How the Premiership was reborn to deliver thrilling battle for the play-offs: ‘Anyone can beat anyone’

A close season sees most of the league still in the mix for a top-four finish

The Gallagher Premiership season is set for a thrilling finale over the coming week (Getty)

The Gallagher Premiership’s marketing team have been hard at work giving the end of the season a big sell. News came through as the league resumed after the Six Nations of a couple of key linguistic tweaks that the English top flight were keen to emphasise as the denouement loomed into view. The sprint to the finish would be dubbed “The Run In”, while the term “Play-offs” – previously avoided for fears of unnecessary Americanisation – would now be preferred for the two fixtures formerly known as semi-finals.

An applaudable effort it may have been to legitimise and commoditise this final swing, but there is an argument that they needn’t have bothered. The rugby in recent weeks has rather sold itself; it is hard to remember a domestic English season as closely contested or captivating.

The penultimate weekend of the season begins with eight teams still remarkably harbouring hopes of a top-four finish, with nobody’s place yet secure and only Northampton sitting (reasonably) comfortably at the top of the pile. It would take a minor miracle for Leicester to salvage a play-off spot from ninth but just six points separate second from seventh – anything could happen.

Only Northampton look secure in a play-off place ahead of the penultimate round (Getty Images)

There are plenty of factors impacting this apparent condensing. The folding of three Premiership clubs during the course of last season created a surplus of top flight-ready players, concentrating the talent within English rugby and driving competition and standards at clubs. A 10-team league is perhaps a better reflection of the talent pool and interest in the top flight, however horrible the method of reducing bloat.

A stricter, smaller salary cap has helped, too – richer clubs are no longer able to spend for success – while the removal of relegation has provided stability, encouraging coaches to trust in youth and attacking ambition.

“It’s unfortunate with three teams folding but it’s made it very tight which is great for the competition,” Danny Care, scrum-half at Harlequins, said last weekend. “Anyone can beat anyone, which makes it exciting. We’d love to be in a position where we’re guaranteed a top four space but unfortunately that’s not the case.”

Newcastle’s plight has helped those above them, too. The unfortunate Falcons have been cut adrift at the bottom and look likely to end the season winless. The club should be admired in many ways for taking the brave decision to cut costs and run their rugby programme more sustainably, and recent crowd numbers have been positive, but it is concerning that Guy Pepper, Phil Brantingham and Louie Johnson – three of their brightest talents – have been plucked from the nest by bigger clubs ahead of next season.

Of those in the running, it would come as a slight surprise for Saracens not to send Owen Farrell and the Vunipolas off with a play-off appearance, Mark McCall’s serial winners finishing up with a trip to Bristol and home game against Sale and knowing two wins should be enough.

Saracens are hoping to give Owen Farrell a winning send-off (Getty Images)

Bath also appear nicely placed, taking on Newcastle on Friday before Northampton, perhaps resting a couple, visit the Rec on the final day. Finn Russell is back fit and Johann van Graan’s recent contract extension is evidence of the positive vibes around a club who believe it is time for a long-overdue breakthrough. That could leave Harlequins and Bristol with a play-in for the play-offs on the final day – though Exeter and Sale are sure to have something to say.

The Premiership should remain relatively settled next season with only one Championship club meeting the criteria set by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to earn a shot at promotion, and that side, Doncaster, some distance off pace-setters Ealing. The future of the second tier should become clearer with long-anticipated details of the Professional Game Partnership (PGP) between the union and Premiership Rugby expected to be made public soon.

While the bones of the PGP have been agreed and more details should soon become available publicly, a senior executive at the RFU cautioned privately last week that there is still more work to be done. The union are also hesitant to talk of conditions or in vagaries, preferring instead to make any announcement “substantial and significant”.

Eight Premiership clubs still harbour hopes of making the final four (Getty Images for Sale Sharks)

“It is a complex deal,” Bill Sweeney, the RFU chief executive, told The Independent a fortnight ago. “The current deal is eight years old and this is not just an extension or renewal or a tweak, it is a change in the way we function together. That’s why it has taken so long to do.”

There is great hope within the game that the eventual agreement will enshrine the more collaborative approach that English rugby has managed to forge over the past couple of years. The loss of four professional clubs – including 2022-23 Championship winners Jersey alongside Worcester, Wasps and London Irish – showed that the status quo was not working, and it has been encouraging to hear senior figures talk at length about a joined-up strategy.

Slowly, steps are being taken towards a more sustainable sport. The salary cap is due to rise again next season from £5m to the former figure of £6.4m, though few clubs are expected to challenge the higher limit having recognised a need to do things differently. The Premiership has renewed its broadcast deal with TNT Sports at what is thought to be a reduced rate in a buyer’s market, though the fact that the channel will show every game is a positive.

Negotiations continue over preserving a free-to-air broadcast partner in line with ITV’s existing seven games a season agreement, ensuring exposure to new viewers who should be drawn in by the strength of the product. For the Premiership is, on the field at least, thriving: two weeks, 10 games, four play-off spots up for grabs – prepare for a furious photo finish.