Gallagher Premiership Rugby: Austin Healey previews The Run-In - 'It's never been more exciting'

The Gallagher Premiership is back after a 54-day break for the Six Nations and the race for the play-offs could hardly be better poised.

With six games remaining, just seven points separate second and eighth as teams battle it out for a top-four place.

And ahead of the clash between Leicester Tigers and Gloucester at Welford Road, TNT Sports pundit and former England international Austin Healey gave his take on ‘The Run-In’.

“It's never been more exciting,” Healey said on TNT Sports. “There's eight sides still in it. People will say Bristol are out of it but they're not. If they win all their games, there's another 30 points for them – that could arguably end up finishing first.

“Mathematically, there's various ways of looking at it, all the sides are going to play each other [so] bonus points are going to be critical. But essentially, I think 56 points will be enough to get in the top four. And that's very achievable.

“So for me, it's going to be about the next three weeks, get the next three weeks done, get your next three games done, and if you can push yourself up there with three wins, you're going to be in a really strong position.”

Ben Kay echoed Healey’s sentiments but also said the timing of when teams qualify could have a significant impact.

Should league leaders Northampton Saints secure their progress with games to spare, for example, it’s likely they will rest a raft of key players.

“I 100% agree with Austin that the next three weeks are crucial, but also the back end of it,” he said. “So if Northampton qualify, their last game is Bath away. If they've got a home semi, they're not going to send a full team over there, so that then plays into Bath’s hands.”

The England World Cup winner also assessed the prospects of defending champions Saracens, who currently occupy fourth but arguably have the toughest run of fixtures.

“You've got the likes of Saracens who are playing all the teams above them, but two of them are away and the other one is tomorrow at Tottenham against Harlequins,” Kay added. “Not playing at the StoneX is a big, big deal for them.

“But I think the other big thing is bonus points. And in particular, if you lose, getting two bonus points.

“Who are the teams that get bonus points? Leicester Tigers, only three bonus points for tries this year. All the other teams above them have six. So if you're losing a game, not only do you need to be within seven, but you need to be picking up that fourth try bonus point.”

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