England Rugby - Six Nations Squad Announcement

On Friday morning Eddie Jones announced his squad Six Nations Championship squad and his first port of call at Twickenham Stadium was to highlight that this is his squad ‘for the first game anyway’. As always the Australian is keeping his players on their toes and we all know that he will make any changes that he sees fit in a flash!

As soon as this weekend's Champions and Challenge Cup matches have been completed the 34 players selected will head off to Portugal for a training camp. During prior breaks between international action we’ve heard England’s head coach articulate his displeasure at the level of performance that he’s seen from his players however this time, by in large, he’s content with their output:

“I've been around to nine of the 12 clubs since the autumn series and the judgement from most of the Directors of Rugby has been quite positive on what the players have brought back. There's been one or two that haven't fulfilled that responsibility, but I think in the vast majority it's been very good - it's great for English rugby.”

We all know that England are approaching this Six Nations Championship in a very different place to twelve months ago. This time last year Eddie Jones had been in charge for a very short period of time and the memories of their World Cup nightmare were fresh in players' minds. Now the squad are spring boarding into the Championship off an hugely impressive run of victories and as a result their ambition is clear:

"Our aim is to win the Six Nations, we're not trying to hide that but to do that we'll have to prepare for each game very well."

Alongside this aim Eddie Jones also set out the squad's broader goals for the year ahead. The first is to 'improve the depth of the squad' and the second is to 'develop their fundamental skills'. On top of that he's also going to spend ample time addressing another area that will help them on their road to 2019 and that's 'increasing the leadership density of the team'. 

Now clearly the injury situation that they find themselves in now should facilitate the first goal and the second will be greatly assisted by the presence of Dr Sherylle Calder - the visual awareness coach that has arrived as a consultant. Sherylle has a proven record within the world of rugby and most of you will remember her name from Sir Clive Woodward's 2003 World Cup winning set up. 

As with all goals there are external factors that could hinder them being achieved and in his usual straight talking manner Eddie Jones highlighted those challenges clearly and openly on Friday morning;

“If you read anything in the media at the moment players are talking about Lions, they’re always asked about the Lions. So particularly in 2017 the Lions tour is always a massive attraction but also can be a massive distraction in terms of players focusing on the future rather than focusing on what’s going on at the moment.

"Then you’ve got the expectation of the team - every time someone comes up to you on the street they come up to you and say that you must be fascinated about the game against Ireland because they’re going well. Well Ireland isn’t a concern for us, but if you keep in hearing that then that can get into the back of your head and become a distraction.

"So, we’ve got a lot of distractions in front of us and part of our job as a coaching staff, management staff and the senior players in Portugal is to make sure at the start of the camp in Portugal is to make sure that we get the focus right and that’s beating France.”

From a squad point of view next week's camp in Portugal will be essential in terms of bridging that gap between Premiership rugby and Test rugby and assessing a number of players' fitness levels including captain Dylan Hartley. Personally I still believe that Dylan will lead out England on 4th February but right now England's head coach is keeping his captain on his toes, as he does every player, with the open discussion about the captaincy not being a permanent position. 

Now that Eddie Jones has announced his squad Out On The Full's coverage of all things England Rugby will ramp up a notch so look out for more of Eddie Jones' thoughts arriving on Saturday morning and plenty of analysis and discussion in the build up to their opener and beyond. 

2017 Six Nations Squad

Forwards: Nathan Catt, Jack Clifford, Dan Cole, Charlie Ewels, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Teimana Harrison, Dylan Hartley, James Haskell, Nathan Hughes, Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Joe Marler, Matt Mullan, Kyle Sinckler, Tommy Taylor, Mike Williams & Tom Wood

Backs: Mike Brown, Danny Care, Elliot Daly, Owen Farrell, George Ford Jonathan Joseph, Alex Lozowski, Jonny May, Jack Nowell, Henry Slade, Ben Te’o, Anthony Watson, Marland Yarde & Ben Youngs.

Nordoff Robbins 2017 Six Nations Rugby Dinner

For those of you that have been following Out On The Full for a little while now you will know that Nordoff Robbins’ Six Nations Dinner is a firm fixture in my calendar. However, for those of you that are new to Out On The Full then allow me to introduce you to a wonderful evening and charity and advise you strongly to see if you can be at next year’s dinner. 

Nordoff Robbins is an independent music therapy charity and in their own words they are ‘dedicated to changing the lives of vulnerable and isolated people’. It’s often the case that the music therapy that Nordoff Robbins provides makes breakthroughs with individuals in a way that other therapies are simply unable to do. We all know the power of music on our own emotions, mood and feelings and the same can be said for those that often find communication of any from difficult or suffer from conditions such as autism or dementia. 

Each year Nordoff Robbins host a series of events in order to support their work and these span across a number of different sports like rugby, boxing football and golf as well as a plethora of music events. All of their evenings are brilliantly delivered and if you are the person that's in charge of your corporate outings then I can honestly say that a table at Nordoff Robbins' Rugby Dinner is a solid investment. The first Nordoff Robbins Rugby Dinner I attended was prior to working in rugby when I worked at GSK as a Brand Manager and it was a corporate night out that was discussed for a long time afterwards and the team continue to return each year.  

The evening is always hosted in honour of a particular player's achievements in the game and last night that person was Chris Robshaw. As you'd expect with such a well respected individual the room was packed with Familiar faces there supporting including Jeremy Guscot, Mike Tindall, his Harlequins' colleagues and Lawrence Dallaglio who actually I found out was Chris' childhood hero (something I perhaps should have known before). 

Before the evening started in earnest I spoke with Chris on the side of their red carpet about his visit to Nordoff Robbins' music therapy centre, his injury situation and of course the forthcoming Six Nations Championship:

England's back row forward showed extraordinary resilience in the face of a whole barrage of criticism following England's World Cup issues in 2015 and bounced back following a change of captaincy. As a result of his consistency, work rate and output he 30-year-ol won over the opinion of Eddie Jones - something that is notoriously difficult to do. Chris has been at the heart of Harlequins' historic success and has driven England forwards in a way that impressed his straight-talking coach at Harlequins Nick Easter (click below to here Nick's thoughts)

As I mentioned earlier Nordoff Robbins continues to work tirelessly to change lives of individuals that have so many challenges and obstacles in their daily lives and their Rugby Dinner is key part of raising the funds to do this. 

With such a focus on the forthcoming Six Championship last night and with England's squad being announced first thing on Friday morning (20th) I'm already looking forward to a stellar Championship. 

As always I'll be bring you every step of England's journey over the coming two months and I hope that this article has done a number of things. First, brought to your attention the work of the superb charity, second provided you with some insights and clarity from Chris himself in terms of his injury situation and finally given you a feel for what is a stunning rugby dinner in the hope that you might join me there next year!

Premiership Rugby Round 13 - Review

Round 13… boy did that deliver! 

If you’re going to sign off from Premiership Rugby for a month then you may as well do it in style! From Friday night’s head-turner at Kingston Park to Sunday’s game of two halves at the Ricoh Arena we saw it all. Now it’s time to dive head first into two rounds of Europe before the Anglo-Welsh Cup arrives again and the RBS 6 Nations starts. From an Out On The Full point of view I’ll follow the Premiership team’s through Europe and then when it comes to the Six Nations switch the focus directly onto England. We’ve a busy period ahead so look out for a mixture of written content, audio bulletins and the return of the VLOG!

Back to Round 13 and I’ll start at Kingston Park where Dean Richards finished the evening with a massive grin on his face (yes it was captured on TV too!) and Newcastle prevailed against Bath. Once again the visitors were unable to put away a game that they had firmly in their own hands (12 points ahead going into the final 10 minutes) but the credit has to go to Falcons for pushing Bath off their stride. Dean Richards’ men were focused and precise in what they needed to do during the latter stages of the match and it was orchestrated by the most mature and accomplished performance I’ve seen from Joel Hodgson ever. Jon Welsh’s epic chip and collect was a personal highlight alongside the ridiculously brilliantly finishing of Semesa Rokduguni but as a whole the greatest praise must be saved of Newcastle as a collective. They’re building with more to come while Bath need to re-find their clinical winning edge. Full Time: Newcastle Falcons 24 - 22 Bath

At Allianz Park we witnessed Saracens at their powerful and resilient best as they battled with 14 men to secured a hard-fought, and well earned, draw against Exeter. Of course the talking point was the incident that resulted in Richard Barrington receiving a red card. I have not qualms with that decision, I believe that was correct, but I was surprised that Brad Barritt wasn’t penalised too at the time. Geoff Parling’s health remains at the forefront of all of our minds and we hope that he will be fully fit following his return to play progression. On the whole we saw the benefit of Saracens’ collective understanding and power game while Exeter didn’t take charge as they’d like. Jack Nowell astounded us all with his one handed take for his try and in my mind has to start for England against France on 4th Feb however he and his side would have wanted more than just a draw. Full Time: Saracens 13-13 Exeter 

At Franklin’s Gardens Bristol and Northampton were embroiled in an enjoyable match that delivered 58 points and six tries in total. After such a challenging period of time for both sides it’s great to see the Saints starting to get their confidence back and the building output Bristol. Once again Jason Woodward as the visitors’ catalyst and he’s been the most important signing of all this season - his 21 points and his contribution across the park hugely impressed me. It was level going into the final quarter but Saints did the business and pressed on, Tom Wood continues to led them with distinction and I firmly believe that his leadership is a vital contributor to their shift back on track. Full Time: Northampton Saints 32-26 Bristol Rugby 

At the Twickenham Stoop Harlequins made it 10 wins from 10 home matches in the competition however their poor away form means that they aren’t as high up the table as they'd like to be. Speaking of table positions Sale Sharks’ tenth place isn’t far from ideal however their losing bonus point was vital. Once again Denny Solomona showed that finishing skills have seamlessly transferred across the codes and his hit rate of four tries in four appearances is superb. On the other side it was Tim Swiel that really turned heads with 24 points in total and an accomplished performance that will have him knocking on the door to start against Edinburgh in this weekend’s Challenge Cup match. The match itself delivered plenty to feast the eyes on and finally a word for Adam Jones who didn’t even think that he was going to be playing (he was back in Wales earlier in the day) and ended up on the field at loose head. Full Time: Harlequins 29-26 Sale Sharks

The result at Kingsholm was one of the shocks of the weekend for me and it was such for two reasons. The first was a little surprise at Gloucester’s performance given their two narrow defeats of late and the second was the capitulation of Worcester after such a productive Round 12. The Cherry and Whites gave us all a showcase of what they can deliver from an all signing, all dancing performance for 80 minutes while their visitors struggled. Carl Hogg has said that there were some ‘serious words’ following the game and you’d expect so because their performance levels on the day weren’t good enough. Full Time: Gloucester Rugby 55-19 Worcester Warriors

The final game of the weekend was an absolute belter at the Ricoh Arena and it was a classic game of two halves. That phrase is such a cliche but in this case the shoe fits and it resulted in the most enthralling game of the weekend. Wasps’ opening half was a dream, they were at their devastating and clinical best while Leicester looked like a rabbit in the headlights. After all of the emotions Leicester had been going through during the week it looked as if they were going to be pummelled and taught a lesson. Whatever was said in their dressing room worked because in the second forty they wrestled back control of the gain line and physically dominated. As a result Owen Williams’ boot got them right back in it and they had opportunities to take the game. There were dazzling individual performances from Ellis Genge and Ed Slater alongside Guy Thompson delivering for the hosts. Full Time: Wasps 22-16 Leicester Tigers 

Premiership Rugby Round 13 - Preview

So we’ve just got time for one final Premiership Rugby hoorah before the competition takes a break for a month. It’s fair to say that Round 12 kept us on the edge of our seats from the opening match to the last and I expect Round 13 to do the same. 

With the news that Richard Cockerill has left Leicester Tigers there will be a huge focus on Sunday’s offering as his former side head to their now local rivals Wasps. Historically matches between the two are intense encounters and this weekend’s will be heightened from a Leicester point of view. 

Before that there’s plenty of rugby to enjoy and at the start of the weekend the one millionth fan of the season will attend Newcastle Falcons against Bath. To date 995,976 people have watched Premiership rugby live and BT Sport’s average audience figures are up by 13% on last season. It’s proof that this competition is building season-on-season and a testament to the work, and output, of the clubs and of course Premiership Rugby.

As it stands there’s one point separating the top two, three points separating the four sides in the battle for a top six spot and the complexion at the bottom of the table is set for numerous twists and turns before Round 22 arrives.

So, focusing on the rugby at Kingston Park this Round 13 fixture is an intriguing one given both sides' output last weekend. Newcastle are confident and building game-on-game and Bath will been frustrated by the fact that a game that they controlled got away from them. As a result I expect the two to go full throttle and give us another Friday night cracker - it should be a far cry from the thrashing that Bath handed out to Dean Richards’ side back in September. The focus for each will be trying to ensure that they are the ones driving the agenda and controlling the game at the key moments. Last season Bath didn't enjoy their trip to Kingston Park and left frustrated at their output so the challenge for Dean Richards' men will be to ensure that, that happens again.  Stat: Bath have not won away from home since their trip to Exeter on 30th October while Falcons have only won one of their last dozen against Bath.

At Kingsholm Gloucester Rugby will be doing everything in their power to ensure that they don’t end up on the wrong side of the result. The Cherry and Whites looked to have their Round 12 game under control but ultimately they didn’t get the W they needed. Conversely Worcester delivered their most assured performance of the season against Harlequins and will know how important it is to build upon that for the sake of their season. Interestingly Worcester have lost just one of their last four Premiership Rugby fixtures against the Cherry & Whites and that was by only two points last season. Essentially it’s more of the same for both sides because despite the result Gloucester managed the conditions last weekend and Worcester really did put their game on the park. Stat: The Warriors have yet to record a single league point from their six away games in the tournament this season 

It’s time to re-visit last season’s Premiership Final again and this time we are doing so with Exeter Chiefs in more confident form than they were back in September. Exeter have the joint best away record in the competition this season, gaining 20 points from 6 trips and they hold that with Saracens. The Chiefs' revival was epitomised by the way in which they wrestled the game back from Bath in Round 12 and they’ll need every bit of that fighting spirt on Saturday. Saracens ground out their win against Leicester and with home comforts on their side will look to enhance their output. There’s plenty of individual head-to-heads to look out for (should all be selected) including Jack Nowell facing Sean Maitland, Gareth Steenson against Owen Farrell and Jamie George against Jack Yeandle. Stat: Saracens have won their last four encounters with the Chiefs and are unbeaten at Allianz Park since March. 

Harlequins hosting Steve Diamond’s Sale Sharks will be another intriguing match-up given their respective outputs in Round 12. Harlequins will be mightily disappointed that they couldn’t shake off their travel sickness at Sixways and given their loss Sale now find themselves in a bit of a pickle. Of the two it’s the Sharks I worry about more because Harlequins’ 100% home record this season is deserved and they’re just travelling like a Top 14 side right now! The Sharks are missing key elements right now, still they can’t take control of games and don’t seem to have the go forward to give their backs the platform they need to thrive. Steve Diamond's side have lost their last eight first team matches and they know that gaining a big fat W soon is vital. Stat: Harlequins have gleaned 25 of their total of 28 league points at home this campaign. 

At Franklin’s Gardens Northampton Saints will be well aware that the side arriving on their doorstep is one that has four consecutive victories behind them and a huge desire to keep on building. Bristol’s turnaround started with an injection of confidence gained during their Challenge Cup back-to-back fixtures and they have built from there. Equally Northampton are re-building their steel and showing the required togetherness to get them out of the hole that they found themselves in. In this one I suspect that the opening quarter will be vital; the Saints will want to exert their power on Bristol while the visitors will look to ignite their danger men early. In Round 12 both showed that they can keep cool heads in the face a match slipping away from them and of course all eyes will be on Tom Vardnell to see if he can score one more try and hold the Premiership all time try scoring record outright. Match Fact: Bristol have scored 17 tries in their last four matches and Northampton are looking to achieve three Premiership victories in a row for the first time since March. 

The final match of the weekend sees Wasps host their local rivals Leicester Tigers. Of course there will be a big focus on the visitors given the news this week that Richard Cockerill was asked to step down as Director of Rugby. The hosts will be well aware of the situation and simply need to focus on themselves because their output this Premiership season has been hugely impressive. The stats speak for themselves… Wasps have won their last 18 matches at the Ricoh Arena in all tournaments and have only dropped one possible league point there in any tournament this season. Conversely Leicester’s output has been slightly more undulating and that’s shown by having won three and lost three on the Premiership road this season. As per usual this game should be filled with bruising hits and intensity of the highest order and I’m expecting Wasps’ back line to continue to show us how it’s done. Stat: Wasps beat Leicester 34-22 at Welford Road in Round 2 and have not achieved a Premiership Rugby double over their now near neighbours since 2008/09  

Full Round Schedule

Fri 6th Jan - Newcastle Falcons v Bath Rugby (7.45pm) Live on BT Sport

Sat 7th Jan - Gloucester Rugby v Worcester Warriors (3pm) 

Sat 7th Jan - Saracens v Exeter Chiefs (3pm) Live on BT Sport

Sat 7th Jan - Harlequins v Sale Sharks (Twickenham Stoop, 3pm) 

Sat 7th Jan - Northampton Saints v Bristol Rugby (Franklin’s Gardens, 3pm) 

Sun 8th Jan - Wasps v Leicester Tigers (3pm) Live on BT Sport

Few thoughts...

If you’ve been tied down in meetings all day then you will have been late to the news that this morning Leicester Tigers’ Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill was asked to leave his post with immediate effect. The Board’s decision was that a change needed to be made and as a result the man that has been part of the club since 1992 will now find himself now watching from the outside. 

Those that have met Richard Cockerill will know that he lived and breathed Leicester Tigers and that the open manner of the statement made by the club is likely to have been a direct request from the man himself. As a player, and later as a coach and Director of Rugby, he never shirked away from difficult conversations or situations, instead he dealt with them matter of factly and I remember him telling me how much of a firm believer he was in face-to-face communication as opposed to hiding behind an email. In short this will be a tremendously difficult time for the 46-year-old and the announcement got me thinking about rugby's points of view and fans' viewpoint regarding management positions. 

It's very clear to anyone that follows both football and rugby that there is a different approach adopted to the time given to managers over the course of both games being professional. While the former often gives managers a matter of weeks to perform miracles, and some clubs regularly go through a few managers a season, rugby has always adopted what I would call a more sensible approach. 

Those that own rugby clubs often bring in individuals with the desire of creating long-term relationships and building over a course of time. Inevitably bumps along the road may occur or short-term difficulties appear but more often than not rugby clubs, and their fans, stick to their guns and stay loyal and positive towards those leading their side. Yet more recently I've noticed a shift in discussion with the words 'position on the line' and 'should be sacked' being uttered more regularly than before. I wonder are rugby union supporters and clubs becoming less tolerant and impatient than ever before? Or are we just at a point in time where a number of clubs potentially need to freshen up at the top in order to press on once again?

This post isn’t designed to point finger or focus on an individual club or decision that has been made, instead I'm simply posing a question and airing a few thoughts. I understand that professional rugby is a results based business but is its tether becoming a little shorter than necessary? Is it taking a leaf out of the 'football book of patience' regarding instant results and silverware? 

Now clearly I'm not a member of any of the clubs that have changed their management in the last 12 months so I couldn't tell you the intricacies or reasons behind those movements - each decision may have been the right one for those clubs? However, what I will say is that from my point of view managing a professional sports team is hard enough without your head being called for every time that your side loses two or three matches in a row. I understand that in some of these situations change may be what is required but perhaps not in all and personally I'd hate for rugby become as needlessly ruthless as other sports. 

Premiership Rugby Round 12 - Review

Well, well, well, I think it’s fair to say that Round 12 had a little bit of everything. From single-point victories to try fests and last minute steals it was an enthralling round of Premiership Rugby. 

Without doubt Bristol are the talk of the town right now, and in a good way, as they recorded their first set of back-to-back Premiership victories since March 2008. That’s four wins on the bounce in all competitions and with the confidence that they now have, and other sides dropping off form wise, the table suddenly has an altogether different completion to it. 

Round 12 started with a cracker at Kingston Park. From the first minute to well beyond the 80th minute we were treated to an enthralling spectacle of Premiership Rugby. The statistics, and score line, tell you just how much of a contest it was with Newcastle beating the same number of defenders as Wasps, scoring the same number of tries and actually making more metres. Yet Dai Young’s side managed the opening of the second half better than their hosts and held firm at the very end. There were head-turning performances from a number of players, Falcons’ Mark Wilson worked himself into the ground, Sonatane Takulua sparked from nine and Wasps Guy Thompson was a deserved man of the match. I have to say it was one of my favourite games I’ve seen this season, if you get a chance to watch it in full then do and it is further proof that Newcastle are building very nicely indeed. Full Time: Newcastle Falcons 30 Wasps 34

The Recreation Ground was stunned as Exeter Chiefs performed the ultimate smash and grab over Bath Rugby. The hosts were firmly in control for about 60 minutes before Exeter decided that they weren't leaving empty handed and put their foot on the gas. James Short’s finishing provided the points and while the Chiefs took their chances Bath missed a couple of theirs. For a large part Todd Blackadder's side looked assured and creative in attack, led by the direction and vision of George Ford, but they didn’t sustain that for the full 80. The jewel in the Chiefs’ crown was Jack Nowell, his work rate was outstanding and despite not getting his name of the scoreboard he was hugely influential in defence and fizzed in attack - something Eddie Jones will have noted. It was another belting Premiership match and finished 2016 in style. Full Time: Bath Rugby 11 Exeter Chiefs 17 

On New Year's Day at the AJ Bell Stadium Bristol gained another valuable victory in their pursuit towards have a much stronger 2017 than they did 2016. Conversely Sale Sharks will be frustrated at their overall performance and as a result have been sucked into a table position that they don't want to be in. There were sections the game when Sale looked to be in control, they went 15-0 up in the first half and then 23-10 up again in the second and yet they didn’t make it stick. The composure and character that Bristol showed each time to get themselves back on level terms and ultimately take the W is exactly what will drive them on this season. Of course Tom Varndell equalling Mark Cueto’s record number of Premiership tries, 90, added to their occasion and Bristol's bus journey back should have been a jovial one indeed! Full Time Sale Sharks 23 Bristol Rugby 24

At Sixways the Worcester Warriors they bounced back after their Boxing Day disappointment with a head-turning performance against Harlequins. Once again John  Kingston's team showed an acute form of travel sickness as the hosts dominated for three quarters of the match. Worcester knew that they needed to put their game on the park in Round 13 or face potentially finishing the round at the foot of the table and they did just that. Their backs caused Harlequins issues and tries were the result with a 16-0 half time lead just reward for their dominance. Of course they may feel a tiny bit annoyed that they let Harlequins take a point away but overall it was Worcester’s most complete outing of the season and one that they must build upon. Full Time Worcester 24 Harlequins 17

It was a packed house at Kingsholm however the weather didn’t really play ball for a try fest, instead the majority of the scoring was left to the two fly halves. Stephen Myler marked his 300th appearance by delivering the match-winning points, converting the only 'try' of the game and Billy Burns was on point for the hosts throughout. Ultimately the result swung on David Halaifonua's yellow card for a deliberate knock-on that meant he saw yellow and Saints gained a penalty try. Another W will ensure that Saints take another step on the road towards re-buidling the confidence they lost during their difficult patch a short time ago while for Gloucester it's another result that goes on their 'what if' list. Full Time Gloucester 12 Northampton Saints 13

In the final game of the weekend Leicester Tigers and Saracens were embroiled in a good old duel. It was a bruising encounter between two sides that didn't want to give an inch but like they’ve done so many times before the reigning champions found the route to victory. Owen Farrell was their key talisman as he led proceedings with real assertion and the type of competitive edge that he's famed for. However the England man sparked won't have been happy about his couple of misses from the tee but they were cancelled out by Leicester not taking their opportunities in that area either. Manu Tuilagi limping from the field was horrible to see and I really hope that it isn’t too serious because he’s had such a torrid time with injury and it would be horrific to see him pick up another long-term problem. It as a gritty victory for Saracens and they finish the round in second behind Wasps while Tigers slip to fifth, five points behind Bath. Full Time Leicester Tigers 12 Saracens 16

Premiership Rugby - Round 12 Preview

I don’t know about you but I can’t believe that we are at the halfway stage of the Aviva Premiership season already? It seems like only yesterday that we were getting prepared for Round 1 and in a flash we are about to toast the start of 2017 and 11 rounds have been completed. 

Of course the second-half of the season will deliver the race for the Premiership playoffs, a RBS 6 Nations Championship that will impact on clubs' form, and potentially results, and of course a whole truck load of discussions about a potential Lions squad. 

Just because the New Year celebrations are arriving the Premiership doesn’t rest up. While the majority of the UK will be seeing in 2017 with a few beverages and a verse or two of Auld Lang Syne our Premiership teams will be focused on securing critical table points and victories. 

In Round 11 Dai Young’s Wasps showcased the full extent of their attacking prowess and in chilly Newcastle I expect them to do the same. They’ve scored 12 more tries that any other side in the competition and despite rotating in their midfield have the squad depth to continue that trend. Newcastle are going about their business efficiently and have won two of their last three matches in the competition. Captain Mark Wilson has made more tackles than any other player in the competition (136) and his industry and work rate will be vital to ensure that the Falcons deliver defensively. Newcastle need to stem the Wasps tide and then ensure that they finish their opportunities. Without question Wasps are in form right now but as we've seen before a Friday night at Kingston Park can be challenging for even the top teams. Match Fact: Wasps have won only once on the road in any competition since September, 26-12 at Worcester in Round 10 but they are unbeaten in their last eight fixtures with the Falcons. 

The New Year’s Eve Premiership action focuses on The Recreation Ground as Bath Rugby and Exeter Chiefs do battle. Personally I’m looking forward to this fixture as both sides have an ambition to play positive rugby and combine that with hard working and physical forwards. After Exeter’s positive bonus-point victory over Leicester Rob Baxter has the luxury of picking a largely unchanged side however Henry Salde’s neck/shoulder injury is a concern. For Bath they shift slightly in the pack with Tom Dunn starting at hooker, Matt Garvey shifting into the second row and Tom Ellis and Zach Mercer coming into the back row. Without a doubt Anthony Watson will get a huge cheer if he heads onto the field today after his unfortunate injury at England’s training camp and with the RBS 6 Nations fast approaching both he and Jack Nowell will want to press their case in front of a watching Eddie Jones. Match Fact: Bath are attempting to achieve a first Premiership Rugby double over the Chiefs since season 2013/14 whilst Exeter’s only previous victory at Bath in any tournament is 22-19 in the semi-final of the Anglo-Welsh Cup in March 2014. 

With four Premiership matches on New Year’s Day 2017 will be starting in the right way. The first to kick off will be at the AJ Bell Stadium as Sale Sharks host Bristol Rugby. In my book this is an intriguing clash as Bristol will be greatly boosted by their victory over Worcester while Sale looked flat against Northampton Saints. Steve Diamond has shifted Sam James to ten and his partnership with James Mitchell has to be an assertive one and one that brings into the game the firepower of Josh Charnley and Denny Solomona. For Bristol their challenge is to prove that Round 11 wasn’t a one off and to show the competition that they really do mean business. The visitors need to keep their processes and structures and build upon on the impressive game management that they showed against Worcester. Match Fact: Sale Sharks have lost their last seven matches in all tournaments however Bristol have not won successive matches in the Premiership since March 2008 

In one of three 3pm kick offs Welford Road is set to welcome 24,000 plus fans as Leicester Tigers host Saracens. Richard Cockerill’s side made a slow start against Exeter at Sandy Park and that ultimately that cost them a chance at getting back on level terms. Needless to say that cannot happen again in Round 12 because Saracens will be their usual ruthless selves. The onus also is on Leicester’s attack to fire as their visitors have conceded only 9 ties in the first half of the season, 8 better than the next best club. With Tom Youngs, Ben Youngs and Dan Cole arriving back into the mix the hosts have experience and in particular Ben will want to remind us all of the form he showed during the Autumn internationals. Leicester have a strong record at Welford Road but this Saracens we’re talking about, matches between the two always contain a little extra firepower and it should be a physical old encounter to start the new year. Match Fact: The Tigers only defeat at Welford Road in their last 14 matches in all tournaments was to Wasps in round 2 of Premiership Rugby. 

The final game of the Premiership weekend will be at Sixways where Worcester Warriors are hosting Harlequins. Carl Hogg’s side have to show greater invention than they did against Bristol in order to ensure that Harlequins’ difficult run on the road continues. John Kingston’s side haven’t won away from home yet but should be boosted by their recent outing at Twickenham Stadium. Carl Hogg makes five changes and needs to see this side really take charge of the game and not look a little lost. As you’d expect the visitors are largely unchanged because they’re well aware that they need to notch up as many points as possible before they lose all of their international players again. Match Fact: Harlequins have won fourteen of their last fifteen encounters with the Warriors in Premiership Rugby, the exception being a 15-21 reversal at The Stoop in round 17 last season. 

Full Round Schedule

Fri 30th Dec - Newcastle Falcons 30-34  Wasps 

Sat 31st Dec - Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs (3pm) Live on BT Sport

Sun 1st Jan - Sale Sharks v Bristol Rugby (2.30pm) 

Sun 1st Jan - Leicester Tigers v Saracens (3pm) Live on BT Sport

Sun 1st Jan - Worcester Warriors v Harlequins (3pm) 

Sun 1st Jan - Gloucester Rugby v Northampton Saints (3pm) 

Premiership Round 11 - Review

First and foremost I do hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and followed the script in terms of eating, and drinking, just a little too much and enjoying watching those around you open their presents as well as receiving a few gifts of your own. Of course it was an extremely busy time for our Aviva Premiership teams and for the second to last time this calendar year let's review the domestic action in full. 

The evening of Friday 23rd December was a pressured night for Northampton Saints and instead of wilting under the intensity of the spotlight on them they pulled it out of the bag. The Saints' performance was one filled with real gumption and it was great to see. In every regard Tom Wood led by example and during his 69 minutes on the field he made 22 tackles and drove the squad through his own actions and leadership. Defensively Courtney Lawes also stepped up and in the middle of the park Stephen Myler and JJ Hanrahan worked well together. No doubt Saints' early score would have settled a few nerves that were jangling around and as a whole they handled the occasion well. Conversely Sale Sharks’ performance concerned me a touch as they lacked any real cut through and the ability to get good, quick ball to their backs. Newbies Josh Charnley and Denny Solomona are dangerous players, the latter showed that with his out of this world finish, but they can’t influence a game with zero ball. Without a doubt Sale need their half-backs to step up and start bossing matches or they’ll continue to deliver a limited amount of effective rugby. Sale had 62% territory and and made double the number of carries as Northampton yet those carries didn’t deliver the metres required or challenge Saints’ defence. It’s onwards and upwards for Saints while there’s a spot of work to do for Sale. 

Once again Newcastle Falcons proved that they are ticking along nicely as they made Saracens think about their victory at Allianz Park. However Mark McCall’s side are experienced enough not to let a good challenge faze them and instead did what we’ve seen them do countless times and secure the victory they needed. Of course the headlines since have all pointed at Chris Ashton as it was his late try, on his return from his ban, that sealed the deal for the home side. Without question that try will have felt fantastic for the winger and I guarantee that he'll keep on delivering them until he leaves for the Cote D'Azur at the end of the season. The Falcons will be pleased with how they battled and really made their hosts think and just need to continue to increase their finishing rate in terms of converting their chances into points. Dean Richards head back to Kingston Park to hosts Wasps, a challenge they must relish, while Saracens are off to Welford Road for a good old ding-dong! 

Matches between Wasps and Bath are always fixtures that keep you glued to the screen or to what's going on in front of you and Christmas Eve's followed suit. The match fizzed from the off as we saw both sides set out their stalls with high paced rugby. While Bath were still in the game at the break it was their own errors after it that meant chances to wrestle back the momentum and points went begging. That will be something that they are frustrated about and I expect them to sharpen up that area at The Rec against Exeter on New Year's Eve. Conversely Wasps took their opportunities well, their backline is absolutely lethal and after a bit of a try doubt Christian Wade will be happy that his tries arrived like London buses! Bath definitely deserved their losing bonus-point but it was Wasps that sent the louder message to Saracens that they have real competition for the top spot (and perhaps title) if the season continues in this manner. 

At Sandy Park Rob Baxter’s Exeter Chiefs provided the home crowd with the perfect Christmas present as their bonus-point victory firmly put to bed the difficult start that they had endured to this Premiership season. The Chiefs put everything into the opening of the game to ensure that they had the cushion that they wanted and from just had to make sure that they managed the game well to deliver the W. Richard Cockerill's Leicester Tigers didn’t fire from the off and we all know that in this competition that doesn't cut the mustard  Whatever the reason for that it needs to be eradicated before they take on Saracens at Welford Road because the reigning Champions are one of the best in the business at punishing sides. On Christmas Eve the Chiefs’ composure and belief in their own processes and abilities came through and it was a pleasing result for all concerned with the West Country side.

After the delights of Christmas day Bristol Rugby and Worcester Warriors had the task of duelling on Boxing Day. This game was always going to be massive for both sides and when Tusi Pisi received a red card after just 12 minutes it looked like Bristol's early ambition was about to take a nose dive. However as we’ve often seen the card actually galvanised the hosts and they showed tremendous heart and character to hold firm. Throughout the course of the match Bristol created more opportunities and played with greater precision and accuracy than their visitors. Worcester should have taken hold of the game immediately after the red card but they didn’t and that will disappoint Carl Hogg greatly. Tom Varndell had the type of game that Bristol signed him for as he showcased the full extent of his experience and finishing skills. It was a vital win for Bristol and could be a significant moment in the Premiership season. 

The final match of Round 11 took place at Twickenham Stadium as supporters filled the home of England Rugby for Harlequins' Big Game 9. The packed house looked forward to a Christmas cracker and instead the first half was filled with set pieces and little more. Joe Marchant's try and the boot of Ruaridh Jackson gave the hosts their half-time lead but at the break we all prayed for a better second half because the first wasn't anything to write home about. Thankfully the rugby gods heard us because the second forty minutes gave us so much more to enjoy. Two tries each ignited our viewing and then when Motu Matu'u scored for Gloucester just after Jack Clifford had been sin-binned the box office finish was set. The Cherry and Whites pressed until the final move of the game but ran out of room on the field and the game finished in Harlequins' favour. The W is vital for John Kingston's side because before long they'll be losing all of their internationals again while for Gloucester it was another 'nearly match' to add to their collection. They certainly deserved their bonus point and their attentions now focus on hosting Northampton Saints on New Year's Day.