Round 1... done! What a weekend of action, Premiership Rugby certainly arrived back in our lives with a bang delivering us with no less than 34 tries over the course of the 6 matches. For the first time in the 2014/15 Aviva Premiership season here is a full Out On The Full Round 1 Review;
Gloucester Rugby arrived at
Franklin’s Gardens full of heart and ambition and eager to show what they could
do. The home side were firmly focused on sending out a huge message of intent
to the rest of the Aviva Premiership and they did just that. Much has been said about the Northampton Saints’ lack of signings however they silenced all of their critics as their knowledge
of each other shone through and they made rugby look effortless. In the individual
battles highlighted pre-game; Hartley vs. Hibbard, Corbisiero vs. Afoa and
Burrell vs. Twelvetress all of the Saints’ men all came out on top. Every single Saint from one to twenty three delivered however it was Myler and North that were the most electric of them all. After just four weeks together miracles weren’t expected from Gloucester however
I expect that David Humphreys would have wanted them to have made a little more of
an impact on the Champions. On a positive note James Hook’s quality shone
through however on the whole it was a tough, tough night for Cherry and Whites. Saints, well they were mighty, they looked fit and fresh and even
sharper than they did in the Aviva Premiership Final on the 31st May. Final Score Northampton Saints 53 Gloucester
Rugby 6
Rugby returned to South West
London in style with Saracens and Wasps opening the 2014 London Double Header. For
the first and definitely not the last time this season I will say that it was a
game of two halves. In the opening forty Saracens looked every bit the Aviva Premiership finalists, their defensive line
speed was lightening quick and they showcased a whole host of tricks. Wasps’
rugby made for slightly uncomfortable viewing, collectively they were trying that
little bit too hard, they gave away needless penalties and
didn’t finish anything off. It is fair to assume that Dai Young read
the riot act at half time because Wasps looked like an altogether different team in the second. A try from the dynamic Nathan
Hughes and two from Christian Wade ignited the game and swung the momentum in
their favour. Saracens’ stayed cool and calm and their star winger
David Strettle added a further try and made it a one point game. At 27-28 to Wasps the tension
built as both sides felt that the game was theirs for the taking. Exactly like the
last time that Saracens played on the Twickenham turf it went down to the TMO
in the final minute. This time the decision swung in Saracens’ favour, Strettle became the hero of the hour. Wasps’ fight back was gallant and impressive however they’ll
take little consolation from their losing bonus point and rue their slow
opening 40 minutes. Final Score Saracens
34 Wasps 28
No sooner had the dust settled
Twickenham was treated to its second game of the day between Harlequins and
London Irish. Like Saracens before them Harlequins looked like a side confident in their own abilities and fresh after a summer of intense conditioning.
In the first Danny Care and Mike Brown were sharp as ever and out wide Ugo
Moyne reminded us all of his class before injury cut his game short. London
Irish, in spite of a decent amount of possession, struggled to really penetrate
through Harlequins defensive line. The Exiles picked up their game in the second whilst Harlequins expended a lot of energy trying to wrestle back momentum in their favour. In the end Harlequins had enough however it must be said that it wasn't the greatest game of rugby that I have ever seen in my life! The worst moment of the day for all at London Irish was the sight of Tom Homer limping off and Brian Smith confirmed that his full back has damaged ligaments in his knee. Harlequins' Director of Rugby Conor O'Shea was pragmatic about result when he said; "You win nothing first game, I’m very comfortable with that first half and I know what we have in the locker." Final Score Harlequins 20 London Irish 15
At the AJ Bell Stadium the rugby season kicked off in dramatic fashion however it was a difficult day for Sale Sharks' as their side suffered agony at the hands of Bath Rugby. Bath had a dream start and a dream ending to the fixture, with key tries in the first and final minutes of the game. Stuart Lancaster was a keen viewer from the stands and of the two tens George Ford certainly pushed his England cause a little more than his counterpart. Ford kicked everything that was asked of him and set up the two tries and with Freddie Burns also delivering a strong day at the office at Welford Road it will be a fascinating battle between the three of them over the course of the coming weeks and months. All in all it was a crushing loss for the home side compounded by injuries, one to their captain Dan Braid and the other winger Mark Cueto whilst Bath’s over-arching emotion will be one of relief. Now it is onwards and upwards for both sides as Bath host London Welsh at The Rec and Sale made the trip down to Kingsholm. Final Score Sale Sharks 20 Bath Rugby 29
At Welford Road the Newcastle Falcons put up a fight against a Leicester Tigers side that was missing no less than 13 individuals due to injuries. Tom Croft was final man to drop out due to a shoulder strain picked up on Friday however they had enough in the tank to secure a bonus point victory regardless. As happened so many times last season the scoreline didn't do the Falcons' performance justice as they fronted up well. Once again they'll be frustrated, Dean Richards felt aggrieved with the run of the green from referee Luke Pearse however positives must be focused on and taken. Richard Cockerill was pleased with the fact that his side avoided their 'potential banana skin' and had nothing but praise for his new fly half Freddie Burns and his Fijian flyer Vereniki Goneva whose hat trick reminded us all why he was the RPA Players Player of the Year last season. On the whole it was job done for Cockers' men and encouraging for the Falcons. Final score Leicester Tigers 36 Newcastle Falcons 17
The final match of the weekend was at the Kassam Stadium as London Welsh hosted the Exeter Chiefs. After a long wait Welsh's Premiership campaign didn't start the way that they'd hoped that it would as the Exeter Chiefs arrived and quite frankly trampled all over them. Welsh's early intent was strong and had they converted a clear try scoring chance on 10 minutes things might have turned out differently. As it was the Chiefs fired up the field, scored and knocked all of the wind out of Welsh's sails. Thomas Waldrom almost joined the Premiership's elite hat tricking wingers as he crossed twice and three other individuals Dave Ewers, Henry Slade and Sam Hill all had what can only be described as a stormers. It was difficult and sobering day for Welsh, defensively they didn't cut the mustard, their line out misfired and their lack of ball meant that opportunities were few and far between. Welsh's big names; Weepu, Barkley, May and Molenaar were kept very quiet and for the second time during Round 1 it was difficult to watch. It is back to the training park for Justin Burnell and his side before they step onto the field at The Rec next Saturday whilst Exeter will be satisfied with their performance and look forward to welcoming the Leciester Tigers to Sandy Park. Final Score London Welsh 0 Exeter Chiefs 52
So, there you have it the Aviva Premiership is up and running and I for one feel so much better. I'm sure that you all know what I mean when I say that a big piece in my life jigsaw has just slotted back into place and in just five days time we will do it all over again for Round 2.
Northampton Saints Image Red Hat Photo - Claire Jones with all proceeds going directly to Restart the Rugby Player's Association Charity see the full set here
 |
| (C) Claire Jones Red Hat Photo |
Rugby returned to South West
London in style with Saracens and Wasps opening the 2014 London Double Header. For
the first and definitely not the last time this season I will say that it was a
game of two halves. In the opening forty Saracens looked every bit the Aviva Premiership finalists, their defensive line
speed was lightening quick and they showcased a whole host of tricks. Wasps’
rugby made for slightly uncomfortable viewing, collectively they were trying that
little bit too hard, they gave away needless penalties and
didn’t finish anything off. It is fair to assume that Dai Young read
the riot act at half time because Wasps looked like an altogether different team in the second. A try from the dynamic Nathan
Hughes and two from Christian Wade ignited the game and swung the momentum in
their favour. Saracens’ stayed cool and calm and their star winger
David Strettle added a further try and made it a one point game. At 27-28 to Wasps the tension
built as both sides felt that the game was theirs for the taking. Exactly like the
last time that Saracens played on the Twickenham turf it went down to the TMO
in the final minute. This time the decision swung in Saracens’ favour, Strettle became the hero of the hour. Wasps’ fight back was gallant and impressive however they’ll
take little consolation from their losing bonus point and rue their slow
opening 40 minutes. Final Score Saracens
34 Wasps 28 |
| Image @RugbyPodcast |
 |
| Getty Images |
So, there you have it the Aviva Premiership is up and running and I for one feel so much better. I'm sure that you all know what I mean when I say that a big piece in my life jigsaw has just slotted back into place and in just five days time we will do it all over again for Round 2.
Northampton Saints Image Red Hat Photo - Claire Jones with all proceeds going directly to Restart the Rugby Player's Association Charity see the full set here
