to the summit of the standings.
Exeter Chiefs: The defenders of Fortress Sandy Park. The most prolific and the most impenetrable. The side whose squad is a tapestry of superstars from across the globe and home-hewn heroes, and who’re itching to put right the wrongs of last year’s final and add a Premier 15s trophy to the Allianz Cup nestled in their coffers. The outfit who’ve fought tooth and nail to ensure a home tie this weekend, and whose fans are always high volume in both senses of the word.
Saracens: The reigning champions: a title they’ve held for almost the entirety of the league’s existence. The side who haven’t lost since January, and who know exactly what it takes to win this thing. The wolfpack, who’ve stalked their way from seventh to third since Christmas, and have won their last meetings with each of the other playoff participants. The team richest in record-writing Red Roses, and for whom shorter summer breaks have proven a small price to pay for the stars on their jerseys.
Bristol Bears: And the underdogs on paper who aren’t necessarily underdogs at all. The team no one’s talking about as contenders, but who have quietly gone about some stunning performances of late – almost picking the pockets of Saracens in their own back yard, and doing the unthinkable in coming from behind against an Exeter side with an infamous sprint finish. The pack (or backfield: both apply here) which contains Sarah Bern, too – which makes them, by definition, dangerous. The team who can beat anyone on their day.
That’s some cast for a season finale, and there are a plethora of factors which make this penultimate weekend unmissable.
Saturday 10th June- Gloucester Hartpury v Bristol at Kingsholm
Sunday 11th June- Exeter Chiefs v Saracens at Sandy Park
Firstly – it’ll literally be quite hard to miss, with live coverage on BT Sport, BBC iPlayer and .com, and Premier15s channels on both the Saturday and Sunday. Kick off’s at 3pm each afternoon, so – if you can’t get to a game – clear your diary, stock up the fridge, set an alarm, and settle on down.
Secondly – we’re guaranteed a first-time finalist, and could even – by the end of Sunday – be guaranteed a first-time champion. Chiefs broke the Saracens-Harlequins finals duopoly last year: imagine if we had a third name on the trophy by July. Even if we don’t, the make-up of the final four is an exhilarating reflection of how open the league is becoming, which only bodes well for next season and beyond.
Thirdly – there will be 92 brilliant athletes in action, from as many as ten nations. These squads include three recent World Player of the Year nominees, the 2021 winner of that accolade, five of the eight forwards from the 2022 World Rugby Dream Team (six, if we count Abbie Ward), five recipients of a Six Nations player of the match award this spring, and all three contenders for this season’s RPA Premier 15s Player of the Year gong.
Those don’t even include the likes of Kate Zackary, Lleucu George, Amber Reed, or Jess Breach – who all single-handedly get bums on seats and set hearts racing. Quality: wall-to-wall and all the way from Kingsholm to Sandy Park.
Fourthly – both matches have plenty of spice about them. Gloucester-Hartpury up against Bristol is bhuna levels: a West Country derby between a pair who pride themselves on their ability to entertain, and who are hellbent on punching their ticket to the final. Sean Lynn’s women are favourites – hosting a side they’ve done the double over this season, and with a formidable squad at their disposal – but Bears throw a kitchen sink as well as anyone. The pressure’s all on the cherry and whites, too: they’ve home advantage in both knockout fixtures, and their mightily impressive last seven months suggest that Saturday is theirs to lose.
The irrepressible Dave Ward is quick to point out that Bristol took the spoils in their Allianz Cup bronze medal match, but how much can be read into that is debatable. Both rotated heavily last weekend, so their big names will be chomping at the bit, and fresh legs only elevate their mutual ability to grace a rugby pitch with out-and-out razzamatazz. Hunt-George-Heard versus Bevan-Snowswill-Reed? Mouth-watering. Sing and Lovibond in space? Where do I sign? The prospect of Muir, Tuipulotu, Bern and Pam all competing to see who can play the least like a prop? Magic.
Chiefs versus Saracens is a jalfrezi, if not a vindaloo. It’s a rematch of last year’s final – when the women in black’s performance was majestic, and Exeter were left desperately disappointed with their own. They’re better for the experience, many of them have said, and it’d be even sweeter if the Devonians’ romp to a first league title included knocking the reigning champions out of the competition. They’re a ruthless outfit this year: Susie Appleby has recruited outstandingly, and their statistics really are the pick of the bunch. They’ll have their work cut out, though: Saracens will not relinquish the throne of English rugby readily, and are more motivated than ever.
They’ve had to plumb the depths of their resilience this campaign – Alex Austerberry’s said that this would be the most precious and hard-fought triumph yet – but will arrive at Sandy Park bristling with intent: relishing the challenge of needing to overturn Chiefs there for the very first time, and eyes locked on the target of proving their doubters wrong.
Despite what my spell-checker is telling me, I don’t think ‘fifthly’ is a real word, so let’s wrap things up, but there are some other Fs which feel appropriate to end with. Fitting, finale, and fever-pitch encapsulate the whole weekend very nicely. Saturday will bring together two outfits laden with flair and firepower, and Sunday promises to be ferocious between familiar foes. It’s finally finals time.
What’s gone before matters, of course, but it also really doesn’t. Any of these teams could pull together 160 irresistible minutes and win the whole Premier 15s, and that’s thrilling. These are the best four sides in the league, and the margins for error only narrow as the stakes get higher and the intensity cranks up. Moments will define entire seasons, and chances have to be taken.
No one has ever taken them better than Saracens, but Gloucester-Hartpury finished top. Then again – Chiefs shattered the league’s record points difference, and Bristol are devastating when things click.
It’s all to play for. The pacemaker of the regular season has stepped off the track and the bell’s sounding: there’s a lead pack of four, and it’s time to see who’s got something audacious and all-conquering left in the tank.
It’s time to thin the field yet again: only two will reach the home straight, and the burn up promises to be spectacular.
Comments on RugbyPass
I wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to comments