Aviva Premiership semi-finals
With places at the Premiership's showpiece final at stake, the Aviva semi-finals promised to be epic encounters and they certainly didn't fail to disappoint.
Exeter v Saracens, Sandy Park
Fresh from their Champions Cup final heroics in Edinburgh, Saracens arrived as back to back European champions and full of confidence. They faced an Exeter side who had secured eight successive bonus point victories and had only lost twice at Sandy Park all season.
It wasn't a surprise therefore that the opening half was an extremely tight affair, with both sides not giving an inch. Saracens were struck with early injury blows to Michael Rhodes and prolific try scorer Chris Ashton. This didn't seem to affect the London side as they built an early 6-0 lead through two Owen Farrell penalties. In contrast to this, the Chiefs turned down kicks at goal and instead opted for the corner; not surprising, considering how difficult goal kicking is in the now infamous Sandy Park winds. Saracens were ever-resilient and able to withhold the Chiefs driving maul, by putting in a huge defensive display. This was personified by Billy Vunipola who had another stand out game, by making turnovers at crucial stages on more than one occasion - his presence will be sorely missed in New Zealand next month.
Farrell continued to control matters for Saracens by playing the corners at the right time and gaining territory for his side. Surely now a Lions test fly half in waiting, in light of Johnny Sexton's un-influential display for Leinster on Friday night. 6-6 was a fair reflection at half time, with no tryline breached and both sides withstanding large periods of pressure.
Jack Nowell was his usual busy self in the first period, and he began to have an increasing influence on the game with his footwork and offloading. It was no wonder that he was rewarded for his efforts by scoring Exeter's first try, after a prolonged period of pressure from the home side.
As the second half moved on, it seemed that last week's European final was taking it's physical toll on Saracens, as they started to fall off tackles. The invincibility that's become a hallmark for this side appeared to be fading away.
But Sarries always find a way to 'ride the tide', and it wasn't long before Maro Itoje was putting Chris Wyles in at the corner, to bring them right back within two points of Exeter.
Richard Wigglesworth's box kicking was on point as usual, allowing his wingers to chase and compete in the air, gaining yards up the field. Both Vunipola's continued to make dents into the Exeter defence. With just four minutes on the clock, Schalk Brits sent a netball-style pass out to winger Mike Ellery, who acrobatically touched down over the attempted tackle of Henry Slade. Surely Saracens had pulled off what looked like an impossible victory and were back on track to complete the 'double double'.
Exeter though had other ideas, forcing a scrum penalty on the half way line and Slade stepped up to kick to the ball to touch. This was not a time to play it safe, he needed to push the boundaries of his finely tuned left boot. Easier said than done with the pressure of a Premiership final at stake, but Slade delivered the kick of his career as he nudged the ball to within centimetres of the five metre line. Cue Exeter's strongest attacking weapon, the driving maul, which has served them so well. It was almost inevitable, as youngster Sam Simmonds was driven over to snatch victory which sent the Exeter supporters into wild celebrations.
A bitter pill to swallow for Saracens; Mark McCall spoke extremely well after the game in what must have been a huge disappointment for him, but his side must be extremely proud of yet another stellar season. What a story though for Exeter, who now march on to their second successive final only six years after gaining promotion to the top flight.
Wasps v Leicester, Ricoh Arena
Waiting to meet Exeter was either Wasps or Leicester, as they battled it out in Coventry. Wasps deservedly secured a home semi-final after finishing top of the pile at the end of the regular season. Leicester on the other hand have been through the mill, with head coaches Richard Cockerill and Aaron Mauger both departing during the season, and Matt O'Connor taking back the reigns at the tail end of the campaign. For the squad to have weathered that storm and still finish in the playoffs, was some achievement in itself, but that's just what Leicester do!
With Tom Youngs making his hundredth start for the Tigers, and under extremely difficult personal circumstances with the news of his wife's terminal cancer, emotions were running high in the Leicester camp.
Wasps came out of the blocks firing, producing the attacking rugby that has made them so good to watch all season. Following an early Jimmy Gopperth penalty, the home side then exploited an over-eager Matthew Tait, who jumped out of his defensive line. The ball was quickly transferred to Willie Le Roux, who in turn found his superstar full back Kurtley Beale in support, who dotted down for the first score. A disastrous start for Leicester, who found themselves ten points down in as many minutes.
Leicester did manage to get into their groove, disrupting break downs and eventually building strong phases as they advanced into the home side's 22. With Eddie Jones watching from the stands, he will have been reminded of the talents of the forgotten England fly-half Freddie Burns, as he floated a quite beautiful miss pass over the heads of the Wasps defenders, which allowed Peter Betham to trot in unopposed. Burns then added the extras, to level the scores at 13 a piece.
Wasps headed into the break with a 16-13 lead after another Gopperth penalty, but the tide felt like it was swinging in Leicester's favour. As the match restarted, Matt O'Connor's side again worked through the phases into a strong attacking position, only to be turned over at the key moment. With a numerical advantage on the right hand side, it looked like a certain break away try would be scored, if only the ball could have made it's way to the Wasps wing. However, Owen Williams stepped in to intercept the pass, a crucial intervention. The momentum again swung into Leicester's favour, with the ball now in their possession they worked it back out to the lively Telusa Veainu who scored in the corner. Burns calmly stroked over the conversion from the touchline, to take the lead for the first time.
With Wasps now 16-20 down, the game really started to open up with end to end attacks from both sides - it was compelling stuff. Thomas Young was put through a hole by Danny Cipriani, but the Welshman couldn't link up with the supporting Gopperth. As the Wasps lineout continued to falter at crucial moments, you started to sense that Leicester were on course to reach yet another premiership final, after a turbulent season both on and off the field.
Wasps though were not going to let that happen. Just as we had witnessed at Sandy Park a few hours earlier, Wasps somehow managed to wrestle victory from the jaws of defeat, through a Josh Bassett try in the 77th minute. It was heartbreak for Leicester and jubilation for Wasps, and Joe Launchbury's men now have the opportunity to emulate Dallaglio and co's class of 2008. Hard lines for Leicester who battled so hard all game, and were agonisingly close to setting up an unexpected final against Exeter.
So a huge occasion awaits Wasps and the Chiefs this Saturday in the season's big finale; these two sides have proved that they just don't know when they're beaten. Wasps have dazzled with their potent backline throughout the year, but can the Chiefs pull off what would be a classic 'rags to riches' story? Rob Baxter has done a magnificent job in transforming his side from Premiership new boys to title contenders; they certainly have the experience, but can they overcome the final hurdle? While my heart says Chiefs, my head says Wasps - either way I expect the game to come down to the wire, and the side who keeps their cool in the key pressure moments will come out on top.
Exeter v Saracens, Sandy Park
Fresh from their Champions Cup final heroics in Edinburgh, Saracens arrived as back to back European champions and full of confidence. They faced an Exeter side who had secured eight successive bonus point victories and had only lost twice at Sandy Park all season.
It wasn't a surprise therefore that the opening half was an extremely tight affair, with both sides not giving an inch. Saracens were struck with early injury blows to Michael Rhodes and prolific try scorer Chris Ashton. This didn't seem to affect the London side as they built an early 6-0 lead through two Owen Farrell penalties. In contrast to this, the Chiefs turned down kicks at goal and instead opted for the corner; not surprising, considering how difficult goal kicking is in the now infamous Sandy Park winds. Saracens were ever-resilient and able to withhold the Chiefs driving maul, by putting in a huge defensive display. This was personified by Billy Vunipola who had another stand out game, by making turnovers at crucial stages on more than one occasion - his presence will be sorely missed in New Zealand next month.
Farrell continued to control matters for Saracens by playing the corners at the right time and gaining territory for his side. Surely now a Lions test fly half in waiting, in light of Johnny Sexton's un-influential display for Leinster on Friday night. 6-6 was a fair reflection at half time, with no tryline breached and both sides withstanding large periods of pressure.
Jack Nowell was his usual busy self in the first period, and he began to have an increasing influence on the game with his footwork and offloading. It was no wonder that he was rewarded for his efforts by scoring Exeter's first try, after a prolonged period of pressure from the home side.
As the second half moved on, it seemed that last week's European final was taking it's physical toll on Saracens, as they started to fall off tackles. The invincibility that's become a hallmark for this side appeared to be fading away.
But Sarries always find a way to 'ride the tide', and it wasn't long before Maro Itoje was putting Chris Wyles in at the corner, to bring them right back within two points of Exeter.
Richard Wigglesworth's box kicking was on point as usual, allowing his wingers to chase and compete in the air, gaining yards up the field. Both Vunipola's continued to make dents into the Exeter defence. With just four minutes on the clock, Schalk Brits sent a netball-style pass out to winger Mike Ellery, who acrobatically touched down over the attempted tackle of Henry Slade. Surely Saracens had pulled off what looked like an impossible victory and were back on track to complete the 'double double'.
Exeter though had other ideas, forcing a scrum penalty on the half way line and Slade stepped up to kick to the ball to touch. This was not a time to play it safe, he needed to push the boundaries of his finely tuned left boot. Easier said than done with the pressure of a Premiership final at stake, but Slade delivered the kick of his career as he nudged the ball to within centimetres of the five metre line. Cue Exeter's strongest attacking weapon, the driving maul, which has served them so well. It was almost inevitable, as youngster Sam Simmonds was driven over to snatch victory which sent the Exeter supporters into wild celebrations.
 |
| Exeter celebrate the winning score |
Wasps v Leicester, Ricoh Arena
Waiting to meet Exeter was either Wasps or Leicester, as they battled it out in Coventry. Wasps deservedly secured a home semi-final after finishing top of the pile at the end of the regular season. Leicester on the other hand have been through the mill, with head coaches Richard Cockerill and Aaron Mauger both departing during the season, and Matt O'Connor taking back the reigns at the tail end of the campaign. For the squad to have weathered that storm and still finish in the playoffs, was some achievement in itself, but that's just what Leicester do!
With Tom Youngs making his hundredth start for the Tigers, and under extremely difficult personal circumstances with the news of his wife's terminal cancer, emotions were running high in the Leicester camp.
Wasps came out of the blocks firing, producing the attacking rugby that has made them so good to watch all season. Following an early Jimmy Gopperth penalty, the home side then exploited an over-eager Matthew Tait, who jumped out of his defensive line. The ball was quickly transferred to Willie Le Roux, who in turn found his superstar full back Kurtley Beale in support, who dotted down for the first score. A disastrous start for Leicester, who found themselves ten points down in as many minutes.
 |
| Kurtley Beale scores the opening try for Wasps |
Wasps headed into the break with a 16-13 lead after another Gopperth penalty, but the tide felt like it was swinging in Leicester's favour. As the match restarted, Matt O'Connor's side again worked through the phases into a strong attacking position, only to be turned over at the key moment. With a numerical advantage on the right hand side, it looked like a certain break away try would be scored, if only the ball could have made it's way to the Wasps wing. However, Owen Williams stepped in to intercept the pass, a crucial intervention. The momentum again swung into Leicester's favour, with the ball now in their possession they worked it back out to the lively Telusa Veainu who scored in the corner. Burns calmly stroked over the conversion from the touchline, to take the lead for the first time.
With Wasps now 16-20 down, the game really started to open up with end to end attacks from both sides - it was compelling stuff. Thomas Young was put through a hole by Danny Cipriani, but the Welshman couldn't link up with the supporting Gopperth. As the Wasps lineout continued to falter at crucial moments, you started to sense that Leicester were on course to reach yet another premiership final, after a turbulent season both on and off the field.
Wasps though were not going to let that happen. Just as we had witnessed at Sandy Park a few hours earlier, Wasps somehow managed to wrestle victory from the jaws of defeat, through a Josh Bassett try in the 77th minute. It was heartbreak for Leicester and jubilation for Wasps, and Joe Launchbury's men now have the opportunity to emulate Dallaglio and co's class of 2008. Hard lines for Leicester who battled so hard all game, and were agonisingly close to setting up an unexpected final against Exeter.
So a huge occasion awaits Wasps and the Chiefs this Saturday in the season's big finale; these two sides have proved that they just don't know when they're beaten. Wasps have dazzled with their potent backline throughout the year, but can the Chiefs pull off what would be a classic 'rags to riches' story? Rob Baxter has done a magnificent job in transforming his side from Premiership new boys to title contenders; they certainly have the experience, but can they overcome the final hurdle? While my heart says Chiefs, my head says Wasps - either way I expect the game to come down to the wire, and the side who keeps their cool in the key pressure moments will come out on top.
Comments
Post a Comment