Chris Wyles scored a try for Saracens as the Aviva Premiership edged closer to first place in England’s top pro league.

Saracens defeated Bath 26-19 Sunday in league play. Wyles, interviewed after the match, said the team was aware that Harlequins had lost to Samu Manoa and the Northampton Saints the day before, opening the door for Sarries to edge closer to the league leaders, but that wasn’t the motivation for the team.

“We needed to get back on the winning track [after tying Gloucester last week] and we feel delighted about that victory,” Wyles said. “We knew [Harlequins] had lost that game, but there’s more motivation that we’re going to Cape Town next week and we wanted to put in a good performance.”

Saracens will train in the sun of South Africa for the week before going back to England to play Takudzwa Nagwenya and Biarritz in the Heineken Cup.

USA players Hayden Smith (Saracens) and Chris Biller (Bath) did not play Sunday.

Saracens is now 2^nd in the Premiership, 10-2-1 with 44 points in the standings. Harlequins leads with 47 points (11-2). Northampton is 3^rd (8-5, 36) and Bath 10^th (5-8, 24).

Meanwhile in other leagues:
The RFU Championship (England’s 2^nd Tier)
London Welsh (Shawn Pittman) 3^rd, 10-5-2
Cornish Pirates (Andrew Suniula) 4^th 9-5-3
Leeds (Mike MacDonald, Robbie Shaw) 5^th 11-5-1

French Top 14
Stade Francais (AKA Paris), (Scott LaValla) 8-6-1, 5^th
Agen (Kevin Swiryn) 8-6-1 7^th
Montpellier (Seta Tuilevuka) 7-7-1 8^th
Biarritz (Taku Ngwenya) 4-9-2 12^th

French Pro D2
Periueux (Inaki Basauri) 2-13, 16^th

Japan Top League
Suntory (Todd Clever) 8-0, 1^st