Tag: Gallagher

Gallagher Premiership round-up: Bath move above Sale after their 25-17 victory over Harlequins; Northampton enjoy narrow 31-29 victory away at Gloucester and Exeter Chiefs beat the Leicester Tigers 29-10 to extend their unbeaten home run

Bath top the Gallagher Premiership at Christmas after winning an absorbing battle with fellow title contenders Harlequins 25-17 at the Rec.

England wing Joe Cokanasiga scored twice, with his second try clinching an important bonus point late on. Other Bath tries went to lock Elliott Stooke and flanker Miles Reid, while the Londoners stayed in contention with tries from fly-half Marcus Smith, hooker Jack Walker and flanker James Chisholm.

Cokanasiga opened the scoring within two minutes but Russell’s conversion attempt was wide, only for Smith to dance through the home defence to score at the other end moments later before hooking his kick against a post.

Joe Cokanasiga got Bath off to a dream start after scoring an early try

The swirling wind and rain made handling difficult and Bath looked particularly vulnerable in defence, although the only score of the first half came when Russell put the hosts 8-5 ahead with a penalty.

Bath struck quickly after the restart with a catch-and-drive try by Stooke and followed up in the 48th minute with another spectacular effort by Cokanasiga, who steamrollered over Smith’s attempted tackle, with Russell’s conversion – the first of the game – increasing the lead to 20-5.

The visitors were not about to lie down and Smith’s penalty to the corner led to a catch-and-drive for Walker on his 50th appearance since joining from Bath.

Smith converted but Bath were gaining the upper hand and Russell’s inch-perfect tactical kicking set up a line-out in the corner. This time it was Reid who profited, leaving the home side with an 11-point lead and just six minutes to defend it.

Unfortunately for Quins, Chisholm’s last-minute score came too late. They might have claimed a losing bonus point but Smith again hooked his conversion against a post.

Exeter Chiefs 29-10 Leicester Tigers

Exeter maintained their superb home form as they defeated Leicester 29-10 in front of a record crowd at Sandy Park.

An attendance of exactly 15,000 witnessed the Chiefs end their 2023 home campaign in style with a bonus-point win as they stretched their unbeaten Sandy Park run in all competitions to 23 matches, spanning a period of 61 weeks.

It took the Tigers a long time to find their way into the game, despite many of their internationals returning to duty. They trailed 24-0 early in the second half and, when they finally did fight back, they had left themselves too big a mountain to climb.

Chiefs centre Henry Slade had another an excellent game, once more staking his claim for an England recall for the upcoming Six Nations.

Gloucester 29-31 Northampton Saints

Adam Hastings missed a 45-metre angled penalty with the last kick of the match as Gloucester suffered a 31-29 Gallagher Premiership defeat to Northampton before a crowd of over 15,000 at Kingsholm.

Hastings’ failure took Gloucester’s losing run in the league to seven games but it was rough justice on them for they had dominated a one-sided second half.

When the hosts trailed 24-7 after 35 minutes, another loss looked a near certainty but a yellow card for Saints centre Rory Hutchinson saw an instant change in momentum as Gloucester scored 22 unanswered points.

Freddie Clarke, Chris Harris, Matias Alemanno and Santiago Carreras scored their tries with Adam Hastings adding three conversions and a penalty.

Curtis Langdon scored two tries for Northampton, with Alex Mitchell, Alex Coles and Tom Litchfield also on the try-scoring sheet as Fin Smith added three conversions.

Sean Maitland (two), Ivan van Zyl, Max Malins score tries for Saracens, who were also awarded a penalty try in Premiership semi-final win vs Northampton; Maitland fortunate to avoid sanction for taking George Furbank out in the air in opening seconds; Sarries will face Sale or Leicester

Saracens surged into the Gallagher Premiership final but their 38-15 victory over Northampton was tinged with controversy after Sean Maitland plundered two tries having escaped an early card.

Last season’s runners-up were irresistible for long spells of a one-sided play-off at StoneX Stadium as they set up a Twickenham showdown with either champions Leicester or Sale, who meet on Sunday.

But Northampton will feel aggrieved that Maitland was not at least sin-binned for clattering into George Furbank with his elbows during an aerial collision that left the England back needing lengthy treatment.

Referee Karl Dickson issued only a penalty and in making a quick decision declined to consult the TMO with the game just 25 seconds old.

To rub salt into the wound, Maitland scored Saracens’ opening two tries as part of an unstoppable first half that produced a 21-3 lead which was only briefly threatened when Northampton fought back in the third quarter.

A penalty try and Max Malins’ touchdown shut the door on the possibility of an upset and Saints, who barely fired a shot before the break, were well beaten by opponents seeking a sixth Premiership title.

Scrum-half Ivan van Zyl was named player of the match but Alex Goode could easily have been chosen given his influence in the opening stages.

When Northampton attacked and were turned over, Goode launched a stunning counter-attack given pace by Maitland but Alex Lozowski lacked the speed to finish the move.

Goode’s vision was on display again in the seventh minute when he chipped through for Maitland to score, but it was a good afternoon to be pulling the strings with Saracens dominating the gainline.

Dave Ribbans and Northampton had to accept Premiership semi-final defeat in London

Maitland was over again in the 23rd minute after sustained pressure ended with Farrell producing a precision grubber for the Scotland wing to touch down.

Any time Northampton got the ball they were hammered backwards in the tackle but they could only blame themselves for the next try as, having conceded a penalty, they switched off to allow the quick-thinking Van Zyl to tap and go for an easy run-in.

Saracens led 21-3 on the half-hour mark and when faced with a rare assault on their line they rolled up their sleeves and sent Saints packing.

Nick Tompkins’ turnover shortly after the interval typified their resolve in defence and the third quarter was harder work, with Northampton showing the fire that had been missing in the first half.

Alex Mitchell skipped over in the 56th minute and Saints engineered a superb try soon after when stylish play ended with Courtney Lawes sending James Ramm over.

But the comeback was over when Saracens’ maul forced a penalty try that also saw Tom James sent to the sin-bin, before Malins completed the rout. Sarries’ Maro Itoje was yellow-carded late on.

Northampton thrash Newcastle at Kingston Park to tighten grip on play-off place with London Irish only side able to deny them a top-four spot; Irish trail Saints by seven points but have two games in hand; Northampton run in 10 tries during 66-5 demolition of Falcons on Friday night

Northampton Saints remain main in the hunt for a Gallagher Premiership semi-final place after easing past rock-bottom Newcastle Falcons with a 66-5 win at Kingston Park.

Two tries from Tom Collins, along with efforts from Alex Mitchell and Juarno Augustus offset an early Adam Radwan try for the home side and gave Saints a commanding lead at the break.

Further scores in the second half from Paul Hill, Fin Smith, a second from Mitchell, Sam Graham, Tommy Freeman and David Ribbans condemned Newcastle to their heaviest defeat of the season.

Saints must now wait and see if they will make the top four, with London Irish, the only side able to catch them, seven points adrift but with two games in hand.

Irish visit table toppers Saracens on Sunday, before concluding their regular season at home to Exeter Chiefs on May 6.

Story of the game

Northampton’s semi-final hopes were dented after just four minutes when a neat passage of play released Radwan for the hosts, who darted past his man and dived over the corner flag.

But the Saints responded in kind in the eighth minute as Mitchell sidestepped an attempted tackle to breeze through and leave Smith the simplest of conversions.

Collins produced a moment of quality in the 16th minute, intercepting a pass before hacking the ball forward and outpacing two Falcons players to score in the corner, while he went over again on the half-hour mark for his 50th try in 145 appearances for the club following a TMO review.

Radwan was unfortunate soon after when a storming run down the right-hand side almost ended with a magnificent score, but a heroic challenge from Mitchell forced him into touch before going over.

Augustus breached the hosts’ defence on the stroke of half-time to earn a priceless bonus point for the away side, with Smith kicking his fourth conversion of the opening 40.

It was more of the same after the break as Hill powered over for the Saints’ fifth try of the night before Newcastle’s Mateo Carreras was sent to the sin bin for a no-arm tackle three minutes later.

He was duly punished as the visitors scored four tries in 11 minutes with Smith, Mitchell, Graham and Freeman the beneficiaries.

There was still time for Ribbans to bulldoze his way through to add an exclamation point to an emphatic Saints win, their third of the season over the Falcons.

Josh Hodge scored two tries for Exeter, with Harry Williams grabbing the other as Harvey Skinner converted all three and supplied two penalties to guide Exeter to a 10th win in a row; Tom Roebuck, Ewan Ashman and Sam Dugdale scored Sale’s tries

Exeter’s impressive run at Sandy Park continued with a 10th consecutive victory in all competitions as they beat Sale 24-22 to maintain their hopes of an end-of-season Premiership play-off spot.

There was little between the teams but once again ill-discipline played a huge part in Sale’s downfall, conceding 14 points when playing with only 13 men.

The defeat leaves Sale 11 points behind Saracens at the top of the table and realistically Sharks must beat the leaders at the AJ Bell Stadium next week if they are to have any hope of finishing the regular season in pole position.

Josh Hodge scored two tries for Exeter, Harry Williams the other, with Harvey Skinner converting all three and adding two penalties.

Tom Roebuck, Ewan Ashman and Sam Dugdale scored Sale’s tries, with Robert Du Preez kicking two conversions and a penalty.

Sale included former Exeter stars Jonny Hill and Tom O’Flaherty in their line-up, with scrum-half Raffi Quirke on the bench.

Exeter head coach Ali Hepher said: “They picked up a couple of yellow cards as our attack created those situations and we were ruthless in taking our opportunities during that period.

“It was a crucial game to win and very important to get over the line. However, being 11 points up at half-time and playing into the wind, we then allowed them to squeeze us as we needed to be smarter by managing the game better.

“We’ve been stuck on three tries on an incredible number of occasions so we need to convert that figure to five or six.

“The boys are fighting and they are desperate to win but we need to mould that desire to produce better performances as we seem to be slipping off in our intensity in the third quarter.”

With Sale conceding a host of penalties, Chiefs were able to dominate the early exchanges. Jack Nowell split the defence with one enterprising run but despite being under sustained pressure, the visitors managed to keep their line intact.

After 12 minutes, Exeter suffered a blow when their fly-half Skinner was yellow-carded for a high challenge, with Du Preez kicking the resulting penalty.

Skinner was still in the sin-bin when Sale extended their lead with a superb solo try from Roebuck. On halfway, the wing received possession before weaving his way through the defence and then round Hodge to score. Du Preez converted to give Sale a useful 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Skinner returned with no further damage done to the scoreboard and in time to see Williams open his side’s account by crashing over from close range, with Sale’s flanker Dugdale yellow-carded for collapsing a driving maul.

Within minutes Bevan Rodd had followed his team-mate to the sin-bin as the prop was pinged for a deliberate offside.

Despite being down to 13, Sale should have scored their second try. Du Preez twice hacked on the loose ball and it bounced kindly, but remarkably O’Flaherty failed to collect with the line beckoning.

Exeter made them pay when skilful play created two tries for Hodge in quick succession, both being converted by Skinner to give Chiefs a 21-10 half-time lead.

Both Dugdale and Rodd had returned by the restart and it was Dugdale who raised his side’s spirits with a couple of lively bursts, the second of which resulting in a try for Ashman.

With 20 minutes remaining, Quirke and Josh Beaumont were introduced as Sale continued to boss the second half and eventually their dominance was rewarded when Dugdale forced his way over.

Du Preez missed the touchline conversion before Skinner sealed victory with a 40-metre penalty with eight minutes left on the clock.

Joe Launchbury has signed for Harlequins on a multi-year deal and will join the Gallagher Premiership club in the summer following a stint in Japan.

More to follow…

This is a breaking news story that is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh this page for the latest updates.

Sky Sports brings you live updates as they happen. Get breaking sports news, analysis, exclusive interviews, replays and highlights.

Sky Sports is your trusted source for breaking sports news headlines and live updates. Watch live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, F1, Boxing, Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Rugby League, Rugby Union, NFL, Darts, Netball and get the latest transfers news, results, scores and more.

Visit skysports.com or the Sky Sports App for all the breaking sports news headlines. You can receive push notifications from the Sky Sports app for the latest news from your favourite sports and you can also follow @SkySportsNews on Twitter to get the latest updates.

Gallagher Premiership weekend schedule – Friday: Bath 19-18 Leicester Tigers; Saturday: Gloucester vs Newcastle Falcons (3pm), Exeter Chiefs vs London Irish (5pm); Sunday: Saracens vs Northampton Saints (12.15pm)

Bath pulled off a stunning 19-18 victory over defending Gallagher Premiership champions Leicester with a remarkable finish at the flag by right wing Will Butt in the closing seconds.

For a side who have spent so much time at the bottom of the table, a third successive victory is a fair indication of progress under the new coaching team headed by Johann van Graan.

Tigers seemed to have gained full reward for a dominant first-half performance, but they conceded a scrum penalty in the Bath half with just 80 seconds remaining.

Matt Gallagher’s hopeful touch kick could not have been closer to the corner and Bath seized the opportunity with secure line-out possession and a succession of drives to the line before Gallagher set Butt free. Bailey’s conversion was wide but it did not matter.

The Rec has seen a few narrow finishes over the years, but this was as close a squeak as any – and never more welcome for the Bath faithful.

Bath had been quickly on the scoreboard with an Orlando Bailey penalty from 30 metres.

But it was an unequal struggle for the next half hour as Leicester brought their heavy guns into action, particularly through the muscular presence of wing Nemani Nadolo.

Nadolo, soon to leave Tigers for a mid-season move to the Waratahs, scored a trademark try after just five minutes, rampaging through the attempted tackles of Butt and Jamie Shillcock. Freddie Burns, whose skip pass created the score, converted from the touchline.

The Fijian was just as much a threat in midfield, adding his pace to the visitors’ heavy infantry as Bath’s defence struggled to cope with the pace and angles of running.

Centre Harry Potter almost profited from a sniping run by Richard Wigglesworth only for Ollie Lawrence to force a knock-on, while Ted Hill made an equally telling tackle on Harry Wells under the Bath posts.

Burns stretched the visitors’ lead to 10-3 with a penalty and they might have had more to show for their territorial domination had Shillcock not been so alert at the back.

Bath’s try on the half-hour therefore came right out of the blue, as Lawrence broke from deep and Bailey found Jonathan Joseph with a flat pass. The England international broke through and Miles Reid was in support to put Hill away, stepping out of Nadolo’s tackle to score. Bailey’s conversion was just wide.

With only a two-point lead from 67 per cent possession, Leicester were not to be long denied however, and prop James Cronin touched down from a catch-and-drive after a rising penalty count saw Bath forced into defending a
line-out in the corner. Burns was unsuccessful with his kick too.

Bath were in more combative mood after the break and the hard-running Lawrence was stopped under the posts. Tigers continued to hold out until Bailey settled for a close-range penalty.

Burns hit back with a long-range penalty on 65 minutes, but Bailey helped himself to a third successful kick at the other end after Burns was guilty of a deliberate knock-on to keep Bath within four points before snatching victory at the death.