Thank you to Aviva and Premiership Rugby for providing us with the reports of Round 21.The race for final finishing positions in the Aviva Premiership Rugby table was red hot this weekend. Harlequins, Leicester Tigers and Saracens are now confirmed as Aviva Premiership Rugby semi-finalists with one more semi-final place left to fight for on 5th May. London Wasps and Newcastle Falcons, in 11th and 12th place respectively, face a nail-biting relegation battle on 5th May when they play each other in Round 22. The top six in the table after Round 22 will quality for a coveted Heineken Cup place next season.
On Friday night, Saracens clinched a place in the Aviva Premiership Rugby semi-finals with a brutal victory over Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park. Three penalties from the boot of Owen Farrell booked Saracens their semi-final berth while Jimmy Gopperth's solitary strike gave the Falcons a crucial losing bonus point in front of a crowd of 8,011 - Newcastle's biggest of the season. Just four points now separate Newcastle Falcons and London Wasps at the foot of the table. Final score: Newcastle Falcons 3, Saracens 9.
Should London Wasps secure Aviva Premiership Rugby survival on the 5th May then players and fans alike may well raise a glass to Tom Varndell for his late try-saving tackle on Saturday which secured a losing bonus point at the Recreation Ground. Bath's Sam Vesty was seemingly cruising to the line to score a try which would have meant that Wasps would have gone into the Aviva Premiership Rugby Round 22 clash with Newcastle just three points ahead of the Falcons. Final score: Bath Rugby 17, London Wasps 12.
Sale Sharks came closer to qualifying for next season's Heineken Cup by posting their tenth Aviva Premiership Rugby victory of the season at Kingsholm against a Gloucester Rugby side without Bryan Redpath who resigned this week. Both sides needed to win the crucial match to stand any chance of finishing sixth in the Aviva Premiership Rugby and a Heineken Cup spot. Two tries from Sale full-back Rob Miller, along with 14 points from the boot of fly-half Nick Macleod was enough for them to see off the home side. Final score: Gloucester 19, Sale Sharks 24.
Over at Sixways, London Irish ended a seven-match losing streak in Aviva Premiership Rugby against an out-of-sorts Worcester side. Exiles full-back Tom Homer was the hero of the match scoring 15 points, with impressive performances from Bryn Evans and Ofisa Treviranus. The Warriors started to fight back with late tries from Marcel Garvey and Miles Benjamin but victory deservedly went to the Exiles. Final score: Worcester Warriors 16, London Irish 25.
At the Twickenham Stoop, Leicester Tigers made a devastating statement of intent ahead of the Aviva Premiership Rugby semi-finals by coming from 13 points down to decisively beat current leaders Harlequins. The victory saw the Tigers leapfrog Saracens back into second place, with a win against Bath on 5th May guaranteeing a home semi-final. In an action-packed first half, Leicester drew first blood through Thomas Waldrom's try, only for Harlequins to race into a 23-10 advantage courtesy of two tries from Ugo Monye and Nick Easter. But Leicester ensured the game remained in the balance at half-time as Steve Mafi went over to ensure they were only three points behind. While George Lowe's try restored Quins' advantage, Leicester went through the gears in the second half as a try from Alesana Tuilagi and Waldrom's second brought up the bonus point before Toby Flood, who finished with 23 points, rounded off the win with a late penalty. Final score: Harlequins 33, Leicester Tigers 43.
On Sunday, Northampton Saints moved back into fourth place in the Aviva Premiership Rugby table thanks to two second half tries by Chris Ashton and Paul Diggin, as they ended Exeter Chiefs' run of four league wins in a row with a victory at Sandy Park. Stephen Myler added a conversion and two penalties to seal the win on the day that Exeter were led out by number eight Richard Baxter on his 350th league appearance for the Devon side. The result means the final place in the Aviva Premiership Rugby semi-final will be decided on the last day of the regular season - Saturday, May 5 - when Saints host Worcester Warriors and Exeter are away to Saracens. Final score: Exeter Chiefs 15, Northampton Saints 18.
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