With Northampton Saints and Bath Rugby having opened up a bit of a gap to the next four teams, the race for the playoffs could not be tighter, with four points separating three teams and then six points to Saracens in sixth. The teams in with a shout of the final two places in the playoffs are Leicester Tigers, Exeter Chiefs, Bristol Bears and Saracens. So who has the easier run-in? Here I list who I think has it easier games over the last four games. You can see the full table here
1. Saracens – 42 points
For me, the team with the easiest run in is Saracens. They currently sit in sixth position, seven points off Exeter in fourth, but with the games that Saracens have left, they should be able to close that gap and possibly sneak into that final playoff spot. Their last four games are as follows:
- Bristol Bears (A) – currently 5th
- Gloucester (H) – currently 8th
- Harlequins (H) – currently 9th
- Exeter Chiefs (A) – currently 4th
That final game with Exeter could really be for a place in the playoffs, as I expect them to win their two home games. However, in their last four games they have won two, beating Sale and Leicester, and lost two to the top two in the table, Bath and Northampton Saints.
2. Exeter Chiefs – 49 points
Next on my list is Exeter Chiefs, currently sitting inside the playoffs in fourth. Their run-in is slightly tougher than Saracens, who they play on the last day. Their final four fixtures are:
- Bath (H) – currently 2nd
- Harlequins (A) – currently 9th
- Leicester Tigers (A) – currently 3rd
- Saracens (H) – currently 6th
- They also have Ulster in the European Challenge Cup this weekend.
Despite playing three of the top six in their last four games, it’s still not as tough as the other two teams. They have also won two of their last four. Their wins came against Sale Sharks and Newcastle Red Bulls. However, they will need to recover from two narrow defeats to Gloucester and Northampton Saints in their last two games.
3. Bristol Bears – 48 points
Bristol have the next hardest run-in in my book. They currently sit in fifth, just outside the top four by one point. Their run-in is hard, but not as hard as Leicester, who we shall get to next. Bristol’s run-in looks like this:
- Saracens (H) – currently 6th
- Northampton Saints (A) – currently 1st
- Bath Rugby (H) – currently 2nd
- Sale Sharks (A) – currently 7th
Having to play the top two on back-to-back weeks could define where Bristol finish this season. Should they beat Saracens this weekend, that should put Saracens out of the race. Bristol have also won two of their last four games, with massive wins against Gloucester and Newcastle Red Bulls. However their defeats have come to Leicester, and a narrow loss to Harlequins three weeks ago.
4. Leicester Tigers – 52 points
The hardest of the four teams is definitely Leicester Tigers. Currently in third spot in the table, they have to play the other three top four teams. Their run-in goes like this:
- Northampton Saints (H) – currently 1st
- Sale Sharks (A) – currently 7th
- Exeter Chiefs (H) – currently 4th
- Bath (A) – currently 2nd
Having said they have the hardest run-in, they are the form team of these four teams. They have lost just once in the last four games, having beaten Bristol Bears, Gloucester and Newcastle Red Bulls. However, their loss came at the hands of Saracens at the weekend.
So that’s my take on the last four games for teams in 3rd-6th. Saracens have the easiest, and Leicester have the hardest – but will Saracens creep into the top four due to that easier run-in, only time will tell. It is certainly heating up in the race for the playoffs.
