Perhaps we were wrong to ever doubt Gallagher Prem’s capacity to deliver drama and jeopardy. It was not that long ago in this strange season where the campaign looked to be ebbing towards a damp squib; the play-off chase all but decided, the top two clear and relegation removed to leave little to play for.
But the final weekend of the regular season arrives again with the promise of compelling competition. Second-placed Bath host third-placed Leicester needing a victory to return to the Rec a week later for a semi-final; Northampton will host the other, with their opposition likely to be the victor in a play-off play-in game between old rivals Exeter and Saracens. There is even a wrangle at the bottom to sort with the battle for eighth place mattering more than might first appear; Gloucester and Harlequins take on the roles of the proverbial bald men fighting over a comb, though the successful side will at least have the promise, perhaps, of the golden locks that come with qualification for next season’s Champions Cup.
