Slade centre stage, Willis' goodbye and Russell's calf - Prem talking points

By

BBC Sport rugby national quality reporter

Henry Slade's booming footwear into the country successful the 2017 Premiership semi-final got plentifulness of airtime successful the build-up to the latest instalment of Saracens and Exeter's rivalry.

That monster touch-finder acceptable up a final-minute match-winning effort from Sam Simmonds.

Nearly a decennary on, Slade's power on Saturday's 32-12 victory, which clinched a play-off spot for the Chiefs astatine Sarries' expense, was inactive key.

The 33-year-old purred astir retired wide, scored the effort that started the hosts' second-half blitz and lassoed Rotimi Segun with a important try-saving tackle earlier the break.

Slade, who won the astir caller of his 74 England caps against Argentina successful November, past period told the For the Love of Rugby podcast helium was "frustrated and disappointed" not to play a azygous infinitesimal successful England's floundering Six Nations campaign.

With Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh seemingly retired of favour, Slade's signifier is edging him backmost towards the Test spotlight.

Fraser Dingwall, Seb Atkinson and Benhard Janse van Rensburg were the different specializer centres called up to an England grooming campy past month. None are intelligibly up of the Exeter man.

"If I was picking an England team, I'd person Henry Slade successful there," said Exeter onslaught manager Dave Walder.

"I spot him each time and I cognize what he's susceptible of. He's doing everything you would expect of a subordinate who's not being picked by playing good week-in, week-out connected some sides of the ball."

"You don't realise however overmuch you miss thing until you don't person it," Slade told BBC Radio 5 Live astatine Sandy Park.

"Maybe we took it for granted each those years ago, it is precise peculiar to person it back. I consciousness good, I'm successful the signifier of my life, inactive feeling caller and good."

Slade was talking astir a play-off spot. He mightiness person easy been talking astir a starting Test shirt.

How overmuch of Bath's rubric defence rests connected Finn Russell's iffy calf?

The Scottish string-puller was signed to a big-money declaration for the biggest games.

With Russell inactive nursing an injury, Bath manager Johann van Graan decided the risks outweighed the rewards of throwing him successful against Tigers with a play-off spot already secured.

In the end, with Argentina's Santi Carreras astatine fly-half, Van Graan was proved right.

Bath won 24-22 and locked successful a location semi-final against Exeter.

But Van Graan's post-match prognosis connected Russell, who has not played since mid-May, was interesting.

"He's successful a large place, but he's not perfect," Van Graan said.

"He'll person to get done the week, but let's spot connected Friday what the squad is for the [Exeter] game."

Bath's guardant grunt got them implicit the enactment against Tigers, with prop Thomas du Toit scoring a hat-trick. Against a Chiefs side, they volition privation each cylinders firing.

Northampton came distant from The Stoop without the win, but travelled backmost circular the M25 with a beauteous large milestone successful the bottommost of the squad bus.

When scrum-half Jonny Weimann squirmed implicit to people successful the sixth infinitesimal they became the archetypal squad successful past to people 100 regular-season tries successful the Prem/Premiership era.

In the end, they finished with 104, 5 much than the grounds they themselves acceptable successful 2021-22.

What makes it each the much singular is that the existent Saints people person racked up that mammoth full successful six less games, with Worcester, London Irish and Wasps each portion of the 2021-22 fixture database earlier going bust the play after.

There person been immoderate lopsided scorelines to assistance Northampton to 3 figures successful this iteration of the league but, contempt astir of their frontline stars fixed the day disconnected astatine Quins, they inactive glinted with danger.

They volition request to against Leicester successful a mouth-watering derby semi-final nether the Franklin's Gardens lights connected Friday.

Saints, with defence manager Lee Radford connected his mode to Scotland astatine the extremity of the season, person conceded much tries than immoderate different broadside successful the apical six.

Back successful October, Saints scored 5 tries astatine location - the bulk coming from agelong scope - to narrowly spot disconnected Tigers 32-26.

They volition beryllium leaning connected that attacking flair and the instrumentality of rested stars.

Leicester volition beryllium summoning the tone that flattened Saints 41-17 successful the reverse fixture a period ago.

The semi-final is up against Canada v Bosnia-Herzegovina successful football's World Cup successful the TV schedules. Rugby fans volition reason that is the lone portion of Friday nighttime that is casual to call.

It was a time for goodbyes.

Tom Lawday, connected the mode retired of Harlequins aft 7 years, plunged implicit for the match-winning effort against Northampton.

Raffi Quirke, a boyhood Sale fan, signed disconnected earlier a summertime determination to Newcastle with a blindside dart and cute spot to acceptable up 1 of Arron Reed's 2 tries. But no-one volition beryllium missed arsenic keenly arsenic Tom Willis.

The 27-year-old is the standout backmost enactment successful the Prem. And has been for immoderate time.

He finishes the regular play apical of the league-wide lasting for carries, offloads and defenders beaten. He is besides successful the apical 5 for turnovers won and the apical 10 for tackles made.

As clip ticked down, helium strived to crook the tide against Exeter - dummy and darting from the backmost of an overthrown line-out, squirreling an offload distant to Noah Caluori retired the backmost of his manus - but it was yet successful vain.

His adjacent crippled volition beryllium successful the colours of European champions Bordeaux-Begles.

He has spent this play connected an England cardinal declaration - worthy much than £160,000 - but has not played astatine each internationally since announcing his determination successful October, with manager Steve Borthwick deciding to make different players up of 1 who volition soon beryllium unavailable to him.

Willis' all-action crippled would person beefed up England's anaemic Six Nations.

With the likes of Alex Dombrandt, Alfie Barbeary, Chandler Cunningham-South and Emeka Ilione - imaginable fig eights successful a akin mould - not hitting his heights yet, Willis' determination to France whitethorn beryllium the origin of much regret successful future.

Whoever prevails and reaches the last connected 20 June volition beryllium playing for a caller super-sized trophy astatine Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.

The freshly minted silverware weighs successful astatine 26kg,, external making it the heaviest large trophy successful British sport. League organisers are moving connected a suitably mammoth accomplishment to the arena for the caller pot.

Ringwalk-style entrances for the 2 teams volition besides beryllium successful the offing, portion it is hoped that a repetition of the 2024 innovation - successful which 2 opposing players are mic'ed up for the lucifer - volition beryllium possible.

If you didn't drawback the 'director's commentary' mentation of Northampton's triumph implicit Bath 2 years ago, provided by Dingwall and Russell,, external it is compelling viewing.