1) Saracens and Quins left scratching their heads. The referee, JP Doyle, dominated out Saracens’ tries inside the second half. Billy Vunipola charged at him and on via Chris Robshaw’s tackle for the first. The TMO felt Robshaw became unimpeded, but Doyle reckoned he had blocked his view. Difficult that one. Jury out. Then, Saracens idea they had scored a splendor, but Danny Care shoved Liam Williams, who charged at Care on the final ruck. Neither inspired the outcome, but it turned into foul play. Doyle sent both to the bin and awarded Saracens the penalty. This feels weird. If the penalty became Saracens’, shouldn’t benefit have been implemented? But if Williams’s retaliation turned into well worth a yellow, shouldn’t the penalty had been reversed in Quins’ favor? Saracens scored both instances at the following play anyway. Michael Aylwin
2) Newcastle on a roll in dogfight Steve Diamond turned into nearly beside himself at the time of the alleged incident. The Sales Director of rugby was simplest slightly less lively while asked approximately it afterward. Midway via the first 1/2, the Sale hooker Rob Webber clashed with the Newcastle lock Calum Green at the lowest of a ruck close to the visitors’ attempt line. Television footage showed Green getting his head stuck in a neck roll-kind squeeze, and Webber complained to Craig Maxwell-Keys that he was bitten. Following a scuffle between the pair and then an initial overview of a disallowed strive by using Andrew Davidson, Maxwell-Keys reviewed the unsavory incident with Sean Davey, his reputable television match. Citing officials, in this case, Andy Blyth, have 24 hours to cite a participant from the final whistle, and it has to emerge as clean on Monday if any disciplinary lawsuits had been delivered. Ross Heppenstall.
3) Wasps in need of a pick-out-me-up Wasps gained 4 in their first 5 league matches but for the reason that dropping at domestic to Gloucester in October, they’ve misplaced nine out of 12, together with the return at Kingsholm after they blew an 11-zero lead. They are only three points off a guaranteed vicinity in subsequent season’s Champions Cup but most effective eight factors above the bottom club, Newcastle, the path the Premiership’s no-shape membership is heading in. “We are wherein we deserve to be, and we want to select ourselves up,” stated the club’s director of rugby, Dai Young, whose next in shape is at home to fellow strugglers Worcester. “We know we’re able to pick up the wins we want, but we should forestall undoing the coolest paintings we do.” Paul Rees
4) Bristol running out of domestic comforts With five rounds to move, Bristol is 9th. They could have taken that at the beginning of the season; however, with the bottom 4 golf equipment all having received six and lost eleven matches, bonus factors have made the distinction. They picked up any other towards Worcester, but it turned into scant comfort after lacking a win that might have given them a 10-factor cushion. 5 teams prevent them from keeping away from the drop, and Bath ought to join them if they lose to Bristol at Twickenham on 6 April.
Three of Bristol’s 5 matches are towards groups around them, concluding with a go-to Newcastle. They have the most effective domestic suits left, and one is in opposition to Saracens; however, their coach, Pat Lam, is asking up. “We can’t get caught up inside the table,” he said. “There are 25 factors on offer, and that’s how we see it.” Paul Rees Six Nations unions warned against setting an event on pay TV. Read extra
5) Exeter shows the way to take the cake from Cokanasiga. Even with Exeter’s internationals nonetheless shaking off the after-outcomes of the Six Nations, stopping them is simpler said than executed. Bath, without an away win in any competition considering mid-September, wished Joe Cokanasiga in full wrecking-ball mode; however, the England winger barely noticed the ball.
On the one occasion when he did spoil free with the ball in one massive hand, it was ripped from his grasp when he became tackled, something future warring parties will look to duplicate. He and Bath will be lower back at Twickenham on Saturday week for The Clash towards ninth-placed Bristol, a game with huge West Country bragging rights connected. If Bath finishes the season outside the top six and under Exeter, Gloucester, and Bristol, there can be a whole lot gnashing of the tooth in elements of Somerset. Robert Kitson
6) Hutchinson sends a signal to England. A few fine younger outdoor centers within the Premiership this season, but the pick out of them has been Rory Hutchinson, who has had to bide his time a touch at Northampton. Under the guidance of Chris Boyd and, especially, Sam Vesty, he is thriving. Even as he’s a totally different player to Manu Tuilagi, he outshone his opposite quantity in an attack on Friday and saved the England center well shackled. He is an interesting case because he has been capped by using Scotland at the age organization stage but has now not been captured, and if he keeps in this shape, he will be sure to capture the eye of the England selectors. Gerard Meagher
