Try of the Week
Christian Wade
Wasps v Saracens
Team tries are usually preferred to individual efforts, but not this week. Christian Wade’s spectacular finish for Wasps against Saracens earns him the vote over the sweeping Northampton try by James Wilson. Wade showed pace and the close control of Cristiano Ronaldo as he scored in the corner.
Aviva Premiership
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Northampton display their head for heights
This was the perfect antidote for those who decry the modern game as boring. The 14,000 crowd at Kingsholm were richly entertained as Gloucester surged into a 23-9 half-time lead before Northampton Saints, the runaway league leaders, clawed back the deficit to snatch a 33-33 draw with a last-gasp converted try from Samu Manoa.
The pick of the game’s six tries was James Wilson’s second to complete a fluid team effort from Northampton, who displayed the steely resolve of champions.
Harlequins ended a run of five straight defeats with a 26-20 win against London Irish. “We want to play with the ball in hand,” Conor O’Shea, the Harlequins director of rugby, said but Glenn Delaney, the London Irish head coach, was not so bothered. “The beauty of the game is you can approach it any way you want,” he said.
Exeter Chiefs rose to second with a 74-19 demolition of London Welsh, with Henry Slade again showing his class.
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Team of the Week
15 James Wilson (Northampton Saints)
14 Sinoti Sinoti (Newcastle Falcons)
13 George Pisi (Northampton Saints)
12 Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester, right)
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11 Olly Woodburn (Bath)
10 James Hook (Gloucester)
9 Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)
1 Nick Auterac (Bath)
2 Jamie George (Saracens)
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3 John Afoa (Gloucester)
4 Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers)
5 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
6 Maro Itoje (Saracens)
7 Matt Kvesic (Gloucester)
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8 Samu Manoa (Northampton Saints)