Aviva Premiership
What once looked like a sizable lead at the top of the table for Northampton has now shrunk to only a point after a disappointing 20-7 loss for the Saints. Full credit to Sale who were strong throughout the match and deserved winners. Sale have now put themselves right in the thick of the playoff conversation. The team one point in back of Northampton in the table is Bath. They beat Wasps 39-26 in a high schooling affair. Bath were in firm control throughout the match taking a 27-5 lead before Wasps made a comeback.
After Bath and Northampton there is a nearly ten point drop off to the next closest side Saracens. Like Northampton, Saracens had a match they'd rather forget as James Hook nailed a long penalty at the last minute to give Gloucester a 24-23 win. Wasps currently occupy the last playoff spot but Exeter, Leicester, and Harlequins are not far behind. The Chiefs fell short against London Irish 28-26 while Harlequins topped Leicester 32-12. Lastly, Newcastle beat London Welsh 38-7.
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Top 14
In an emotional night in Paris Stade Francais did their part to stay at the top of the Top 14 table by beating Castres 49-13. Sergio Parisse had a second half hat-trick to lead Stade. They aren't alone at the top of the table as Clermont's 44-20 blowout win over Brive also puts them at 50 points. Toulon are only three points back. They beat fourth place Racing Metro 32-23 on the back of tries from Leigh Halfpenny, Juan Smith, Bryan Habana, and Matt Giteau. La Rochelle have slipped to last in the table after losing to Toulouse 29-26 while Bayonne beat Lyon 23-22, Bordeaux beat Grenoble 34-16, and Oyonnax topped Montpellier 20-13.
Guinness Pro12
Edinburgh continued their up and down season in the Pro12 with their latest victory coming over Connacht 16-13. They and most of the other teams in the competition sit comfortably outside the playoff positions. The Ospreys top the league with Glasgow, Munster, and Leinster only being separated by a few points. The Ospreys beat the Dragons 22-11, Glasgow beat Scarlets 22-7, Munster beat Zebre 31-7, and Leinster beat Cardiff 22-13. Ulster are knocking on the door in fifth place. They beat a spirited Benetton Treviso team 24-20.
RFU Championship
At this point it's going to take something drastic to stop Bristol and Worcester from finishing first and second in the table. Both sides look like strong favorites to duke it out for promotion in the playoffs. Bristol beat Jersey 27-17 and Worcester beat Cornish Pirates 62-26. London Scottish and Nottingham are also on course for a top four finish. The Exiles beat Yorkshire Carnegie 26-22 and Nottingham beat Rotherham 28-19. Last place Plymouth picked up their first win of the season beating Moseley 19-18. Lastly, Bedford beat Doncaster 35-29.
Pro D2
The Pro D2 resumed play after a long break. Pau are still the leaders and they picked up a 20-8 win over Dax. Below them are a number of teams that could make a last season push. Perpignan is first among them after beating Carcassonne 40-14. Biarritz are also right there despite losing to fellow chasers Aurillac 24-20. Other results say Agen beat Tarbes 31-9, Albi beat Bourgoin 16-9, Beziers beat Colomiers 22-6, Narbonne beat Montauban 28-24, and Massy beat Mont-de-Marsan 39-32.
Top League
The last regular season weekend of the Top League wrapped up with the Kobelco Steelers, Panasonic Wildknights, Toshiba Fuchu Brave Lupus, and Yamaha Jubilo qualifying for the playoffs. The Steelers beat the Canon Eagles 47-8, Toshiba beat the NTT Shining Arcs 31-14, the Wildnights lost to Yamaha 26-18, while Suntory Sungoliath beat Toyota Verblitz 40-19. The absence of Suntory from the playoffs is a departure from recent years.
In Group 2, the Ricoh Black Rams, NEC Green Rockets, NTT-Docomo Red Hurricanes, and Kintetsu Liners finished in the top four. The Rams beat the Coca-Cola West Red Sparks 38-22, the Liners lost to the Kubota Spears 19-10, the Red Hurricanes beat the Fukuoka Sanix Blues, and the Green Rockets beat Toyota Shokki Shuttle.
Suntory, Toyota, the Eagles, the Shining Arcs, Black Rams, Green Rockets, Red Hurricanes, and Liners will compete for the All-Japan Rugby Football Championship with Japanese university teams. The Spears, West Red Sparks, and Shokki Shuttle will play in the relegation playoffs while the Sanix Blues are automatically relegated.
Eccellenza
Calvisano fended off a challenge from rivals Viadana 41-10 to remain the top team in the Eccellenza although Mogliano, who beat Fiamme Oro Roma 31-21, are only a point back. Rovigo are only three points back after beating Cavalieri Prato 54-7. In other scores, San Dora beat Lazio 17-16 and Petrarca beat L'Aquila 29-12.
All-Ireland League
Lansdowne remain the top team in the All-Ireland League thanks their 35-0 blanking of Clontarf. Terenure College are second and probably the only team that can catch Lansdowne. They beat Young Munster 22-21. Elsewhere, Ballynahinch beat Cork Constitution 34-13, Dolphin beat UCD 34-15, and St. Mary's beat Old Belvedere 13-9.