Rugby Union: Top teams look fallible as play-off race heats up

It was a stellar weekend with an average winning margin of fewer than seven points across the five games, only a sliver of the scoreboard between the teams throughout and leads swapping hands more frequently than a professional dog walker.

Fears of a few weeks ago that the top-four race could fizzle out into a procession, and Bath and Northampton might as well be pencilled in for a 20 June final, proved unfounded.

Instead, the top two look distinctly fallible, and the final regular-season round comes loaded with pressure and consequence.

At Sandy Park, Exeter will take on Saracens in a straight shootout for the fourth and final play-off spot.

The Chiefs start the final day three points clear of their rivals. Saracens need to win. A bonus-point victory would assure the Londoners a semi-final place. Even victory without the extras might be enough, though.

In such a scenario, Saracens would have one more victory than the Chiefs - the first tie-breaking factor if the two teams finish on the same number of points.

Exeter would need to take two losing bonus points - one for finishing within seven points and one for scoring four or more tries - to deny Sarries in that case.

Meanwhile, things are simpler at the Rec. Any sort of Leicester win would deprive defending champions Bath of a home semi-final.

One of Sale, Gloucester and Harlequins are going to be without a seat at the Champions Cup table when the music stops.

They have home fixtures against Bristol, Newcastle and Northampton respectively, none of whom have anything tangible to play for. Sale are furthest up the table, but have won once in nine Prem matches since the start of the year.

All five games kick off at 15:15 BST on Saturday. How it ends is anyone's guess.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's scorching, swerving break to set up Ollie Woodburn's opening try was the most sensational piece of attacking play on display at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

Dafydd Jenkins' lovely sleight of hand to free Tom Hooper in the build-up to Len Ikitau's score was also worth its place on the highlights reel.

But the Chiefs' season has been built on grit, more than glitter.

Before this weekend, only Newcastle Red Bulls had made fewer entries into the opposition 22m in the Prem than Exeter.

Going into the final round, the Chiefs have scored only three more points than a forlorn Sale side.

At the other end, though, no defence is meaner.

Exeter, who had the eighth-best rearguard last season, have conceded the fewest points of any team this term.

That Feyi-Waboso seemed to take more pleasure from a delicious second-half hit on Ollie Hassell-Collins than his long-range try assist summed up the Chiefs' mindset as they became the first team to win away to Leicester in the league all season.

On the other wing, the impressive Campbell Ridl did superbly to stop an airborne Adam Radwan making it into the corner as the pressure came on in the final quarter.

When it felt that the game was going against them - with Woodburn in the sin-bin, their lead cut to four points, and the Tigers in the ascendancy - Ikitau and Henry Slade delivered some big shots in midfield.

Allying that to a clinical, clever attack and a slick set-piece, it carried them victory and the brink of the play-offs.

After deploying Charlie Titcombe for his first league start at fly-half, Leicester will be improved for the return of the injured James O'Connor and Billy Searle in the coming weeks.

Saracens came on strong on the StoneX's hot rubber crumb to beat Harlequins and end a three-match losing streak to local rivals Harlequins in the league.

In a scratchy, scrappy contest, Harlequins' relatively rookie front five suffered at the set-piece as a more grizzled Saracens engine room - including Jamie George and Maro Itoje, England captains past and present, and former Quin Hugh Tizard - went to work.

The scrum went back and the line-out ball frequently went missing for the visitors.

It was a difficult day, but 19-year-old second row Elliot Williams remains an outstanding prospect, while 22-year-old fellow academy graduate Zach Carr, paired with Williams at lock, impressed.

Carr was the subject of a viral clip in the last round of matches, beckoning Paul Brown-Bampoe on to his right shoulder, external as the Exeter wing ran the ball back from deep. Carr stopped him instead with a solid hit with the left.

Carr also found a novel way to attempt to stop Tom Willis, shooting for the shins after Harlequins defenders had been swatted aside going higher on the Saracens number eight.

There is sure to be plenty of churn at Harlequins as Jason Gilmore locks in his coaching set-up and imposes his style, but there is also a foundation of young players to work with.

In the context of the table and traditional rivalries, Newcastle's win over Sale was the one that mattered least this weekend - though it looked like it meant the most.

As Blaydon Races blared over the tannoy, there were long, emotional celebrations from a squad which is losing 26 players in a summer of sweeping changes.

In the West Stand, in scenes reminiscent of those across town at St James' Park, one fan stripped to the waist and twirled his shirt over his head.

If some of the spirit that powered a comeback from 25 points adrift and a winning try from the ends of the earth mixes with the incoming stardust, there will be plenty more nights to enjoy in the North East next season.