Slade centre stage, Willis' goodbye and Russell's calf - Prem talking points

By

BBC Sport rugby union news reporter

Henry Slade's booming kick into the corner in the 2017 Premiership semi-final got plenty of airtime in the build-up to the latest instalment of Saracens and Exeter's rivalry.

That monster touch-finder set up a final-minute match-winning try from Sam Simmonds.

Nearly a decade on, Slade's influence on Saturday's 32-12 victory, which clinched a play-off spot for the Chiefs at Sarries' expense, was still key.

The 33-year-old purred around out wide, scored the try that started the hosts' second-half blitz and lassoed Rotimi Segun with a crucial try-saving tackle before the break.

Slade, who won the most recent of his 74 England caps against Argentina in November, last month told the For the Love of Rugby podcast he was "frustrated and disappointed" not to play a single minute in England's floundering Six Nations campaign.

With Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh seemingly out of favour, Slade's form is edging him back towards the Test spotlight.

Fraser Dingwall, Seb Atkinson and Benhard Janse van Rensburg were the other specialist centres called up to an England training camp last month. None are clearly ahead of the Exeter man.

"If I was picking an England team, I'd have Henry Slade in there," said Exeter attack coach Dave Walder.

"I see him every day and I know what he's capable of. He's doing everything you would expect of a player who's not being picked by playing well week-in, week-out on both sides of the ball."

"You don't realise how much you miss something until you don't have it," Slade told BBC Radio 5 Live at Sandy Park.

"Maybe we took it for granted all those years ago, it is very special to have it back. I feel good, I'm in the shape of my life, still feeling fresh and good."

Slade was talking about a play-off spot. He might have easily been talking about a starting Test shirt.

How much of Bath's title defence rests on Finn Russell's iffy calf?

The Scottish string-puller was signed to a big-money contract for the biggest games.

With Russell still nursing an injury, Bath coach Johann van Graan decided the risks outweighed the rewards of throwing him in against Tigers with a play-off spot already secured.

In the end, with Argentina's Santi Carreras at fly-half, Van Graan was proved right.

Bath won 24-22 and locked in a home semi-final against Exeter.

But Van Graan's post-match prognosis on Russell, who has not played since mid-May, was interesting.

"He's in a great place, but he's not perfect," Van Graan said.

"He'll have to get through the week, but let's see on Friday what the team is for the [Exeter] game."

Bath's forward grunt got them over the line against Tigers, with prop Thomas du Toit scoring a hat-trick. Against a Chiefs side, they will want all cylinders firing.

Northampton came away from The Stoop without the win, but travelled back round the M25 with a pretty big milestone in the bottom of the team bus.

When scrum-half Jonny Weimann squirmed over to score in the sixth minute they became the first team in history to score 100 regular-season tries in the Prem/Premiership era.

In the end, they finished with 104, five more than the record they themselves set in 2021-22.

What makes it all the more remarkable is that the current Saints class have racked up that mammoth total in six fewer games, with Worcester, London Irish and Wasps all part of the 2021-22 fixture list before going bust the season after.

There have been some lopsided scorelines to help Northampton to three figures in this iteration of the league but, despite most of their frontline stars given the afternoon off at Quins, they still glinted with danger.

They will need to against Leicester in a mouth-watering derby semi-final under the Franklin's Gardens lights on Friday.

Saints, with defence coach Lee Radford on his way to Scotland at the end of the season, have conceded more tries than any other side in the top six.

Back in October, Saints scored five tries at home - the majority coming from long range - to narrowly see off Tigers 32-26.

They will be leaning on that attacking flair and the return of rested stars.

Leicester will be summoning the spirit that flattened Saints 41-17 in the reverse fixture a month ago.

The semi-final is up against Canada v Bosnia-Herzegovina in football's World Cup in the TV schedules. Rugby fans will argue that is the only part of Friday night that is easy to call.

It was a day for goodbyes.

Tom Lawday, on the way out of Harlequins after seven years, plunged over for the match-winning try against Northampton.

Raffi Quirke, a boyhood Sale fan, signed off before a summer move to Newcastle with a blindside dart and cute chip to set up one of Arron Reed's two tries. But no-one will be missed as keenly as Tom Willis.

The 27-year-old is the standout back row in the Prem. And has been for some time.

He finishes the regular season top of the league-wide standing for carries, offloads and defenders beaten. He is also in the top five for turnovers won and the top 10 for tackles made.

As time ticked down, he strived to turn the tide against Exeter - dummy and darting from the back of an overthrown line-out, squirreling an offload away to Noah Caluori out the back of his hand - but it was ultimately in vain.

His next game will be in the colours of European champions Bordeaux-Begles.

He has spent this season on an England central contract - worth more than £160,000 - but has not played at all internationally since announcing his move in October, with coach Steve Borthwick deciding to develop other players ahead of one who will shortly be unavailable to him.

Willis' all-action game would have beefed up England's anaemic Six Nations.

With the likes of Alex Dombrandt, Alfie Barbeary, Chandler Cunningham-South and Emeka Ilione - possible number eights in a similar mould - not hitting his heights yet, Willis' move to France may be the cause of more regret in future.

Whoever prevails and reaches the final on 20 June will be playing for a new super-sized trophy at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.

The freshly minted silverware weighs in at 26kg,, external making it the heaviest major trophy in British sport. League organisers are working on a suitably mammoth arrival to the arena for the new pot.

Ringwalk-style entrances for the two teams will also be in the offing, while it is hoped that a repeat of the 2024 innovation - in which two opposing players are mic'ed up for the match - will be possible.

If you didn't catch the 'director's commentary' version of Northampton's win over Bath two years ago, provided by Dingwall and Russell,, external it is compelling viewing.