Premiership finale - five teams in play-off hunt

Five teams spell into nan Premiership's melodramatic last time pinch a chance of joining table-toppers Bath successful this season's play-offs - and of winning nan title astatine Twickenham successful 2 weeks' time.

Leicester, Sale, Bristol, Gloucester and Saracens could remarkably each still decorativeness anyplace from 2nd to sixth arsenic they spell into nan play separated by conscionable 5 points aft 17 matches.

Johann van Graan's Bath broadside person travel backmost from last season's last conclusion against Northampton pinch a vengeance, winning 14 games this word and starring nan array by 15 points.

Such is Bath's power they secured first spot and a location semi-final astatine nan Recreation Ground pinch 3 rounds of games to go, and will play whoever finishes 4th connected Friday, 6 June, while 2nd will big 3rd connected Saturday, 7 June.

With thing riding connected each 5 games that each kick-off astatine 15:05 BST this Saturday, here's what each nine needs to do - and successful immoderate cases dream for, extracurricular of their power - to seal a semi-final spot.

For nan Tigers, nan task is elemental - hit Newcastle astatine location and 2nd spot successful nan table, on pinch a location semi-final, is theirs. One constituent is capable to unafraid nan apical four.

The league's astir successful broadside are connected nan prowl for their record-extending 12th title and person a two-point cushion complete third-placed Sale.

Leicester person nan astir magnitude of wiggle room if they do suffer and driblet points, arsenic astatine slightest 3 results would request to spell against them for them to driblet retired of nan apical four.

However, they will beryllium assured of getting nan occupation done against a Falcons broadside who person won conscionable 2 convention matches successful nan past 2 seasons and vanished stone bottommost of nan array successful both.

If nan Tigers do gaffe up, nan Sharks will beryllium circling.

Sale sojourn Exeter, pinch nan Chiefs already assured of a ninth-placed decorativeness and truthful person thing to play for.

A repetition of December's triumph complete nan Chiefs and Alex Sanderson's squad will cement 3rd spot sloppy of different results. A nonaccomplishment pinch 2 prize points would still beryllium capable for nan apical four.

It's been 19 years since nan club's sole Premiership title.

But nan Manchester broadside person a instrumentality up their sleeve successful that they person nan astir convention wins of immoderate nine speech from Bath, meaning if they extremity nan play connected nan aforesaid number of points arsenic immoderate of their competitors, they would decorativeness supra them.

The Sharks besides person England fly-half George Ford arriving astatine nan extremity of nan play successful stunning form arsenic they person won 3 of their past 4 Premiership games.

In nan improbable arena that Tigers tie and Sale win, aliases Leicester suffer and Sale draw, nan 2 sides could decorativeness level connected points but pinch Sale connected top.

Currently occupying nan last play-off spot are Pat Lam's Bristol Bears and they look a highly unpredictable Harlequins side.

Victory would guarantee a top-four decorativeness but thing little than that and nan Bears will beryllium looking complete their shoulders, pinch Gloucester and Saracens fresh to strike.

Ashton Gate holds a typical spot successful nan hearts of Quins fans, arsenic nan segment of their epic semi-final fightback triumph astatine 'Bristanbul' successful 2021 en way to claiming their 2nd Premiership title.

Any slip-ups astatine Welford Road for Leicester and Sandy Park for Sale would mean Bristol could still yet decorativeness 2nd and book successful different memorable location semi-final.

Gloucester spell into nan crippled knowing thing little than triumph complete reigning champions Northampton will do.

Do that and they request Sale to suffer without immoderate prize points aliases Bristol conscionable to suffer and they could sneak into nan apical 4 astatine nan decorativeness line.

In what would beryllium an astonishing story, nan Cherry and Whites could mathematically still unafraid a location semi-final astatine Kingsholm if they each suffer conclusion and prime up nary prize points.

If they were to unafraid a bonus-point triumph complete Saints they would jump up to 56 points, level pinch Leicester.

Given some teams would person 10 wins, Gloucester would decorativeness supra nan Tigers owed to their superior points quality (currently Gloucester +74, Leicester +72).

Northampton person suffered a disappointing defence of nan title they won past season, but fly-half Fin Smith and co person shown nan immense value they person successful their tally to nan European Champions Cup last past weekend.

Saracens big Bath astatine StoneX Stadium pinch their destiny retired of their hands arsenic they bid to debar missing retired connected nan apical 4 for only nan 3rd clip since 2009.

Those 2 occasions were 2020, erstwhile they were relegated successful nan aftermath of nan net headdress scandal, and nan pursuing play erstwhile they played successful nan 2nd tier.

It has been a play of rebuilding for Mark McCall and his coaching unit aft nan departures of legendary players including Owen Farrell and Billy and Mako Vunipola past summer, while full-back Alex Goode has announced he would discontinue astatine nan extremity of nan season aft making a Sarries grounds 400th quality earlier this month.

Their play-off hopes were struck a immense rustle astatine Northampton a fortnight agone pinch Tarek Haffar's last-second effort stealing a 28-24 triumph for nan Saints that near nan Men successful Black's hopes dangling.

Their task is akin to that of Gloucester, arsenic they spell into nan crippled pinch nan aforesaid number of points and wins arsenic nan Cherry and Whites, but they person a substantially little points quality of +30.

They request results supra to spell their measurement and to triumph by a large separator to person immoderate hope, though they are facing a substantially understrength Bath broadside - who are fielding 7 debutants successful their matchday 23.

All matches kick-off Saturday, 31 May, 15:05 BST