Making and Breaking Records - Aviva Premiership Round 5 Review

If you are using the word 'predictable' to describe a competition, then you most certainly won't be talking about the Aviva Premiership, for Round 5 again delivered us with drama of the highest order. Records were made and records were broken, it was quite the weekend, so here is the full Out On The Full Round 5 review;   

The action started on Friday night with what was billed by many as the game of the round as Bath hosted Saracens at The Rec and it did not disappoint, it was as impressive as it was physical and truly a great display of England’s domestic game. For 80 minutes we witnessed Saracens, the form team, stifled as Bath successfully blocked their way and created their own chances through the masterful feet of their backs. The Jonathan Joseph and Kyle Eastmond pairing was majestic, and as Ali Eykyn said during the coverage Stuart Lancaster could do a lot worse than to give them a run together during the Autumn. Semsea Rokoduguni was another man that was simply sublime, he created spaces and opportunities for himself that no-one else could see and he's already in my personal England squad!! For the visitors Billy Vunipola played like a man possessed and Kelly Brown was stronger than I have seen him for a long time however it was out the back where they couldn’t quite reach the heights required. A few missed kicks off his own boot will have annoyed George Ford however he shouldn't be too upset as his side made an almighty statement of intent against the one of the best in the Premiership business. 

Image @GloucesterRugby

At Kingsholm on Saturday afternoon it was all one way traffic as Gloucester delivered their best performance of the season against a cowering set of Leicester Tigers. It was difficult viewing for Richard Cockerill and his coaching staff as almost every bit of endeavour that their side showed was erased within a few phases due to their own errors. On the other hand Gloucester's game was pacy and full of tempo led first by Greig Laidlaw and then by young Dan Robson. James Hook looked more settled and certainly enhanced proceedings this week whilst Ben Morgan gave us all a timely reminder of his form with a Man of the Match performance. Leicester remain off colour and stuttering, however let us not forget that in this situation context is everything and I make no apologies for banging on, again, about their injury list. Leicester could field a complete side with their casualties, they have 21 in total including critical men like Ed Slater, Manu Tuilagi and Tom Youngs. It is rotten luck and I fear for them over the coming few weeks with Harlequins on Friday Night followed by Ulster and the Scarlets in Europe. The 6 weeks that Gloucester always asked to be given to see where they are at are almost up and based on Saturday's performance the words 'moving in the right direction' spring to mind.  

(C) Claire Jones Red Hat Photography

At the Madjeski Stadium London Irish hosted the Northampton Saints in what was described by many of the media as 'not a game to write home about'. In their last 3 games London Irish have picked up 7 points which is no mean feat when you add in the fact that they played Saints, Saracens and the Leicester Tigers. The visitors were without Dylan Hartley and Tom Wood and in fact up front missed 4 of their starting pack however their depth saw them through what was a potential banana skin. Stephen Myler continued to go about his business quietly and efficiently as he notched up 14 of his sides points and Jon Fisher returned to the Madjeski with a bang. Irish fans will feel aggrieved regarding the run of the whistle against them however Brian Smith talked about the fact that they have earned the respect of their fellow sides and that will provide some consolation for at this point last year they couldn't even dream of being on an even playing field with the likes of the Saints and co. 

Yarde opened his Quins account (C) Onside Images

Two minutes or to put it in seconds, one hundred and twenty,  was all that it it took for Harlequins to open their scoring account and eighty minutes later they closed it on 52 after a comprehensive day at the office. Across the board O'Shea's men looked much more comfortable in their own skin, led by the work rate of Chris Robshaw and a Kiwi masterclass from Nick Evans who scored 17 points and delivered 100% accuracy. Once again, it was crushing for London Welsh as in every facet they struggled against their fellow London side and with the scenes up at Kingston Park many are saying that already, in only Round 5, the writing is on the wall for Burnell's side. The squad is filled with fighters and fight they must do for at the moment they are breaking the points against record with their leaking defence and inability to compete at this level.  

At the AJ Bell Stadium the Sale Sharks' recorded a win over Wasps, Steve Diamond's men did it the hard way and it was their defence and the words 'there was no clear forward pass' that sealed the win. Wasps suffered, once again, with a spot of travel sickness as they struggled to really find their game away from home. They lacked a spot of precision and whilst Christian Wade's try was pleasing, the fact that he gave Sale theirs was less so. Dai Young's side dominated in terms of all of the major statistics except for the one that truly counts, the scoreboard. Dave Seymour deserved his Man of the Match award for his dogged work on the floor and it was the guts and heart of the whole squad that saw them through 161 tackles in order to finish the game victorious. Question marks over Wasps' away form remain whilst Steve Diamond will hope that this victory kick starts his side and provides a platform to work off for the coming rounds.  

Falcons' Mark Wilson and his lucky charm

The final match of the weekend was at Kingston Park where fans were treated to a match filled with drama and one that went down to the wire. The Newcastle Falcons last won in the Aviva Premiership on the 23rd October 2013 and since then have struggled to get over the line with their noses in front. Exeter's early season form has been strong and that showed in the tries that they scored, Gareth Steenson's boot and hands were on song as were Slade's however the Falcons have been building for a number of weeks now and stayed in touch well, something they've previously failed to do. The moment of the match, bar the final whistle, was Alex Tait's sublime offload to set up what was the winning try. The Falcons were pushed right until the clock went red however they showed almighty resilience and mental strength to finally record that W. No doubt a fair few beers will be consumed in the North East tonight and why ever not!?! However Exeter's plane flight/bus ride home will be a little quieter as they ponder how they let the game slip away.   

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