With all the fascinated talk this season of whether Harlequins could possibly be relegated, the idea of Bath going down has been treated as no more than amusing conjecture. This weekend, however, Bath have been thrust mercilessly into the spotlight at the foot of the table, courtesy of a 68-12 hiding from Gloucester at Kingsholm.
For Gloucester fans to contemplate such a victory in the past would be for them to weep with joy, but perhaps even the Shed faithful are now blushing at the prospect of a Bath-less Premiership. Eight tries, including a hat-trick from rising star James Simpson-Daniel, saw off a Bath team featuring a back division of unprecedented youth and inexperience. In the process, Bath's points difference has crashed below that of Leeds, the only team below them in the Premiership. If Bath lose their last game to Wasps at the Rec next weekend and Leeds win one of their two remaining games, Bath will almost certainly be doomed. Unless, of course, they can be saved by machinations off the field. Would the authorities countenance the replacement of mighty Bath by lowly Rotherham?
Bath's remaining opponents Wasps kept up their pursuit of a place in the Heineken Cup next season, inconceivable a few months ago, with a 17-9 win over Northampton. Simon Shaw scored the only try of a dour contest at Loftus Road, in the 71st minute of which Lawrence Dallaglio was sin-binned for a ruck offence.
There's never been much to do in Manchester on a Friday night, so Sale have had the brainwave of playing their home league fixtures during those dark hours of Mancunian introspection.
The Premiership club experimented with the idea last month and were so encouraged by the numbers of listless locals that flocked to watch the match with Saracens that, as from next season, they have decided to make Friday-night rugby a permanent fixture, as it were.
Jim Mallinder, the Sale coach, spoke in enthusiastic tones of the move, predicting bigger crowds as well as a new edge to his team's chances. 'Friday-night rugby will give us an added advan tage in terms of the atmosphere and conditions,' he commented, raising ominous questions for visiting teams with regard to Friday nightlife in Manchester.
Of more immediate concern to Mallinder, however, will be today's Premiership clash with London Irish at the Madejski Stadium, when hooker Andy Titterell returns to the Sale squad in the only change to the one that beat Gloucester in the Parker Pen Shield quarter-final last weekend.
After that victory, today's match could have been a dress rehearsal for the Shield final, had London Irish not lost narrowly to Pontypridd in the other semi. Conor O'Shea, Irish's director of rugby, insists that his side remain philosophical after the defeat. He expects a fast, competitive game today against Sale, who are level with them in third place. Irish make five changes to the side beaten by Pontypridd, including at scrum-half, where Darren Edwards comes in for the injured Hentie Martens.
Saracens, meanwhile, welcome back two of their icons for today's contest with Newcastle at Kingston Park. Kyran Bracken returns after concussion, but of even more excitement is the possibility of a first start in 18 months for Thomas Cataignède, having negotiated 15 minutes at the end of Saracens' recent defeat at Northampton without any reaction from his chronic Achilles tendon injury. Saracens' situation, pretty serious as it is, was further improved by the allaying of fears over the fitness of Richard Hill and Scott Murray.
In the other Premiership game today, Leicester are expected to field a second-string team against Bristol, who welcome back key players, including Jason Little.
Little's former province Queensland will hope to improve their chances of qualifying for the Super 12 play-offs by beating Aussie rivals New South Wales today in Brisbane. The competition will be fierce, as the Waratahs themselves are the only team capable of catching the Crusaders, who are eight points clear at the top of the table, having thrashed the Hurricanes 48-20 yesterday. The Waratahs will face the Crusaders in the last round-robin game next weekend. The Brumbies, meanwhile, recovered from their recent run of four defeats to move into third place with a 42-15 win over the Chiefs.
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