Premiership Play-Offs: History is against Bristol and Sale

Ever since the Premiership Play-Offs were introduced at the end of the 2002/03 season, replacing the traditional first-past-the-post method of deciding the league champions, away team wins have been rarer than a Leicester head coach with a long service award.

The miracle of Bristanbul in 2021, a result that defied all logic, is the last time a team has gone to an opposition ground and conquered them in the play-offs. Other than that 43-36 extra-time win for Harlequins, when they came back from 28-0 down, you have to go back to 2015 for the last example of an away win at this stage of the season.

Away wins in the play-offs were slightly more frequent in the early years, with three wins from the first 13 matches, but even so, the overall stats make very good reading for supporters of Bath and Leicester, who host Bristol and Sale respectively this weekend, as 85 per cent of the time, the side enjoying the comforts of home wins.

Here are the 6 play-off matches of the 41 that have been played to buck the trend.

May 18, 2008: Gloucester 25-26 Leicester

Having been destroyed by Leicester in the previous year’s final, Gloucester were on the verge of exacting revenge on the Tigers 12 months later, only for a stoppage-time Andy Goode drop goal to silence the Shed and send the visitors to Twickenham instead. For the second time in two years, finishing top of the regular season table had counted for nothing for Gloucester, who led 12-3 at the break.

May 9, 2009: Harlequins 0-17 London Irish

With Quins missing four penalties and London Irish failing with two in a typically tense semi-final, the score was 0-0 entering the break. But tries from James Hudson and Mike Catt, along with seven points from Delon Armitage, sent the Exiles through to their first-ever play-off final, which they lost 10-9 to Leicester.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Bath

34 - 20

Full-time

Bristol

All Stats and Data

May 16, 2010: Northampton 19-21 Saracens

An acrimonious affair was settled late on when Glen Jackson converted Schalk Brits’ try to win it for Saracens. Soane Tonga’uiha’s on-off transfer from Saints to Saracens had strained relations between the clubs in the build-up and they went at each other hammer and tongs from first whistle to last, with the visitors overturning an 8-7 half-time deficit thanks, in part, to the excellence of Alex Goode.

May 12, 2013: Saracens 13-27 Northampton

Saints ended Saracens’ unbeaten record at Allianz Park (now known as the StoneX) in emphatic style. Brian Mujati and Jamie Elliott scored first-half tries as Saints romped to a 17-0 lead at the break. Table-topping Saracens threatened a comeback with two Owen Farrell penalties and Duncan Taylor’s score. But Gerritt-Jan van Velze’s try and a Stephen Myler penalty got the job done.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Leicester

21 - 16

Full-time

Sale

All Stats and Data

May 23, 2015: Northampton 24-29 Saracens

The third part of the Saints-Sarries trilogy was another pulsating match, in which the league leaders lost. Owen Farrell played a starring role with the boot, kicking five penalties and converting tries by Dave Strettle and Jamie George. Stephen Myler’s goal-kicking kept Saints in it, the fly-half contributing 14 points through four penalties and a conversion. Tom Wood crossed for Saints, who were also awarded a penalty try.

June 19, 2021: Bristol 36-43 Harlequins (AET)

Last but definitely not least, it’s the match likened to Liverpool’s 2005 Champions Cup comeback win in Istanbul. Max Malins’ brace and tries from Ben Earl and Luke Morahan put Bristol 28-0 up in as many minutes before Alex Dombrandt replied on the stroke of half-time for the shellshocked visitors. Tyrone Green, James Chisholm and Louis Lynagh then crossed in quick succession to cut the gap to 28-24, and Joe Marchant’s late try sent the game into extra time at 31-31. Green and Marchant scored again, either side of Malins’ third, to seal a remarkable win. Four years have passed since then, but it feels like it’s taken until this season for Bristol to put the harrowing defeat behind them.