Premiership Playoffs 2023

First topic message reminder :

The 2022-2023 season - Thank goodness it's over.  Probably the worst season in Premiership history, or certainly after the first few.  Two teams folding, blatant inconsistencies officiating cards spoiling games, on-going concerns about salary cap violations, top players starting an exodus to France, all backdropped by the financial weakness of the entire on-going operation.  Waiting for the damned thing to slowly end seemed at times like fingernails on a chalkboard (as opposed to marker on a whiteboard).  

At least the Rugby gods have come good and shown us all they have a sense of humour:  Saints sneaking into the last playoff spot with the second most point scored in the Premiership and the second most points surrendered.  UFB.  But, at least this shows in an incontrovertible manner that the Rugby gods, at least some time, do wear Black, Green, & Gold!

Saturday, May 13:  saracens-Saints, Stone Ex Salary Cap Cheater Stadium
Sunday, May 14:  Sale-Tigers, AJ Bell Stadium (Salford)
Saturday, May 20:  Watch French and Irish dudes play with each other
Saturday, May 27:  Tigers-Saints, Twickenham Courtney Lawes Stadium, for the Championship of the East Midlands, Mercia, England, and the World.  

Oh yeah.  Discuss....

Really sloppy by Hislop.

Unlucky again with the YC

Nice kick

Lol. Better kick than Malins in the first.

Cracking kick from Theo Dan!

And the predicable scrum pen

What an absolutely fantastic game of rugby.

Well played Sarries and commiserations to Sale.

And well refereed by Luke Pearce.

Yep it was a worthy final ... well done to both teams for putting on a display

I think Theo Dan should have played himself into potential 3rd hooker contention. He should at least be in the wider squad. Superb player.

Heaf wrote:Yep but probably didn't look at the tackle quite a bit earlier in the move ...

I think he started to get back up and Pearce said no tackle complete at which point he flopped back down.

Good final, swung back and forth. In the end just to Manu errors from Sale, young Aaron Reed in particular had an absolute shocker.

I do like Theo Dan, only 22 and a really exciting talent. Got some bits of his game to sharpen up but plenty of time for that and he brings a lot right now.

I thought Malins was man of the match personally.

Mr Bounce wrote:
And well refereed by Luke Pearce.

Very true, kept the game flowing well.

I thought Malins deserved MOTM as well

Farrell was head and shoulders the potm. Thought the locj pairing for Saracens played very well. Probably the best I've seen Tizard play.

This was a lot of fun to watch. In the balance almost the whole way. After a season which will end up being known for the failures of, and within, the Premiership, this was a game which was sorely needed. And it delivered. I even had Saracens by 10 in my Superbru....

Good game...tough on Sale.

Malins was superb, def motm and Rodd excellent when he came on. Farrell wins the battle of the 10's.

Agree on Pearce....him and Barnes are superb. Comparing that performance to Peyper last week....

Fantastic final, full credit to both teams, great advert for the league. I thought the key moment was when Sale were 25-23 up and they had a lineout 5m away from the Saracens line, but Itoje executed a brilliant turnover, Saracens cleared and Sale got nil points for that effort and nil points for the rest of the game.

Farrell and Malins were superb, and I was hugely impressed by Theo Dan who came on way earlier than he would have anticipated but still delivered for his side. Pearce managed the game excellently, though I thought the TMO missed a forearm by Ross about 10-15 minutes from the end that could have been a red.

Yep totally agree. Farrell and Malins excellent and Dan was superb off bench. That lad could play in the centre.

Noticed that they're looking at a Relegation playoff for this season.

A two leg playoff between bottom of prem and top of champs IF the top team passes the criteria.