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The Breakdown
Northampton and Bath were well beaten over the weekend: will Leicester or Exeter force themselves into the top two?
TL;DR
- Northampton and Bath, the league's frontrunners, both lost convincingly over the weekend.
- Bath has lost three consecutive games across all competitions.
- Northampton conceded a record number of points away against Leicester.
- Questions arise whether these losses are temporary blips or indicative of deeper issues.
- Northampton's director of rugby, Phil Dowson, cautioned against overreacting to the losses.
- Bath's director of rugby, Johann van Graan, emphasized maintaining perspective.
- Injuries have impacted Northampton's squad depth, and their defense has become more porous.
- Leicester is showing strong form and could potentially secure a home semi-final.
- Exeter's performance against Bath, particularly their strong second-half showing, is noted.
- The possibility of Leicester and Exeter challenging for top-four spots is highlighted.