1) Bath will have no excuses with internationals returning
The highlight of Bath’s first victory in four was the final whistle. They achieved what they set out to – the result was everything, never mind the performance, while Sale failed in their quest for a bonus point. Bath’s run-in, which includes what should be five points at London Welsh in the next round, will leave them with no excuses should they fail to finish in the top four and they will have their international players back, those who are fit at least with Henry Thomas joining fellow props David Wilson and Paul James in the treatment room. Bath have struggled during the Six Nations: unlike their rivals, they are not used to losing so many players at one time, but the fixture schedule was unkind with matches against other title contenders, Saracens and Exeter away and Northampton at home. They look in need of another ball carrier in the back row and the Wales No8 Toby Faletau is among the targets. Perhaps it is where Sam Burgess will end up as he continued to look like a forward playing in the three-quarter line. Paul Rees
• Match report: Bath 12-3 Sale
2) Thomas the Tank has reinforced fledgling Chiefs
Another week and yet more evidence that Henry Slade is an England fly-half in waiting. A third try in four matches, five conversions and two penalties amounted to 21 points and he would surely have eclipsed the 27 he scored against Harlequins last month had he not been given a breather just before the hour mark. With Slade at the helm there is no doubting that Exeter’s fledglings – Jack Nowell (away with England at present), Sam Hill and Luke Cowan-Dickie included – are coming of age and the Chiefs are reaping the reward; this club record Premiership victory propelled them to second in the table. It is worth remembering that last season Exeter won just three of their last 12 league matches (against the teams that finished 10th, 11th and 12 in the table), even if the LV Cup success did much to keep spirits high. It is also noteworthy that in Saturday’s drubbing of London Welsh, Thomas Waldrom’s two tries were his 11th and 12th this season, putting him streets ahead on the Premiership top scorers list. The 31-year-old’s acquisition last summer was undoubtedly a shrewd one and Baxter has already secured the services of another Leicester stalwart in Geoff Parling for next season. The youngsters give rise to optimism that the Chiefs could establish themselves as a top-four force but the importance of the older heads cannot be underestimated. Gerard Meagher
• Match report: Exeter 74-19 London Welsh
3) Quins take attacking mindset too far
Conor O’Shea is not happy with the way rugby is these days, and he’s not the only one. Defences do seem to be on top at this particular point in rugby history – although, as O’Shea acknowledged, it has not been thus even quite recently, for example when Quins won the Premiership. And he would bring the matter up on the very day Gloucester and Northampton play out a 66-point thriller. Still, he has a point. Whether the latest development is attributable to the laws or just a natural stage in the evolution of attack adapting to defence adapting to attack again is a moot point. But sometimes you have to help yourself too. Quins’ dogged refusal at various times this season to take the points when they’re on offer has taken the attacking mindset a step too far. There’s a time and a place. This weekend they kicked their first four penalties and never surrendered the lead they established as a result. Then, when they had built up a 13-point lead in the first half they turned down a shot at goal, overthrew the attacking lineout and conceded a try. This could have been a much more comfortable win – and other defeats this season avoided – with a modicum of patience applied to the admirable attacking brio. Michael Aylwin
• Match report: Harlequins 26-20 London Irish
4) Saints march on
Northampton continue to walk on as those behind them lose their footing. They have lost one of their last 10 Premiership matches, finding ways to win, and draw at Kingsholm, when not in top gear. For once they had a number of their England players involved in a match during the Six Nations period, but the one who stood out at Gloucester was James Wilson, and not just because the full-back scored two tries to take his league tally for the season to seven. It was his tackle on Billy Twelvetrees that forced the centre to lose control of the ball and knock on, something the video official spotted after Henry Purdy had scored what would probably have been the winning try for the home side. Wilson’s pace and attacking instincts have minimised the loss of Ben Foden and his second try, from a move he started near his own 22 after James Hook’s high kick bounced in front of him, illustrated the confidence he is playing with. A draw was a fair result given the way the Saints thought their way out of trouble. It was the third highest draw in the Premiership’s history, although 33-33 had been recorded twice before. Northampton drew 37-37 with Sale in 2003 while four years ago Gloucester and Leicester shared 82 points at Welford Road. Paul Rees
• Match report: Gloucester 33-33 Northampton
5) Wade and Daly would offer England something different
The contrast between the first and second halves of the match between Wasps and Saracens was startling and, to be honest, a little depressing. It is, of course, down to proponents of open, running, exciting, edge-of-your-seat rugby to make their point in results, but one suspects even the most one-eyed Saracens supporter may remember the game more for the brilliance of Christian Wade and Elliot Daly’s early tries than the manner in which their side squeezed the life out of their opponents after replying with tries of their own through Jackson Wray and Chris Wyles. But that’s a personal reflection. What Stuart Lancaster should have noted was that, allied to their flair, both Wade and Daly were outstanding in defence and under the high ball. As the Wasps director of rugby, Dai Young, pointed out, they would not let England down in that respect – and they would definitely bring something different and unpredictable to an otherwise predictable attack. Richard Rae
• Match report: Wasps 17-26 Saracens
6) Tigers making traditional surge but still flatter to deceive
At this stage of the season Leicester usually grow stronger and make their customary surge into title contention. Sunday’s narrow victory does put them within touching distance of the top four but, despite their recent winning sequence, they looked anything but champion material on Newcastle’s fast-paced artificial surface. The Falcons, for whom Dave Walder has done a great job improving their back-line fluidity, looked much more dangerous with ball in hand and it was only a regular diet of scrum penalties which kept the Tigers afloat. With Tom Croft sadly injured again, Manu Tuilagi yet to return and a couple of players in messy contractual limbo, Leicester will hope the return of Ben Youngs and Dan Cole makes a difference over the all-important final furlongs. Robert Kitson
