The Aviva Premiership's end-of-season showpiece may not have been the greatest in terms of flair and fluency. But Saracens provided a masterclass in defence and discipline.

In front of a full house at Twickenham with a sea of colours in the stand, there were fans from every Premiership club; play-off final day is an occasion for everyone to enjoy.

And nobody would have been happier than the Saracens players who avenged last year's play-off final defeat to Leicester. Inspired by South African Schalk Brits and 19-year-old Owen Farrell, Sarries grounded out a 22-18 victory.

Saracens came into the

Oval Talk put its feet up and laid back on Saturday hoping to enjoy a memorable Heineken Cup final - and it did not disappoint.

The Millennium Stadium was the perfect venue for Leinster and Northampton Saints, who provided one of the games of the season. The sporting cathedral is one of the most impressive stadia in Europe and has hosted some magnificent finals over the years.

And Leinster's fightback ranked highly among them.

Jonathan Sexton inspired a record-breaking second-half comeback as the Ireland international scored 28 of Leinster's points. At the break Saints were leading 22-6 and

A disappointing finish to England's Grand
Slam quest in Ireland has put something of a dampener on the Six Nations
champions' campaign.

However the preceding matches - and
first three in particular - gave English rugby a glow it has not exhibited for
some time: since the 2007 World Cup, in fact.

Oval Talk's best XV from the annual tournament
reflects that, with six players from the Red Rose selected.

That is double the number of Ireland,
who have the second-most players represented with three.

From young guns such as swallow-diving Chris
Ashton and Dan Cole to the experienced Toby Flood and

At the end of the Aviva Premiership season,
Oval Talk highlights its Team of the Year.

NB: The side is exclusively based on
Premiership matches.

1 - Soane Tonga'uiha (Northampton)

The Tonga international started the season
brilliantly and is the best loosehead in the league. He is great in the tights
and around the park and would walk into any team.

2 - Schalk Brits (Saracens)

Brits is a hooker but he could play
anywhere; the man is a rugby genius. He was voted Players' Player of the Year
last season and is regarded as one of the most exciting players in the
Premiership. He flawlessly carries

This week Oval Talk has a gripe with modern day rugby players; or to be more specific Gavin Henson and Andy Powell.

Toulon suspended Henson for seven days after he allegedly had a fight with Australian team-mate Matt Henjak and directed a foul-mouthed tirade at Jonny Wilkinson and club captain Joe van Niekerk.

Powell, meanwhile, had to explain to the Wasps board last week how he lost two pints of blood after he was hit by a bar stool during a brawl in a bar in west London. Wasps said they would wait until after the Bank Holiday weekend before making a decision.

Now, Oval Talk can

There has been a lot of talk this week about the possibility of a European League.

Peter Tom, Leicester Tigers chairman, has hinted at the idea but Oval Talk does not take this suggestion to be a genuine one, rather it is a ploy to remove the wage cap.

Last week Oval Talk looked at how the wage cap is just an excuse for why the English game is being held back. But it seems England's elite clubs are determined to get rid of the current spending restrictions.

Only a few of the Aviva Premiership's clubs make a profit and that is unlikely to change. And the richer clubs are keen to break the

Oval Talk has had enough of hearing about how the English game is
being held back because of the wage cap.

A lack of money is just the default answer for why English teams
have done so poorly in the Heineken Cup in the last two years.

But the problem is far deeper than that.

It's not the lack of talent or depth of squad but the style of
play. Would Bath have lost twice to Ulster or would Leicester have beaten Leinster had they had a bigger wage bill to play with?

In Oval Talk's humble opinion rugby is still won on the field and
not in the accountant's office. If Bath and Leicester worked on

The Welsh Rugby Union is threatening to devalue international
rugby with its decision to give Wales' home match against the Barbarians on
June 4 full-cap status.

Oval Talk first heard about it on April 1 so instantly
assumed it was an April Fools news story. But when it cropped up again a few
days later, it became apparent that those within the WRU are the fools.

Caps have been awarded
by Wales twice before in games against the Barbarians, first in the Baa-baas'
centenary celebration match in 1990, and again in 1996.

And this match heralds another
landmark: the WRU's 130^th anniversary. But