Aviva Premiership review, results & standings

Aviva Premiership: Results (April 28-30)

Click on each scoreline for a full report & reaction
Click here for updated Aviva Premiership standings 

Friday April 28

Harlequins 32-13 Wasps, Twickenham Stoop
Newcastle 16-14 Worcester, Kingston Park

Saturday April 29

Exeter 36-12 Northampton, Sandy Park
Leicester 41-18 Sale, Welford Road
Saracens 27-9 Bristol, Allianz Park

Sunday April 30

Bath 44-20 Gloucester, The Recreation Ground

Aviva Premiership review

Taulupe Faletau scored a hat-trick of tries as Bath kept alive their faint Aviva Premiership play-off hopes with a bonus-point 44-20 victory over Gloucester on Sunday.

Wales international Faletau scored half of his side's six touchdowns at the Rec.

Aled Brew, Max Clark and Robbie Fruean also went in, with Jonny May (two) and David Halaifonua responding.

The result means they are now four points behind fourth-placed Leicester with one round of matches remaining next weekend. 

Click here for updated Aviva Premiership fixtures, results & standings

On Saturday, Courtney Lawes provided an injury scare for the British and Irish Lions as title contenders Exeter swept aside Northampton 36-12 at Sandy Park.

While Exeter stretched their unbeaten Premiership run to 14 games and claimed a record seventh successive bonus point victory, Saints saw Lawes depart midway through the first-half when he took a blow to the head following an attempted tackle on his England and Lions colleague Jack Nowell.

Lawes went off for an head injury assessment, but he did not rejoin the action, with the Lions now just 30 days away from departing on their 10-match New Zealand tour.

Saracens moved to within one win of guaranteeing a home semi-final but produced one of their worst performances of the season in dispatching relegated Bristol 27-9.

Perhaps suffering the after-effects of the 36-hour squad bonding trip to Barcelona that ended on Monday evening, they struggled alarmingly for the first 40 minutes at Allianz Park before registering a bonus-point win.

Chris Ashton and Nick Tompkins crossed, while Petrus du Plessis touched down twice for his first tries at the club he has represented for seven years but is leaving in the summer.

Saracens paraded five British and Irish Lions in their starting XV and included one more in reinforcement on the bench, yet they were error-prone and ragged and trailed 9-3 to three Gavin Henson penalties at the interval.

It was a far cry from the heights scaled when overwhelming Munster in Dublin seven days ago and - although they improved in the second-half - they were still muddled and disjointed.

They had the firepower to overcome a rare off-day, however, and they next head to Coventry when they will face Wasps knowing that victory against the Premiership leaders in the climax to the regular season would guarantee a home play-off.

Leicester Tigers put themselves in pole position for the fourth play-off place with a bonus-point 41-18 victory at home to Sale.

The convincing win put the Tigers on 62 points, but they are now four ahead of Bath, who beat Gloucester on Sunday.

Victory at Worcester next week will clinch fourth place for the Tigers who scored five tries in front of a 23,940 crowd.

Fly-half Freddie Burns led the way in his final home game before joining Bath with a try and 19 points, the other scores coming from Graham Kitchener, Owen Williams, Jack Roberts and George McGuigan.

Rob Webber and Bryn Evans scored for Sale with AJ MacGinty kicking eight points.

Nick Evans marked his final outing at Twickenham Stoop by steering Harlequins to a 32-13 victory over Wasps on Friday night, but the win was marred by Danny Care's stomach muscle injury.

Care lasted only 25 minutes before being forced off for treatment, giving Eddie Jones a scare ahead of England's June tour to Argentina.

The Quins captain was one of two scrum-halves picked in the squad to face the Pumas over two Tests, but his misfortune could open the door for Wasps' Dan Robson who was unfortunate to miss out on the squad.

Uncapped Exeter 20-year-old Jack Maunder was picked in his place, but Robson ran in a brilliant first-half try started by Jimmy Gopperth with Jones watching from the stands.

Evans retires at the end of the season and he bade farewell to Quins fans by booting 22 points in a match of the match display in front of his family that keeps alive the club's Champions Cup qualification hopes.

Wasps were overwhelmed on territory and possession, and finished the evening well beaten to end their five-match winning run and forcing them to wait until the final round to ensure a home play-off.

In Friday's other game, Newcastle kept their European Champions Cup dream alive with a late 16-14 victory over Worcester at Kingston Park.

The Warriors looked to have ended the Falcons' hopes of a seventh place finish in the Aviva Premiership and a possible play-off when they led 14-9 with six minutes left.

But Sonatane Takulua (pictured) touched down and then added the all-important conversion to seal what could prove to be a priceless win and one which moved Newcastle to within four points of Northampton.

Click here for updated Aviva Premiership fixtures, results & standings