PREM: Round 4 - Noah Caluori bags 5 tries for Saracens and earns immediate England call-up

Whilst the flying young talent has rightfully taken the lead in the global coverage of the PREM, there is plenty more to dig into from the fourth round of the competition. Gloucester and Bristol opened up the weekend with a brilliant West Country derby, with injury woes going from bad to worse for the men in Cherry and White. Northampton Saints dropped the hammer down upon Newcastle Red Bulls, before Leicester Tigers edged-out Bath in a thriller at the Rec.

The aforementioned excellence of Noah Caluori then took centre stage, as Saracens blew Sale Sharks out the water through a dominant display in North London. The action was wrapped up down in Devon, as Exeter Chiefs nilled Harlequins, with England midfielder Henry Slade orchestrating a one-sided win at the Sandy Park stronghold.

Bristol Bears ran in seven tries to claim a 49-34 victory over Gloucester in a pulsating Premiership encounter at Kingsholm, extending the hosts’ winless start to the season.

The visitors raced out of the blocks as Sam Worsley, Gabriel Oghre, and Fitz Harding all crossed in the opening half, Worsley converting each to edge Bristol into a slender 21-20 lead at the break. Gloucester had stayed in touch through powerful efforts from Matias Alemanno, Seb Blake, and Josiah Edwards-Giraud, keeping the contest alive in front of a boisterous home crowd.

Bristol’s forwards reasserted control after the restart, with Oghre driving over for his second try before Viliame Mata added another from close range. Gloucester continued to show fight, with Will Joseph and James Venter both touching down, but the Bears’ clinical finishing proved decisive.

Late on, Bristol’s Fijian flair took over — Kalaveti Ravouvou scored twice in the final eight minutes to seal a memorable win and secure the club’s third victory of the campaign.

Gloucester’s injury woes deepened with Ollie Thorley stretchered off early, leaving them bottom of the table after four straight defeats in their worst-ever Premiership start.

Tries – Alemanno, Blake, Edwards-Giraud, Joseph, Venter

Conversions – Byrne (3)

Penalty – Byrne

Tries – Worsley, Oghre 2, Harding, Mata, Ravouvou 2

Conversions – Worsley 7

Northampton Saints moved to the summit of the Premiership table with a commanding 36-19 victory over Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park, leaving the hosts still searching for a first league win since November 2024.

The Saints wasted no time establishing control, with JJ van der Mescht powering over from close range before scrum-half Alex Mitchell finished a clever move down the right flank, set up by England teammate Tommy Freeman, to put Northampton 14-0 ahead in the opening seven minutes. Newcastle responded through Oli Spencer, capitalising on a crossfield kick from Brett Connon, but were limited by a yellow card for Van der Mescht in the 31st minute. Despite this, Amanaki Mafi powered over to reduce the deficit, though Fin Smith soon restored Saints’ breathing space with a try for Freeman before halftime.

Van der Mescht’s second yellow on 50 minutes gave Newcastle another window, and Stefan Coetzee touched down off the bench to make it 21-19. Yet Northampton always had another gear: Edoardo Todaro finished a sweeping move, and late scores from a Smith penalty and a 30-yard dash by Alex Coles sealed the bonus-point win. The result keeps Saints unbeaten in four games, ahead of reigning champions Bath.

Tries – Spencer, Mafi, Coetzee

Conversions – Connon (2)

Tries – Van der Mescht, Mitchell, Freeman, Todaro, Coles

Conversions – F Smith (4)

Penalty – F Smith.

Leicester Tigers claimed a dramatic 22-20 victory over Bath at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, gaining revenge for last year’s Premiership final defeat in a tense, hard-fought encounter. The game ebbed and flowed, with both sides trading early blows in a frantic opening quarter.

Dan Frost opened the scoring for Bath on his first start, before Olly Cracknell crossed for Leicester in response. Bath then extended their lead through Sam Underhill and Cam Redpath, taking advantage of Tigers’ penalty woes and building a brief cushion.

Leicester struck back around half-time, with Tommy Reffell and Nicky Smith both forcing their way over amid repeated Bath infringements. With eight minutes remaining, Finn Russell edged Bath ahead with a penalty, but the visitors were reduced to 14 men for a high tackle, allowing replacement fly-half Billy Searle to slot a last-minute penalty to seal victory. The match also saw an emotional half-time tribute to former England captain Lewis Moody, recently diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

The result moves Bath into second in the Premiership, while Leicester climb to fifth after a thrilling comeback.

Tries – Cracknell, Reffell, Smith

Conversions – O’Connor (2)

Penalty – Searle

Tries – Frost, Underhill, Redpath

Conversion – Russell

Penalty – Russell

Saracens produced a spectacular display to run out 65-14 winners over Sale Sharks at the StoneX Stadium, moving up to second in the Premiership. Nineteen-year-old Noah Caluori stole the show on his first Premiership start, crossing the line five times in a dazzling individual performance. The hosts scored ten tries in total, including efforts from Juan Martin Gonzalez, Hugh Tizard, Fergus Burke, Ben Earl, and a penalty try, with Owen Farrell contributing 13 points from the tee.

Sale initially looked competitive, with Bevan Rodd and Rob du Preez crossing in the first half, keeping the scoreline close. However, discipline issues proved costly; Tom O’Flaherty was sin-binned shortly before the break, and Luke Cowan-Dickie received a red card early in the second half.

Saracens capitalized immediately, with Tizard and Caluori extending the lead, before Burke and Earl added late scores. Farrell’s conversions ensured the hosts claimed a third bonus-point victory of the season, bouncing back emphatically from last weekend’s defeat to Harlequins.

Tries: Gonzalez, Caluori 5, Penalty try, Tizard, Burke, Earl

Conversions – Farrell 5

Penalties – Farrell

Tries – Rodd, R. du Preez

Conversions – Ford 2

Exeter Chiefs delivered a commanding performance to defeat Harlequins 38-0 at Sandy Park, moving up to fifth in the Premiership table. England centre Henry Slade was the standout, scoring two tries and kicking 13 points as the Chiefs controlled the match from start to finish.

Exeter’s forwards and backline combined seamlessly, with Slade creating the opening for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso before being put through himself by debutant Len Ikitau. Harvey Skinner added a try before the break, and Greg Fisilau scored in the corner shortly after halftime to secure a bonus-point try.

Exeter’s defence was exceptional, keeping Quins scoreless for the first time in nearly two years, while Harlequins struggled with handling errors and discipline issues, seeing captain Caden Murley and replacement Harry Browne sin-binned in the second half. Debutants Ikitau and Tom Hooper added extra energy to the Chiefs’ play, ensuring the hosts dominated territory and possession throughout. Slade capped off a flawless performance by scoring again in the dying seconds to round out a comprehensive victory.

Tries – Feyi-Waboso, Slade 2, Skinner, Fisilau;

Conversions – Slade 5

Penalties – Slade