Saturday 13 April 2019 21:44, UK
Gloucester overhauled a 17-point deficit to beat Bath, Worcester beat Sale, and Bristol stun Saracens.
Gloucester 27-23 Bath
Gloucester overhauled a 17-point deficit to cement their place in the Gallagher Premiership play-offs with a 27-23 victory over West Country rivals Bath.
The Cherry and Whites were left stunned by a first-half blitz that saw Ruaridh McConnochie and Tom Dunn score tries in the opening 20 minutes.
But Danny Cipriani sent Josh Hohneck over on the stroke of half-time, before Ruan Ackermann's try breathed hope into Gloucester.
Cipriani then sparked a pair of unstoppable backline moves for wingers Henry Purdy and Tom Seabrook to crash over in either corner to complete the stunning comeback.
The triumph, coupled with Worcester's defeat of Sale, all but guarantees the hosts' place in the top four with three rounds of fixtures remaining.
Harlequins 19-20 Northampton
James Grayson landed a last-gasp conversion as Northampton secured a crucial 20-19 Gallagher Premiership success at top-four rivals Harlequins.
Alex Mitchell's fine finish set up a big kick for Grayson with less than a minute to go, and the replacement did the job to seal a vital four points for his side.
Harlequins had looked set to earn a 19-13 success when Marcus Smith's two penalties put them ahead - but they could not hold on at the end.
Paul Gustard's men have now been beaten in four successive league matches and lie just four points ahead of fifth-placed Northampton with three games remaining.
The game between the two teams was blighted by several bad injuries on both sides, with Quins losing wing Nathan Earle to a suspected broken leg and Cadan Murley requiring lengthy treatment before coming off.
Northampton lost George Furbank, Piers Francis, and Ahsee Tuala on a challenging afternoon - but they prevailed in the end.
Worcester 39-17 Sale
Josh Adams scored a hat-trick of tries as Worcester picked up a valuable five points in their battle against relegation with a convincing 39-17 win over Sale at Sixways.
The bonus-point victory took Worcester seven points clear of bottom club Newcastle in the Gallagher Premiership, with each side having only three matches to play.
As well as Adams' second-half treble, Chris Pennell and Sam Lewis also crossed for the Warriors, with Duncan Weir contributing four conversions and two penalties.
A disappointing Sale were outfought throughout to finish pointless, which was a big blow to their hopes of earning European Champions Cup rugby next season.
Josh Beaumont and Matt Postlethwaite scored the Sharks' tries, with AJ MacGinty kicking a penalty and two conversions.
Bristol 23-21 Saracens
Ian Madigan kicked a penalty in stoppage time as Bristol claimed a last-gasp victory over defending Gallagher Premiership Rugby champions Saracens.
It was close throughout, with Saracens getting tries from scrum-half Tom Whitley, centre Marcelo Bosch, and replacement prop Ralph Adams Hale, with full-back Alex Goode booting all three penalties.
Bristol went over from flankers Steve Luatua and Dan Thomas, with fly-half Callum Sheedy adding two penalties and two conversions before Madigan's kick.
Saracens thought their day was done when Bosch was driven over the line, with Goode's conversion putting them a point in front.
But Saracens infringed 30 metres from their line with 11 seconds to go, and replacement Madigan calmly landed the kick for a dramatic victory.
