Gloucester did their part. A top-four finish and a place in the playoffs remained tantalisingly within reach for George Skivington’s side on the final day, but they didn’t just need a win: they also required one of Bristol, Sale and Leicester above them to falter. It wasn’t to be.

Seven tries in a rousing performance, including a hat-trick for the elusive 19-year-old wing Jack Cotgreave, against a much-changed Northampton delighted their relentlessly passionate fans. Ultimately it meant finishing fifth. It will be Bath, plus the aforementioned three, to fight it out for the Premiership title.

Related: Ibitoye double fires Bristol past Harlequins to clinch playoff tie at Bath

The Saints remain the champions for now and Phil Dowson’s 14 changes felt like a suitably low-key way to sign off on a disappointing title defence. They have been injury-plagued and hardly helped by players frequently departing for international duty. Still they produced one of the more memorable performances of recent years by edging out Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final four weeks ago.

They came up short against Bordeaux in Cardiff seven days ago and all four of their British & Irish Lions representatives – Fin Smith, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell and Tommy Freeman – were absent for this season finale. Music to Gloucester’s ears with a playoff berth potentially on the table: official statistics gave them a 34% chance of the top four, and mathematically speaking, there was even a shot at a home semi-final.

In a perfect world, perhaps, the Premiership’s final day would feature a tense scrap to avoid relegation as well as a pulsating playoff race: not to mention a properly funded, healthy second tier packed with clubs snapping at the heels of the elite.

That feels like an impossible dream in English rugby (blame the Rugby Football Union, not the clubs) and Dowson’s recently stated fear of the competition collectively “sleepwalking” to another bankruptcy was right on the money, if that is the correct phrase. Hype up a congested playoff race all you like, the finances of the clubs remain in a parlous state, and there is no sign of it changing.

Taking the positives, though, there was nothing wrong with the on-field product. The 6ft 4in Cotgreave had scored on his Premiership debut against Newcastle last time out, and crossed three times in the first half alone, although one of those was disallowed for a foot in touch. His first score came after three minutes, converted by Santiago Carreras, only for tries by Northampton’s Tom Pearson and Tom Litchfield to demonstrate that the visitors fancied making a game of it.

The second row Ed Prowse, captaining Northampton for the first time, was forced off on 17 minutes after an accidental head contact before Cotgreave’s flying effort in the corner was disallowed. There was no doubt over another impressively pacy finish on the same wing, by the same player, on 25 minutes.

Then, when Christian Wade smartly intercepted a pass around halfway on the Gloucester right, his prodigious pace made the breakaway finish seem straightforward. Wonderful work by the lock Freddie Clarke, skilfully scooping up a loose ball and offloading, soon sent the quicksilver scrum-half Tomos Williams cantering in for the bonus point. It was 22-14 at half-time: the only problem? Bristol led Harlequins 26-12, having run in four tries, with Leicester and Sale also set fair.

Northampton came out firing. The scrum-half Jonny Weimann forced his way over eight minutes after the break and when Hutchinson confidently stroked over a sweet conversion, his third of the afternoon, there was just a point in it. Gloucester’s response was immediate, literally: from the restart Carreras’s silky show-and-go set up Cotgreave for his hat-trick. Seb Atkinson’s score made it six tries, and was met with one of the day’s biggest cheers. Order restored for the Shed faithful. Iakopo Mapu’s try for Saints cut the lead to 10 before Wade’s second, the game’s final act, sent the fans wild. But for Gloucester, the playoffs will have to wait.

“I just hope we can follow up this season, that’s what it’s about,” remarked a fan as the train from London pulled into Gloucester station an hour or so before kick-off. A sentiment doubtless shared by all those who follow the once-mighty Cherry-and-Whites.