Exeter and Saracens are dominant while Europe also occupies minds, leaving drama scarce at rugby’s business end
The final month of the season should be the most gripping of all. For players and coaches it is the moment when 10 months of hard work are either rewarded or not. For anyone trying to market rugby to the uninitiated these should be the most precious of days when the game speaks for itself. Sunny weather, shirt sleeves, packed stadiums, firm grounds … for a winter sport in the northern hemisphere there is no better moment to entice the elusive floating voter.
All too often, though, things are not entirely what they seem. Take Exeter and Saracens, so far in front heading up the final straight that the galloping hooves of the rest of the Premiership pack are barely audible. With two regular-season games left the table-topping Chiefs are no fewer than 30 points ahead of Northampton in fourth place. Their director of rugby, Rob Baxter, spoke with typical honesty at the weekend about an “emotion vacuum” as his battle-weary players prepare for a brace of games that, to some degree, count for little.
Written by Robert Kitson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/apr/30/premiership-exeter-saracens-rugby under the title “Premiership’s late-season emotion vacuum calls for short, sharp solution | Robert Kitson”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
