The Gallagher Premiership is already a two-horse race - it now faces a challenge to stay relevant

Exeter Chiefs have so much they can improve on and a squad capable of moving through the gears while Saracens are already purring

Saracens are purring in a league that already looks one-sided (Getty Images)

It took the wise old owl that is Worcester director of rugby Alan Solomons to tell us what we already knew about this season’s Gallagher Premiership this weekend: It’s a two-horse race and the rest are playing catch up.

Solomons, the 68-year-old former South Africa assistant coach had just watched his much-improved Worcester outfit ground into submission by an Exeter team still a long way short of their best, but still far too good for most at Sandy Park.

Rob Baxter’s men trundled over for their fourth bonus point win of the season, and their fifth win overall, to keep pressure on champions Saracens, who beat them in last year’s final, while at the same time Mark McCall’s side were trouncing Bath at Allianz Park.

“If you look at the Premiership as a whole everyone is massively competitive but those two, Saracens and Exeter, sit slightly off from the rest of us,” Solomons said.

As exercises in understatements go, it was a belter.

We can try all we can to convince ourselves the Premiership is the most competitive club competition in the world but the reality is that, just five games in, the top two have already separated themselves from the pack. It is inconceivable anyone will catch them.

Saracens will go into the final round of Premiership fixtures before the European break a solitary point ahead of their only serious rival courtesy of Exeter narrowly failing to claim a bonus point in their win over Newcastle last Friday.

Eight months out from the end of the season and the rest are playing for away play-off semi-finals.

With third-placed Wasps already five points behind Exeter while Harlequins, Gloucester and Bath muddle along a further six points back, the top two are already clear at an alarmingly early stage of the season.

There is to be no Newcastle fairy tale this year to add much-needed intrigue.

The pre-Christmas clash between Exeter and Saracens at Sandy Park on December 22 already has the feel of a dress rehearsal for the final at Twickenham on June 1.

Bath’s decision to field a second team against Saracens on Saturday, partly on entirely sensible player welfare grounds, effectively sent the message: we are not even going to try to topple the big boys on home soil.

Saracens thrashed a second-string Bath (Getty)

And Bath are one of the clubs with aspirations for the big time. It means these are worrying times for the Premiership. If teams decide to cherry pick the battles they are willing to fight, partly to preserve their exhausted top stars for more winnable games, the competition will lose its edge over the Pro14.

But, as Bath’s director of rugby Todd Blackadder bravely said after his weakened side shipped eight tries at Allianz Park on Saturday: “We have to get out of the habit of breaking players”. He is absolutely right. But you can’t escape the fact the fans will be short-changed.

Players bodies or fans eye balls? It is quite the conundrum.

Wasps, the only other club who on their day could hope to match Saracens or Exeter for firepower, have nowhere near as much strength in depth to their squad and are already showing signs of creaking under the weight of injuries, despite Friday night’s hard-fought win over Newcastle.

Maintaining interest in a league season which runs through to next year’s June 1 final at Twickenham – which will surely be a repeat of last season’s final – is set to be a massive challenge for those who market the league.

Todd Blackadder rotated 13 of his starting line-up for the 50-27 defeat against Saracens (Getty)

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter was unwilling to be drawn on the two-horse line but was clearly frustrated by an Exeter performance level which will need to improve significantly by the time Munster come calling in their opening Heineken Cup game on October 13.

“The second half was a waste of rugby in many ways,” he said. “We are not better prepared for Munster after that second half. That’s the reality.”

With newly-promoted Bristol’s bright start, the interesting Premiership story is likely to be told at the foot of the table this season.

Every club from seventh-placed Northampton down will know they need a run of wins before Christmas to avoid being sucked into a relegation fight after Christmas.

Steve Diamond's Sale already look vulnerable (Getty)

Sale Sharks look most at risk but Newcastle, Worcester, Bristol and even the east midlands giants Northampton and Leicester face the very real possibility of being drawn into a hellish scenario which for some would be unthinkable and financially potentially catastrophic.

From the evidence of Saturday’s impressive second-half rear-guard against Exeter, and last weekend’s shock win away at Leicester, Solomons' team have enough about them to steer clear of trouble.

In 19-year-old flanker Ted Hill, who scored their only try on Saturday, they have a youngster with enormous potential while their defensive work in the second half seriously rattled Exeter at times.

Their current lowly position of tenth in the table will be no reassurance to their fans, however. The hard currency of wins is all that will take them clear of the dreaded relegation fight.

There are no such worries for Saracens or Exeter.

Chiefs have so much they can improve on and a squad capable of moving through the gears while Saracens are already purring.

The real challenge, for both clubs, will be when Europe comes around. The challenge for the Gallagher Premiership is to maintain its relevance in an ever-crowded market.