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The Top 10 ‘value for money’ Gallagher Premiership matches revealed
By Jon Newcombe
With quick tap penalties rather than scrum re-sets set to become the norm and the Dupont Law banned, the Gallagher Premiership 2024/25 season could end up being a feast of non-stop, running rugby.
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The World Rugby law amendments, which also include banning dangerous croc roll clear outs at the ruck, came into effect on July 1st and have been in operation in the July internationals, the Rugby Championship and the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup.
And while it is too early to tell whether games have been more fluid as a result, there seems to be a widely held consensus that Premiership fans, along with those in the URC and Top 14, will have to put up with fewer stoppages when the league season kicks off on Friday September 20th.
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Bath take on Northampton at The Rec on the opening night, a curtain raiser that not only pairs together last season’s finalists but also teams that are polar opposites in terms of ball-in-play time.
Northampton were the third ‘best’ in this respect behind Leicester and Harlequins, with their games having an average ball in play time of 38 minutes and 43 seconds compared to Bath, whose figure of 36 minutes 35 seconds was the lowest in the 10-team competition.
Sale Sharks featured most prominently in the top 10 chart with four of their games clocking up over 42 minutes, whilst Newcastle were the only club not to have at least one entry.
However, the list below proves that high ball-in-play time does not always equate to entertainment as quite a few of the matches would struggle to fall into the ‘thriller’ category, while some that would are nowhere near the top 10.
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- Leicester 17-24 Sale (45:57)
On the face of it, this round two clash doesn’t appear to be an obvious contender for the match with the most going on in terms of ‘live’ rugby, given the sides involved and the final scoreline. However, two teams better known for their structured set-piece play than playing with wild abandon topped the charts with a whopping 45 minutes and 57 seconds of ball-in-play time. The sides shared six tries apiece but it was the goal-kicking of Rob du Preez, one of the Sale try scorers, that ultimately decided the outcome. - Northampton 41-30 Saracens (45:14)
Coming a close second is the Round 14 match between two of the best teams in the league. Saints scored an impressive win in a high-scoring game where two late Alex Lewington tries flattered the visitors. - Sale 20-15 Northampton (45:14)
There was no time to nip to the bar or the toilets in a Round 1 clash that kept punters captivated from first whistle to last even though only five points were scored in the second half, James Ramm earning a losing bonus point for his team after Sale had led 20-10 at half-time. - Bath 12-15 Saracens (45:04)
You’d struggle to talk this Round 16 match up too much. The masterful boot of Owen Farrell, and only occasional flashes of brilliance with ball in hand, were enough for Sarries to burst Bath’s bubble. What play there was – and there was a lot, but with quantity overshadowing quality – tended to be concentrated between the two 10-metres line. - Sale Sharks 14-22 Bristol (44:24)
Another match that fell short of pre-match expectations, especially for Sale fans. The Sharks missed the chance to go back to the top of the Premiership as Bristol ended their 12-game home winning run. - Leicester 25-27 Gloucester (43:34)
Gloucester left for home with the Ed Slater Cup after Stephen Varney scored a late try to help the Cherry & Whites snatch a stunning first Premiership win at Leicester Tigers for more than 16 years. This was one game where fans couldn’t get enough of the action on show, and there was plenty of it. - Harlequins 10-38 Saracens (42:51)
A brilliant six-try display from the then defending champions Saracens who sent out a statement to the rest of the Premiership that said, ‘we’re not done yet.’ - Harlequins 19-20 Leicester (42:30)
One that script writers would have struggled to make up as Mike Brown returned to defeat the club he served for two decades with a last-minute matchwinner. - Sale 37-31 Harlequins (42:20)
Sale’s late season surge continued with an epic win at home to Harlequins, which featured a brace of tries for Arron Reed on his 100th club appearance. - Northampton 34-19 Exeter (42:08)
Rounding off our ball-in-play Top 10 is Northampton’s Round 5 clash with Exeter at Franklin’s Gardens. In a breathless opening to the match, Saints raced into a 17-0 lead before Exeter worked their way back into the contest. Replacement Niall Armstrong’s red card ended any hopes of a comeback, though.
(ball in play time in brackets, mins/seconds – source, Opta)
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