By Loose Head
May 3 2002

This season would have been one of the dullest on record if there was no relegation. Leicester have vacuumed up points and in a strange way done the league a favour. There are only so many points to go round and so what’s left after you take Leicester out is one heck of a scramble lower down. Administrators should tread very warily when considering ring-fencing the premiership, think about the quality of the game. No fear of failure – why succeed?

Wasps dragged themselves out of relegation contention with superlative performances against Leicester and Gloucester, while Bath and Quins seem desperate not to let Leeds go down. Sarries are making a late plummet but may have done enough already to prevent late season incompetence getting the better of them.

So how does it all stack up?

Sarries 33pts – 2 games to go
Bath 32 pts – 2 games to go
Quins 30 pts – 2 games to go
Leeds 28 pts – 3 games to go

The run ins are

Sarries
Newcastle away
Bristol Home

Bath
Gloucester away
Wasps home

Quins
Leeds home
Sale away

Leeds
Quins away
Sale away
Gloucester home

I think Sarries are safe, mainly because two teams below them have to play each other, both realistically won’t overtake them – stanger things have happened. With Balsup and Tindall out will Bath get another single point? Probably not. They are very precariously positioned. Quins used to have the nous to drag something out of the bag. Their best chance is Leeds at home, relying on a win at Sale away is pipe dream land for them. Leeds, still favourites for the drop unless they beat Quins. They need 5 points out of 3 matches, assuming Quinbs and Bath get none.

I can see a Quins upset and Leeds winning. The bonus point scramble will become extreme, the momentum that a win will give Leeds will probably be enough to save them. Bath have points on the board somehow which may save them too. Everything is pointing at the Quins v Leeds game as the effective relegation decider. I suspect Leeds will pull through. Time will tell.