By Moorsman
April 21 2016
To Win, or not to Win, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To Win—to chop, To lose no more; and by a Win to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To Win, to chop; To chop, perchance to dream with apologies to The Bard of Avon
To be or Not to be
To Win, or not to Win, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To Win—to chop,
To lose no more; and by a Win to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To Win, to chop;
To chop, perchance to dream
with apologies to The Bard of Avon
It's the question on every Exeter Chiefs supporter's mind, whether our beloved Chiefs can win the next two games and gain a home semi-final in the AP play-offs. The Chiefs are all but mathematically certain of a first ever top four finish and a home semi would increase the odds of reaching the Twickenham final. Here's how the table looks:
P | W | D | L | F | A | BP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sarries | 20 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 514 | 343 | 9 | 71 |
2 | Wasps | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 557 | 361 | 11 | 67 |
3 | Chiefs | 20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 499 | 334 | 13 | 65 |
4 | Tigers | 20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 451 | 420 | 7 | 59 |
5 | Saints | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 412 | 358 | 12 | 52 |
6 | Sharks | 19 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 398 | 400 | 7 | 51 |
7 | Quins | 20 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 491 | 496 | 12 | 50 |
If Chiefs gain 4 points from the Wasps game and 4 from the Quins game we'll end on 73 points and if Wasps gain a BP at Sandy Park and go on to a 5 point win v Irish they also would have 73 points. This scenario would see Wasps end the season in 2nd place due to a superior points difference and have the home semi-final. So, it's really important that Chiefs not only beat Wasps but also deny them a LBP. Having said that I don't think a return to the Ricoh for a semi would hold any fear for the Chiefs given the fine margin of the Euro Quater loss and an emphatic win there earlier in the season.
There's no doubt the Chiefs will be refreshed by having a free weekend whilst Wasps have to battle through a Euro Semi v Sarries. This could prove to be crucial because not only do the players get refreshed but the likes of Dolly, Sam Hill and Moray Low could also return to action.
View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.