The 2025 Gallagher Premiership regular season wrapped up with key results that confirmed the playoff picture.
Sale clinched a semi-final berth with a crucial win at Exeter, Leicester and Bristol delivered dominant performances to secure their spots, and Saracens bowed out despite a bonus-point victory. Gloucester closed their campaign on a high, but other results kept them outside the top four.
- Exeter Chiefs 26 – 30 Sale Sharks
- Gloucester Rugby 41 – 26 Northampton Saints
- Leicester Tigers 42 – 20 Newcastle Falcons
- Bristol Bears 52 – 26 Harlequins
- Saracens 36 – 26 Bath Rugby
Here are all the match recaps and highlights from Round 18:
SALE SHARKS HOLD OFF LATE EXETER SURGE TO CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT
Exeter Chiefs 26 – 30 Sale Sharks (HT: 5–20)
Sale Sharks booked their place in the Gallagher Premiership semi-finals with a gritty 30–26 win over Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park. George Ford orchestrated a composed performance, scoring 15 points off the tee and guiding the Sharks into third place on the final day of the regular season. Sale surged into a 20–5 halftime lead thanks to tries from Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Bevan Rodd, and a dominant first-half display from the forwards. Ford added two conversions and a pair of penalties to keep the scoreboard ticking. Exeter’s only response came via winger Paul Brown-Bampoe, who dotted down midway through the first period. But the Chiefs came roaring back in the second half. Josh Hodge finished off a slick move and converted his own try before Will Haydon-Wood powered through for another, closing the gap to 23–19. Sale responded with a crucial try from hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie—converted again by Ford—to stretch their lead back out. Exeter weren’t done yet. Richard Capstick crossed with five minutes left, and Hodge’s conversion brought them within four. However, Sale held their nerve in the dying minutes to secure the win and set up a semi-final clash with Leicester Tigers at Welford Road.
EXETER CHIEFS
- Tries: Brown-Bampoe (18’), Hodge (48’), Haydon-Wood (56’), Capstick (76’)
- Conversions: Hodge (49’, 57’, 77’)
SALE SHARKS
- Tries: Ma’asi-White (24’), Rodd (32’), Cowan-Dickie (67’)
- Conversions: Ford (25’, 33’, 68’)
- Penalties: Ford (1’, 21’, 52’)
COTGREAVE HAT-TRICK LIFTS GLOUCESTER PAST SAINTS, BUT PLAYOFFS OUT OF REACH
Gloucester Rugby 41 – 26 Northampton Saints (HT: 22–14)
Jack Cotgreave scored a superb hat-trick to lead Gloucester to a 41–26 bonus-point victory over a youthful Northampton side at Kingsholm—but it wasn’t enough to secure a Premiership semi-final spot. Despite racking up six tries in a dominant attacking display, results elsewhere saw the Cherry and Whites finish fifth, narrowly missing out on the top four. Gloucester burst out of the gates with Cotgreave’s opener inside five minutes, only for the Saints to hit back through Tom Pearson and Tom Litchfield, momentarily taking a 14–5 lead. But Gloucester responded swiftly: Christian Wade intercepted and raced 60 metres to the line, and Freddie Clarke’s heads-up play off a broken box-kick set up Tomos Williams in the corner. The home side led 22–14 at halftime after surviving a late yellow card to Afo Fasogbon. Jonny Weimann brought Saints back within a point shortly after the break, but Cotgreave completed his hat-trick with a clinical finish before Seb Atkinson added a sixth. Mapu’s maul try gave the visitors hope late on, but Wade capped the match—and his Premiership career—with a vintage finish in front of The Shed, sealing a bittersweet win in Gloucester’s season finale.
GLOUCESTER RUGBY
- Tries: Cotgreave (3’, 25’, 50’), Wade (30’, 79’), Williams (33’), Atkinson (53’)
- Conversions: Carreras (4’, 51’, 54’)
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
- Tries: Pearson (7’), Litchfield (16’), Weimann (47’), Mapu (59’)
- Conversions: Hutchinson (8’, 16’, 48’)
TIGERS CRUSH FALCONS TO CLINCH HOME SEMI-FINAL AGAINST SALE
Leicester Tigers 42 – 20 Newcastle Falcons (HT: 14–6)
Leicester Tigers locked in second place in the Premiership table and secured a home semi-final with a convincing 42–20 win over bottom-side Newcastle Falcons at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. Despite a patchy first half, Tigers ran in six tries to overwhelm a gritty Falcons outfit and set up a showdown with Sale next Saturday. After a scrappy opening, Hanro Liebenberg opened the scoring for Leicester, followed by a sin-bin for Newcastle’s Louis Brown which shifted the momentum further. Josh Bassett took full advantage, finishing a flowing move on the right to extend the lead. Two Brett Connon penalties kept Falcons within reach at halftime. The second half belonged to the hosts. Solomone Kata and Joe Heyes crossed in quick succession, before Ollie Leatherbarrow gave Newcastle a brief lift. But Tigers powered on—Matt Rogerson and Ollie Hassell-Collins added further scores to seal the bonus-point win. Despite yellow cards for both sides and moments of disruption, Leicester finished the regular season with purpose and control.
LEICESTER TIGERS
- Tries: Liebenberg (18’), Bassett (32’), Kata (52’), Heyes (60’), Rogerson (73’), Hassell-Collins (78’)
- Conversions: Pollard (19’, 33’, 52’, 61’), Volavola (74’, 78’)
NEWCASTLE FALCONS
- Tries: Leatherbarrow (67’), Arnold (76’)
- Conversions: Connon (68’, 77’)
- Penalties: Connon (16’, 39’)
BRISTOL BLITZ QUINS TO SECURE SEMI-FINAL SHOWDOWN AT THE REC
Bristol Bears 52 – 26 Harlequins (HT: 26–12)
Bristol Bears roared into the Premiership semi-finals with a commanding 52–26 victory over Harlequins at Ashton Gate, producing their biggest-ever win over the London side and setting up a mouthwatering derby clash against Bath. Needing a win to guarantee a top-four finish, Bristol struck early and often, racing to a bonus-point within 24 minutes before holding off a brief Harlequins fightback. The Bears struck first through George Kloska and Joe Batley before Fijian duo Kalaveti Ravouvou and Viliame Mata added a pair of explosive tries. Cadan Murley’s double kept Quins in the contest, but Gabriel Ibitoye responded quickly after the break to push Bristol ahead 31–12. A scare followed as Alex Dombrandt and George Hammond closed the gap to five points, but Bristol regained control with tries from Santiago Grondona, Ibitoye again, and Benhard Janse van Rensburg to seal an emphatic eight-try victory. The Bears head into Friday’s semi-final at Bath full of confidence, while Quins exit the season conceding 50+ points in consecutive weeks.
BRISTOL BEARS
- Tries: Kloska (1’), Batley (4’), Ravouvou (19’), Mata (23’), Ibitoye (45’, 63’), Grondona (57’), Janse van Rensburg (68’)
- Conversions: MacGinty (2’, 5’, 24’, 58’, 64’, 69’)
HARLEQUINS
- Tries: Murley (16’, 32’), Dombrandt (49’), Hammond (52’)
- Conversions: Benson (16’, 50’, 52’)
SARACENS FALL SHORT OF PLAYOFFS DESPITE BONUS-POINT WIN OVER BATH
Saracens 36 – 26 Bath Rugby (HT: 19–7)
Saracens secured a 36–26 bonus-point victory over a youthful Bath side at the StoneX Stadium but fell short of the Premiership semi-finals as other results failed to go their way. Despite running in six tries and controlling much of the match, the defending champions finished sixth—missing the top four for just the third time since 2009. Bath took an early lead through a determined close-range effort from Alfie Green, but Saracens responded with a dominant forward display. Rotimi Segun touched down first before Dan George crashed over twice off rolling mauls, with Elliot Daly slicing through for a smart finish in between. Theo Dan added a fifth from yet another driving maul, and Fergus Burke capped the scoring with a clever individual try. The hosts were cruising at 36–7 before Bath’s youngsters sparked late excitement. Debutant Tyler Offiah scored a stunning solo try before setting up Kepu Tuipolutu. Louie Hennessey then added an interception try to narrow the gap, but Saracens closed out the game to give Alex Goode a winning send-off in his 402nd and final appearance.
SARACENS
- Tries: Segun (9’), George (19’, 47’), Daly (30’), Dan (53’), Burke (59’)
- Conversions: Burke (20’, 31’, 60’)
BATH RUGBY
- Tries: Green (5’), Offiah (64’), Tuipolutu (72’), Hennessey (75’)
- Conversions: Bailey (6’, 73’, 75’)
FINAL STANDINGS
With the regular season wrapped up, the semi-final matchups are now set:
Leicester will host Sale at Welford Road, while Bristol face local rivals Bath in a blockbuster derby at The Rec. As the race for the Premiership crown enters its final stretch, momentum and execution will be everything.
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