Down to the Wire - Round 4 Review

Round 4 had some big shoes to fill after the drama of Round 3 however as expected it did so in empathic style. Across the country emotions ran high as once again we witnessed both the expected and the unexpected. Here is the full Out On The Full Aviva Premiership Round 4 review;

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At the Kassam Stadium on Friday night it was a game of two halves that ended with London Welsh's 4th loss of the year and Gloucester securing 5 points. Justin Burnell said before the game “Today it is about pride, we have just got to put a performance together” and for 60 minutes or so London Welsh did that, their line speed was faster and they had a real life, unified defensive line. However the wheels spectacularly fell off when Gloucester scored 31 points in the final 15 minutes as Welsh's fitness crumbled. In spite of the scoreline the Cherry & Whites didn't get into fifth gear however Dan Robson certainly showed what an asset he is and their set piece was much more assured with Afoa, Hibbrad and Thomas working well. One question that does remain is regarding the suitability of James Hook at 10, would he be more of an asset elsewhere?? One for the coaching staff to ponder perhaps!? For London Welsh the evening ended in disappointment with the over-arching emotion being frustration, Justin Burnell certainly will be reviewing the performance of referee Luke Pearse as well as his players for he felt their penalty count, 20-7 against them, was hugely unfair. Welsh's continued focus is to deliver for 80 minutes and not for 60 and of course it goes without saying that their fitness must improve drastically. Both sides have more to work on and neither have easy tasks in Round 5 with Gloucester hosting Leicester Tigers and Welsh heading to The Stoop. 

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At Franklin’s Gardens it was an emotionally charged fixture and one that went down to the final minute. After a rousing and fitting tribute to their beloved Saint Luis Ghaut the Northampton Saints started the game powerfully and took it to their visitors early on. Full back Ben Foden was superb throughout and across the board their physicality was eye watering. The loss of Courtney Lawes and Tom Wood prior to kick off could have been devestating however a huge amount of credit should go to Jamie Craig and Jon Fisher who both stepped up to the mark gallantly. Dylan Hartley's contribution was mighty and rounded; from his try saving defence to his inspiring leadership, he was rampant. For the opposition Dave Atwood pushed his own England credentials with another impressive display and Bath’s bench added even greater tempo to the match at exactly the right time as they wrestled the game back from the home side. Gavin Henson rolled back the years and 21 year old Nick Auterac turned heads however on an emotionally charged day there was only ever going to be one winner.


London Irish achieved a historic win at Welford Road on Saturday afternoon, it was their first since 2003 and only their second since 1923. Naturally Richard Cockerill was a frustrated man following the loss and the lion’s share of this frustration was directed at referee Greg Garnier for his decision not to discipline Irish’s Blair Cowen with a card for his punch on Jamie Gibson. It must be said that Cowen also turned heads for the right reasons with his physicality and go forward as did former Tiger Alex Lewington, Shane Geraghty and David Paice. The Tigers’ Captain Ben Youngs did everything he could to ignite his side however a real platform from the forwards that he organises was missing. It must be said that if any Premiership side had 20 of their key men injured they would struggle, like the Leicester Tigers are, however it doesn’t make it any easier to watch. Harsh words will be spoken again on Monday morning at Welford Road however they must dig in for the rugby clock stops for no-one and with Gloucester Rugby next week and Europe fast approaching an instant and collective team improvement needs to happen. For the Exiles it was a pleasing and satisfying day at the office and they should run out in Round 5 with a spot of swagger as their performances are building nicely week on week.

Sandy Park experienced it's first win in the Aviva Premiership since March as Exeter taught Harlequins a lesson. Conor O'Shea was visibly furious in his post match interview calling their inaccuracies 'unacceptable and embarrassing'. Quite frankly for chunks of the 80 minutes Harlequins looked slightly rudderless and whilst they are also tackling a barrage of injuries their lack of conviction is surprising from a side with so much on paper potential. As scatty as Harlequins looked Exeter were well drilled and quite frankly delightful... my broken record continues as Henry Slade delivered a beautiful performance as did Thomas the Tank. Thomas Waldrom is simply loving life at Exeter, he is a player reborn and it is his go forward that is pushing Baxter's side to great performances. Dave Ewers physicality set an example to the whole Premiership whilst Yeandle performed with poise at scrum time. The Chiefs deserve every single bit of praise that they are going to get, they are working so hard and are reaping the rewards of their diligence.  

At Allianz Park Saracens were back to their usual dominant selves as they pushed aside the Sale Sharks with ease. Sale simply weren’t at the races for much of the game whilst the home side looked much more colourful and on song back on their home turf. Jamie George celebrated his 100th Saracens’ performance with a solid day at the office and he was part of a pack that set the tone of the day and squeezed the visitors. In the backs academy member Nick Tompkins showed first class skills off the bench and the ‘old man’ Charlie Hodgson ran the show with ease. The Sharks, like others in the Premiership at the moment, aren’t living up to their pre-season billing and collectively are missing a spot of sharpness however individuals like Tom Brady continue to shine. An 80 minute performance is needed for the Sharks next weekend whilst for Saracens it will be a case of more of the same as they put their 100% record to its ultimate test against Bath at The Rec.

On Sunday afternoon Wasps welcomed the Newcastle Falcons to town and achieved their goal of a bonus point victory, however the performance wasn’t to the standard that they would have liked. The Falcons are a side that frustrate teams, they slowed Wasps down and if it weren’t for their basic handling errors and numerous forward passes Dean Richards’ side would have gained more from their trip down South. Wasps’ game missed a touch of fluidity however through sheer hard work and individual brilliance they got the job done. Out the back Rob Miller looked assured at full back and seamlessly transferred to fly half with twenty minutes or so to go, the Leuia Daly partnership showed huge promise and Joe Simpson’s form continues it’s upwards trajectory. For the visitors the performance of Juan Pablo Socino summed up the whole side; exciting at times but inconsistent overall. They were squeezed up front and without that platform life is always very difficult, Simon Hammersley didn’t reach the heights of the week prior and they lacked true precision. Wasps will take the points but again will be frustrated and Falcons remain in search of their elusive Premiership ‘W’... 20 games and counting since their last. 

Northampton Saints Photos © Claire Jones RedHatPhoto.com all proceeds supporting Restart, the rugby players' charity.