Gloucester top at the end of regular season

Gloucester overcame Bath 8-6 on the last day of the Guinness Premiership to clinch top spot at the end of the regular season. James Simpson-Daniel was sublime, with one of the tries of the year and picked up the Man of the Match award.

Unfortunately for the Cherry and Whites, it’s not actually the end of the season - they now face Leicester in the semi-finals and then the winner of Wasps or Bath if they make the final.

Wasps snatched second place with a bonus point victory over Leeds, and that secures the London side an all-important semi-final.

Leicester snuck into the top four at the eleventh hour with a last-minute victory over Harlequins to set up a showdown with Gloucester. Sale was the most disappointing team at the weekend, seemingly devoid of ambition in a 17-7 home defeat to London Irish.

The debate about the value of the knockout stages has been fairly quiet over the last couple of seasons. It seems to me the first opportunity to reduce the number of matches in a congested end-of-season schedule, but on the other hand, the next two rounds of matches should be incredible occasions.

What do people think? Presumably Wasps fans are in favour, whilst Gloucester fans might not be so keen?

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