Welcome Home... Aviva Premiership Round 6 Preview

It is hard to believe that only two weeks have passed since the end of the Aviva Premiership Round 5, so much has happened it really does feel like a very long time ago that I was in the BT Sport Studio reviewing Gloucester vs. Exeter. Since that game our Aviva Premiership Teams have played in 12 Heineken Cup and 11 Amlin Challenge Cup Matches, they have scored 119 Heineken Cup Points and 399 in the Amlin. For some the European Competition was a time to try to rediscover their form and generate some confidence whilst for others it was business as usual and a chance to grab some critical early wins. The results make for interesting reading and will be hugely influential moving back into the Aviva Premiership Round 6, but more about them later.

The other small matter that happened during the break was Stuart Lancaster’s announcement of his England squad for the QBE Autumn Internationals. Luther Burrell, Joel Tomkins, Henry Trinder and Tom Johnson are the new members of the EPS with Sam Dickinson coming into the Saxons… all are extremely strong additions and I’ve no doubt that they will thrive in the England set up. The squad are now in camp preparing for the huge tests that are coming their way in the form of Australia, Argentina and the All Blacks. Obviously this impacts on the Aviva Premiership as big teams are 'depleted', International Season is a time where the likes of London Irish, Sale, Exeter and Newcastle Falcons rub their hands in glee as they have the chance to turnover some of the bigger boys who are without their stars. 

So without further introduction let’s have a little look at matches coming up in the Aviva Premiership Round 6… 

Bath vs. Gloucester 

The West Country Derby is a huge game in the fixture list of both teams… we have seen some epic encounters over the years and the last time that these two met at The Rec Bath came away with the spoils. You only have to look at the ‘interesting’ selection from Nigel Davies on Saturday for Gloucester’s final Heineken Cup game to realise how important this fixture is to the Cherry and Whites, they mean business. It is just as well that they have found a little bit of form since that humiliating loss to Exeter in Round 5, a last gasp win against Perpignan and a gutsy away performance at Thomond Park means that it should be a competitive game at The Rec. For Bath, I think that it is fair to say that their season has been mixed to date… we have seen moments/minutes/halves of brilliance and then things a little less inspiring. Since their loss to Sale in Round 5 they’ve enjoyed two good wins in the Amlin and hopefully now we will see the likes of Joseph, Biggs and Ford really opening up and playing to their full potential.

Exeter Chiefs vs. Worcester Warriors 

Exeter Chiefs, the team of the moment, after that game against Cardiff Blues in which they comprehensively outplayed the Welsh Giants for 40 minutes and made a team with 5 Lions and 13 Internationals look like amateurs. Sir Ian McGeechan described it as the best rugby that he has seen from a Premiership team in a long time, that is high praise indeed and after a narrow defeat against Glasgow they will be more than ready to get their teeth into Worcester. Worcester, well they will be worried, the Amlin didn’t provide them with the wins that they so desperately needed, and instead they drew against Oyonnax and lost to Sale. It could be a very long 80 minutes for Dean Ryan’s men at Sandy Park if Exeter play like they did in their first half against the Blues, but let’s hope for Worcester’s sake that the Chiefs are slightly less formidable. 

Harlequins vs. Sale Sharks

Harlequins finished Round 5 of the Aviva Premiership in turmoil after losing to their South West London rivals London Irish. Their woes were compounded even more by a home loss to the Scarlets in Round 1 of the Heineken Cup and the addition of Maurie Fa'asavalu to their extremely long injury list. Therefore it wasn’t really the best timing for a trip to Clermont Auvergne and the fortress that is the Par des Sports Marcel Michelin now was it!? However they shocked everyone and recorded a losing bonus point showing a huge amount of heart and courage out on the field in France. Conor O’Shea will hope now that their ‘season horrible’ is over and they can get back to winning ways at home. Sale Sharks finished Round 5 in empathic form after clinically disposing of Bath under the Friday Night Lights at the AJ Bell Stadium. It is great to see that they are finally playing up to their full potential and the addition of two more wins against Biarritz and Worcester simply added to their momentum and winning mentality.

Northampton Saints vs. Saracens

On paper this is undoubtedly the fixture of the weekend… between them Northampton and Saracens have scored 285 Aviva Premiership points and have provided us with some of the best rugby that we have seen in the first 5 rounds of domestic competition. Northampton Saints’ last Aviva Premiership outing was that epic draw at Welford Road and then they went on the road. A frustrating and narrow loss at Castres set up a huge encounter against Ospreys at Franklin’s Gardens as it is well documented that no team has ever progressed through to the latter stages of the Heineken Cup if they have lost their first two games. Saints were simply outstanding steamrollering a gutsy Ospreys and showing just how strong they can be. Saracens' Round 5 performance against Wasps was one of their quieter displays but they did the job and recorded the win. A gutsy and controlled away win at Connacht set them up for ‘The Battle of the Giants’ against Toulouse at Wembley. It was as bruising and epic as we all imagined that it would be and the painful manner in which Sarries lost will hurt and fuel them for weeks ahead. 

Wasps vs. Leicester Tigers 

London Wasps’ match against Saracens in Round 5 put them in a good position going into their Amlin Challenge Cup Fixtures. They enjoyed a try fest against Viadana scoring 90 points and then were tested slightly more against their Amlin foes Bayonne. With James Haskell back from injury and a little belief coming back into the squad, the mood will be quietly optimistic at Adams Park. Leicester Tigers went into Europe all fired up off the back of their Welford Road Derby Day and were greeted by a ferocious Ulster at Ravenhill. The Tigers put in a superb shift and secured a losing bonus point thanks to the boot of young Owen Williams. Carelessly they managed to leave their A game in Belfast and their performance against Treviso was uncharacteristically scrappy however they did what Champions do and won ugly. 

Newcastle Falcons vs. London Irish 

This is a match that will have been highlighted by both as a winnable fixture and you suspect that it will be a fierce competition at Kingston Park. In recent matches the Newcastle Falcons have started to find some form and build a platform to work from. A hard fought win away at Bucharest and a narrow defeat to Brive means that their European Competition had its ups and downs. London Irish, despite a slow start, are starting to prove that they are not the pushover that everyone thought that they would be. A huge home win against Harlequins was the shock of Round 5 and it set them up nicely for their Amlin Challenge Cup matches. 2 wins and 127 points later they will be looking to press on in the Aviva Premiership and continue to prove their doubters wrong.

As you can see a lot has happened over the past 2 weeks and I have just scratched the surface, the intricacies of individual form, injuries and the Aviva Premiership team selection during ‘International Season’ could be discussed for hours and will be, don’t worry, but I will save that for another day! For now it is time to look forward to a huge weekend of domestic rugby, starting with the West Country Derby, as we happily welcome back into our lives the Aviva Premiership.

Surprised? Excited? - England EPS Squad Update

Yesterday Stuart Lancaster announced the 34 individuals who will be going into the England Training Camp on Monday before the forthcoming 2013 QBE Autumn Internationals. This announcement didn’t provide us with too many surprises, after a few weeks of speculation and some clear stand out performers in the Aviva Premiership, the entrance of Joel Tomkins, Henry Trinder, Tom Johnson and Luther Burrell into the squad was to be expected. You suspect that Dave Ewers will be feeling slightly aggrieved today… after a huge start to the season and being the force behind so many of Exeter’s sterling performances, many thought that his name would be announcement yesterday too. However as Stuart rightly points out there is still a little way to go before the 2nd November and in rugby anything can happen. Let’s be clear that isn’t him wishing injury on any of his players but with a big weekend of Amlin Challenge Cup and Heineken Cup Rugby ahead it always a possibility. For many people yesterday’s announcement reaffirmed why Stuart Lancaster and his coaching team should be in charge of England, they pick based on form and talent as opposed to by the rule book or age… refreshing isn’t it!! 

There was one black cloud shadowing the announcement and that was the news that Alex Corbisiero has been added to our injury list. Although Alex isn’t totally out of the series, a two week rehab period after draining fluid on his knee certainly isn’t ideal. The 25 year old proved to the rugby world how formidable he is Down Under and the reliability and solidity that he provides to England is un-rivalled. His alternatives Joe Marler and Mako Vunipola are certainly not bad players however they just don't quite match Corbs’ all-around game. Fingers crossed that the England Medical Team can work some magic and have him fit and ready to go asap. 

It would be remiss of me not to say a few words about our new entrants and the “Central” debate. Tom Johnson’s and Luther Burrell’s club forms have been well documented, they are two men who have had blistering starts to the season and who thoroughly deserve their call ups. Luther is a power player and critically one who can continue to deliver that power for the full 80 minutes. He is a big man who carries the ball superbly, has quick hands and gets over the gain line almost every time. Clearly this is important as in the past we have seen England struggling to break defences and make those all-important meters phase, after phase, after phase. Tom Johnson’s road back into the England EPS Squad has been due to his return to superb form and this was assisted greatly by Rob Baxter. The level headed Director of Rugby has guided his man away from the self-doubting over analyser that he one was to the more self-assured and confident player that he is now… and it shows on the pitch. Now is the time for Tom to continue that momentum and challenge for a starting shirt.

Henry Trinder has entered the EPS with a bang, leapfrogging Jonathan Joseph in the Saxons. I think that JJ would be the first to say that he is form hasn’t continued to progress at the lightning speed that it was, in fact ‘stagnant’ is probably the best word to describe him right now. There is no denying that he has a lot of natural talent, but he hasn’t pressed on in the way that he should and has had a ‘quiet’ first few Rounds at Bath. On the other hand Henry Trinder is in the form of his life and has been one of the shining lights in an inconsistent Gloucester side. The man with arguably the best left foot step in the Aviva Premiership brings a new dimension to the 13 shirt, which is likely to be the one he gets to face the Wallabies with Billy Twelvetrees at 12. He is a born try scorer and strong at the breakdown and whilst he is slightly smaller than Manu (let’s face it who isn’t) he does bring a huge amount of excitement and zest to the 13 shirt.

Saracens’ Joel Tomkins is the final man to arrive into the EPS squad and into the running for a centre jersey. He has firmly established himself as a great Rugby Union player and has certainly shaken off any doubters who thought that the cross code switch might be too much for him. Joel is a superb off-loader in the tackle and reads the game brilliantly… if there is an overlap he will find it and when you add these attributes to his strong defence and you realise why Stuart rates him so highly and just why he has progressed so quickly in the world of Rugby Union.

So what is next for our EPS Squad?? Well firstly all of the players have the small matter of a weekend of European Rugby ahead of them with the Amlin Challenge Cup and Heineken Cup, then once that is out the way it is time for England Camp Number 1. Camp 1 will be the start of their England journey together where partnerships will be rekindled, calls set, moves locked down and a lot of hard work will be put in. It is understood that during Camp 1 Stuart will announce his Captain and although he has said on a number of occasions that the most important thing is to have a strong core leadership group the position of Captain is still a rather important decision! Will the armband be returned to Chris Robshaw? Or will Tom Wood retain it after his successful tour of Argentina? Of course there is a third option, a player who is guaranteed his position on the field and has huge leadership qualities, however given the level of competition for starting shirts the overarching question is whether or not anyone truly fits into that category??

So once again we are left on tender hooks waiting for the snippets of information that we are allowed to know from inside camp and hereon in the media announcements get progressively ‘meatier’… next stop the Captain and after that the match day 24 to face Australia.

Spolight on the Aviva Premiership Rounds 1 - 5

Round’s 1 – 5 in the Aviva Premiership have provided us with some blistering rugby, individual and team pieces of brilliance and certainly a fair few talking points. With one more week to go of European competition this gives us ample time to reflect on what has been an epic first 5 Rounds of Aviva Premiership Rugby. So get comfortable because a lot has happened over the past 5 weeks...

5 Rounds In and the table makes for interesting reading

Looking at the table it is not surprising to see Saracens, Northampton and Leicester flying high, these are three teams with huge strength in depth and ominously for the rest of the table you sense that they all have more to give, especially Leicester given their fairly large injury list. Bath are the surprise package in fourth place, whilst we all knew that their young guns would be handful if they played to their full potential you wondered if that would happen straight away. I suspect that most people had Harlequins name inked into that fourth place position but they are down in seventh and are not happy campers. Personally I can’t remember the last time that we saw the former champions occupying such a low spot and their European loss to Scarlets certainly won't help their dwindling confidence. On the other hand Gloucester have the European competition to thank after finally getting into their stride against Perpignan. Their Premiership campaign to date has been less than convincing from such a promising and talented squad of players. Exeter Chiefs are keeping themselves to themselves, minding their own business and letting their rugby do all of the talking. They are reaping the benefits of a couple of big summer signings and their huge work ethic. London Irish have enjoyed a much better start to this season than last… they too are simply getting on with things and putting in the work to ensure that the results come on the pitch. Their London rivals Wasps have certainly been slow out of the blocks and have some catching up to do if they are to fulfill Dai Youngs' high expectations of his young side. The Falcons mean business and certainly have no intention of ‘doing a Welsh’ and going straight back down to the Championship, it is Worcester who already have rather large relegation worries at this early stage. 

Rounds 1 – 5 have certainly provided us with a talking point or two… so what better way to spend the European break than looking at a few of them;

Saracens… they mean business 

We all know that Saracens have had a huge start to the season, the only team who are unbeaten in the Aviva Premiership… however what will be most concerning for the rest of the table is the manner in which they have obtained these wins. The depth in their squad is colossal, when you can rest Jacques Burger and bring in Will Fraser as his ‘replacement’ you know things are good. What’s more, unlike Leicester Tigers Saracens have not been riddled with injuries, their players are getting game time together, cementing partnerships and building, game on game. One match in particular sums up just how much they mean business and that was their ‘demolition’ of Quins at The Stoop in Round 4. Yes the difference was only 10 points, but it could have been much more such was their dominance. Harlequins are the former Champions, and despite their ‘interesting’ start to this season they are certainly are not short of a star or two and certainly don’t hand out wins on a plate.  Saracens toyed with them in the first half and then turned the screw in the second. The message that the game sent out to everyone was clear and simple, “Don’t mess with us because you will feel our full force and be smashed without a second glance”.

Saracens powering their way through Rounds 1-5

Sale Sharks… finally fulfilling their potential 

At this point last year Sale had lost all four of their opening round matches and had showed little drive or promise despite spending significantly in the off season. One year on and things couldn’t be more different, they have just won their first European fixture and are sitting pretty at 5th in the Aviva Premiership Table. The rugby, well it is full of intent and drive… yes it is still slightly scrappy, I’m sure those of you who watched the first half against Biarritz will know exactly what I mean, however it is a huge improvement. The question is why are they able to do this now? Well it is surprising what a strong end of the season, a big Pre-Season and kicking things off with a win can do for you isn’t it?! Under the captaincy of Dan Braid things are coming together, Danny Cipriani is playing like a dream, and a good one at that, and Tommy Taylor, Dave Seymour and Michael Paterson are causing destruction at the breakdown. With Quins and Exeter coming up the next few weeks this ‘new look’ Sale will certainly be tested however I have a sneaking feeling that they will fancy themselves to come away with at least one win from those two matches!

England Expects... Stuart has some thinking to do 

Every year around October time the discussions start, the names are thrown out there and everyone becomes an expert in England team selection. This year these discussions have been fueled by injury problems as well as players who are displaying great club form and for once I suspect that Stuart might be glad of the extra input! As we all know the big problem lies in the Centre; Manu Tuliagi and Brad Barritt’s injuries are well documented and are not going away any time soon, so the question is who should replace them? Kyle Eastmond and Billy Twelvetrees are already in the EPS Squad with Jonathan Joseph, Joel Tomkins, Anthony Allen and Luther Burrell in the Saxons... the question is will Stuart ‘fill the gap’ using just them and if so which one's will he pick!?

Another big question facing Stuart is whether or not he brings in any ‘ringers’, aka on form club players who are igniting the Aviva Premiership but who weren’t in his initial EPS and Saxons Squads. I’m talking about the likes of Northampton’s Sam Dickinson, Exeter’s Dave Ewers, Gloucester’s Henry Trinder or even Sale’s Danny Cipriani. From a recent interview with Stuart it is clear that the England door is open to anyone who knocks hard enough on it, and that Stuart will trust his instincts and those of his team when forming his team. The shadow over this refreshingly ‘modern’ view on selection is that fact red tape may stop him from fast tracking individuals straight into the EPS squad, let’s hope for everyone’s sake that this has mis-reported and is not the case.

Finally there is the Robshaw vs. Wood captaincy debate and it is big one to think about. Stuart says that his focus is ensuring that he has a quality and secure leadership group with the right men to lead the defence, take charge of the game plan and run the line out and the captain forms part of that. With a home Rugby World Cup just two years away you suspect that whoever takes the reins now (Robshaw or Wood) will be in it for the long run... the choice must be right as shouldering the pressure of a home World Cup is a huge task, just ask Richie McCaw and there is absolutely no room for error.

So just a few things for Stuart to ponder on then!?! Let’s hope that there are no BOD/Gatland-esque decisions shall we, as I don’t think that I could cope with that!!

Decision time for Stuart Lancaster

Worrying for Worcester… Dean Ryan has his hands full

Directors of Rugby can make or break a club, to be truly successful the DoR must be the positive driving force behind everything and respected by all. Richard Cockerill, though not popular with everyone in the rugby world, is probably the epitome of a great Director of Rugby... or for a less controversial figure just look towards Conor O’Shea at Harlequins. It is no wonder then that there was such eager anticipation and excitement when Dean Ryan joined Worcester Warriors in May. Having scraped through last season by the skin of their teeth, much was spoken about the ‘Dean Ryan Effect’ and the man himself was extremely positive about the move. 5 Rounds on, with 0 wins and just 2 points to their name the optimism has definitely worn off and instead has been replaced by frank realism. The statement “It is going to be a huge, huge task to turn this team around” says it all really. There is the potential in the ranks but some key fundamentals need to be changed and fast; discipline and fitness of the pack for a start will help to take the steps towards becoming a winning side again but as we all can see it is a big uphill battle. 

There is a long way to go before Twickenham

Of course these are just a few things that have been going on over the past 5 weeks, there is so much more that I could have discussed; that East Midlands Derby for example or the ascendency of some lesser known individuals in the Aviva Premiership; Tom James, Sam Dickinson and Semesa Rokodoguni to name but a few. The results from this weekend’s European Rugby competitions show the sheer strength of the Aviva Premiership – 8 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats with a losing bonus point certainly isn’t a bad lot for Round 1 in Europe. After a second weekend of matches against Europe’s best you know that the Aviva Premiership with reignite in Round 6 with a huge, colossal BANG and I for one am excited already!!

Derby Days, Shocks and Big Statements - Aviva Premiership Round 5 Review

Round 5, what a huge, huge round... we really did enjoy some stunning rugby, nail biting finishes and big shock results this weekend. So let's get straight into it shall we with the review of Round 5?

On Friday night Bath showed that they are still very much a work in progress, whilst Sale are looking stronger and stronger as the weeks go by. With 2 wins on the bounce at home the foundations are being laid to make the AJ Bell Stadium the fortress that it was always hoped that it would become. Sale's win was started by their forwards and finished by Mr Danny Cipriani. 'Classy Cipriani' was a headline on Saturday morning and it is great to see that for once it wasn't written in irony! His performance on Friday night was controlled and consistent and lead his team to victory. His opposing fly half George Ford had an iffy day at the office and Bath will certainly need to improve before their derby game against Gloucester in Round 6. 

At the Madjeski Stadium London Irish stunned everyone by pulling off the shock of the weekend by  beating their old rivals Harlequins. Irish were full of heart and their win was set up by the muscle of their forwards. Blair Cowen put in a huge performance on his debut and the ever reliable Shane Geraghty pulled the strings beautifully from 10. Quins, for the second week in a row weren't firing on all 4 cylinders, and worryingly Chris Robshaw took a blow to the head and was taken off mid way through the second half. Danny Care's try was typically opportunistic from the England favourite but ultimately London Irish wanted it more. For Conor O'Shea it is time to re-group and fast, with the Scarlets arriving at The Stoop in just 5 days time I would suspect that there will be a huge week of training ahead at the Surrey Sports Park.

Leicester vs. Northampton was the thriller that we all knew that it would be... 19-19 says it all really! Northampton got off to a quicker start and refused to be intimated by the roaring Tigers home crowd, or the multiple Richard Cockerill masks in the guard of honour. The man himself was serving the last game in his lengthy ban and watched from a special soundproof 'Cockers Pen’ in the far corner of Welford Road. On the pitch Leicester had dominance at the scrum, with Mulipola getting the upper hand over Mercy and Cole and Corbs have a good old ding dong in the middle of it. Northampton, well boy were they up for it, Dickinson had another blinder and Luther Burrell continued to give Stuart Lancaster something to think about for the autumn. Stephen Myler was cool and calm, he has definitely shaken off the 'Mr Inconsistent' label that he wore for much of last season and for most of the game it looked as if Northampton would secure the victory. However Toby Flood had other ideas, stepping up with 15 minutes to go and showing exactly why he has 57 England caps to his name to claw back the draw. It was a superb finish at Welford Road and up there as one of the best ever Derby Days. 

At Allianz Park it was a very different Saracens team than the one that faced Harlequins last weekend. By now we are all familiar with Saracens rotational policy however you did get the feeling that 11 changes maybe was a little too many. With only 3 points to their name at half time McCall reverted back to the tried and tested format and it immediately paid dividends. With a bench of containing Schalk Brits, Mako Vunipola, Kelly Brown, Owen Farrell and Richard Wigglesworth it is no wonder that their 100% record remains intact. It was great to see Will Fraser back on the pitch after a lengthy spell off with injury and I am sure that he will only get better and better as he settles back into Premiership life. For Wasps Chris Bell pulled out a big captain's performance scoring both of his team's tries and the usual suspects of Ashley Johnson, Joe Launchbury and Christian Wade all stepped up however ultimately Saracens just had too much. 

The bottom of table clash rubbed salt into an already open Worcester Warriors shaped wound. Dean Ryan summed it up perfectly after the match saying that his team can't buy a win at the moment and sadly for all involved at Worcester it is true. With the whistle of Martin Fox against them once again the Monday morning review session will make for tough viewing. Newcastle Falcons will be pleased to get their second win of the season especially after having Worcester camped on their line right until the very end. Newcastle will look towards the Amlin Cup to provide them with a couple of wins on the bounce to help settle the nerves whilst Worcester will continue to pray for a minor miracle!

Gloucester vs. Exeter was the final game of the weekend - another big derby, it is always a huge match in the fixture list and often an extremely tight one being decided by a point or two. Well not this time, the Chiefs meant business and really didn't let Gloucester play much rugby. The usually exciting Gloucester back line stuttered throughout and struggled to find any real momentum forwards, couple this with their forwards being steamrolled off the park by Exeter and you have the ingredients for a loss and a grumpy Shed. Kingsholm so far this season is not the fortress that it once was and Gloucester fans might be a little worried going into the Heineken Cup on the back of such a defeat. Exeter on the other hand will be filled with confidence heading into Europe with their key men Tom Johnson, Dave Ewers and Tom James all continuing their great form.

We couldn't have ended this first part the Aviva Premiership in a better way... 6 huge matches with some big individual and team performances, it really was a great round. As we go our respective ways into Europe some of our Aviva Premiership teams will be looking to continue their strong form whilst others will be hoping to gain a few wins and some confidence before the return of the Aviva Premiership. All in all it has been a great start to the season that has provided us with some superb tries, huge hits and outstanding rugby and I can't wait for more Premiership Rugby in two weeks time when Round 6 kicks off with Friday Night Lights at The Rec.