A weekend of matches that hinted at changes at the top of the Gallagher PREM Rugby table, ended with everyone in pretty much the same position and Northampton Saints still top, and Newcastle Red Bulls still bottom.
A weekend of matches that hinted at changes at the top of the Gallagher PREM Rugby table, ended with everyone in pretty much the same position and Northampton Saints still top, and Newcastle Red Bulls still bottom.
The most eye-catching result was Harlequins’ win away to Bristol Bears that marked their first PREM victory of 2026, and in doing so made them party poopers to the Bears Big Day Out in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
That match was one of three that was transferred to a major stadium and drew a crowd of 45,199. In Birmingham, Gloucester and Leicester Tigers played out the Ed Slater Cup in front of 24,278, and the action ended on Saturday with 44,832 supporters was Saracens host Northampton Saints at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
There’s plenty to look back on, here’s how ATR saw the action…
Newcastle Red Bulls 14-38 Exeter Chiefs
Exeter Chiefs didn’t take long to knock Newcastle Red Bulls chances of getting off the bottom for the first time this season, with Paul Brown-Bampoe scoring their first try of six tries after five minutes. Three more quickly followed and Olly Woodburn secured the four-try bonus 25 minutes in. It was a strong a way of establishing their playoff credentials, though director of rugby Rob Baxter will be disappointed that they didn’t score in the last quarter.
There were stellar performances across the Chiefs, but especially by Wallabies import Tom Hooper, who has really hit his stride. The flanker made three turnovers, nine carries, and seven tackles. Alongside Greg Fisilau, the big carrying number eight, and Ross Vintcent, the tackling machine, Baxter has moulded a well-balanced and highly-functioning back row trio.
Newcastle and interim head coach Stephen Jones will be disappointed that they barely landed a glove and took nothing. They will now focus on the EPRC Challenge Cup where they face La Rochelle at home next weekend. At least marquee signing Christian Wade got off the mark in the PREM when he danced around Campbell Ridl and held off three other defenders. He signed in December, and while he is a long-term signing, the time for delivering is now.
Gloucester 17-36 Leicester Tigers
If you thought Exeter racked up their bonus point quickly, that was nothing compared to Leicester Tigers who took 15 minutes to claim theirs at Villa Park, ably helped by a Gloucester display that left head coach George Skivington “fuming.” Rightly so, as Will Wand and Gabriel Hamer-Webb shrugged off potential tacklers to score far too easily. Then when Tigers went to the pack, Jamie Blamire twice went over from close range.
There was plenty to leave Skivington with smoke coming out of his ears; one line break to Leicester’s eight, a failure to capitalise on 69 percent possession, 11 penalties and 31 missed tackles. Number eight Jack Clement was their one exception with 14 carries and three turnovers.
Blamire’s performance was another in an impressive debut season at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. You wonder how long England coach Steve Borthwick will overlook him, considering the lack of minutes he gave to Luke Cowan-Dickie or Theo Dan in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations. Blamire has seven caps, in this form he should have the chance to win more.
Bristol Bears 14-18 Harlequins
Could this be Bristol Bears’ playoff hopes done? Seven points away from Exeter Chiefs and with six more rounds to haul them in is a huge challenge, especially with the Chiefs strong performances at the moment.
They will need a much improved showing than this flaccid display at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Pat Lam will be worried about their ability to capitalise on their superiority in territory, possession and set plays. In attack, they had more carries, more linebreaks, more passes and more post-contact metres, yet their ability to hold their discipline meant they gave away a late penalty that Quins kicked, rather than build to a late attack. They have had a few injuries this season, and their comparatively small squad looks stretched.
For Quins, it was more about their heart than anything technical. As usual Alex Dombrandt was at the heart of their showing, driving the team forward from number eight. He won three turnovers, made 14 tackles, and carried 13 times. His efforts at the coal face kept the visitors on the front foot and again raise questions over why he hasn’t had a shot at being Tom Willis’ replacement as England’s number eight.
Saracens 17-21 Northampton Saints
Three points up, less than 10 minutes to go, once upon a time Saracens would have closed out the results and been among the playoff places. This finish is their reality. Their defence, once the bedrock of their success, wasn’t strong enough to keep out Archie McParland for his second, and the winning try, and their discipline wasn’t good enough to stop a high tackle penalty that effectively let Northampton Saints off at the end.
That said, this ATR correspondent may get tired of exalting Theo Dan’s worth, but not any day soon. He made nine carries at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the second of which earned Saracens their second try and made the second half the contest it was. Finally, he appears to be coming out of Jamie George’s shadow. Like Jamie Blamire, chances with England are few (though he at least makes the squad), but now George and Luke Cowan-Dickie have left 30 behind, it would make sense to see him enjoy more minutes internationally.
South African unit JJ van der Mescht has been in the news with a potential Springboks call up on the table. The Saints second row made his case on the big stage. He was twice held up over the line an carried eight times for 40 metres. He also made three tackles in his 31 minutes of action to maintain the Saints momentum. Once upon a time that would have been something a Saracens player provided, but times have changed.
Sale Sharks 26-31 Bath
After a miserable few weeks, Sale Sharks showed what they can do and for a while threatened to upset last season’s champions before Bath stirred at the end to snatch control late on.
Against Bath, Sale needed to be 100 percent in the basics and they weren’t. Bath claimed 100 percent of their scrums and lineouts, Sale claimed 88 and 93 respectively, but not enough if you want to upset the champions. Bath carried more, Sale tackled more, all indicators that the victors were deserving winners, and that Sale needs to be sharper and closer to flawless than they were.
Johann van Grann again juggled his squad to be ready for the next two weeks of Investec Champions Cup action (provided they make it to the quarterfinals). One eye-catching cameo came from reserve hooker Kepu Tuipulotu. Last season we saw him slip a well-placed grubber kick through for England U20s that led to a try, and at Salford Community Stadium, he pulled another out of the bag that reserve scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde swept upon to score. It is another sign of the west country club’s strength, something Sale can only dream about.