Scrum Time is Fun Time - Aviva Premiership Round 9 Review

This weekend it was one for the purists, those individuals that are fans of all things forward focused and front row dominated as we saw some colossal scrummaging displays and a huge amount of physicality across the board. As expected the International window has shaken things up a little so let's review all of the Round 9 action;

Stunning shot from @Katelm76

On Friday night Harlequins headed to The Rec with the intention to break up the Burgess party however Bath ensured that there was no chance of that even before the headline creating man stepped onto the field of play. Bath’s dominance at scrum time was the driving force for their victory and in the back line Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph put on a flawless show in difficult conditions. Wayne Barnes made full use of his cards and at one point Harlequins were reduced to 12 men and uncontested scrums. It was a less than ideal situation however their heroic defence must be applauded for they repelled challenge after challenge after challenge before eventually Ross Batty proved to be one man too many. Bath and their squad depth is the real deal and their form this international period says it all; played three and won three. Harlequins continue to search for that kind of consistency, but rest assured they’ll be back with a bang when their Premiership and their England men return.   

Exeter have been building for a number of rounds now and the fact that they beat Saracens at home should come as no surprise to anyone. It was the boot of Gareth Steenson that directed the home side with no less than 9 successful kicks off the tee. Henry Slade and Jack Nowell added sparkle, Dave Ewers grunt and the tight five delivered beautifully. Saracens again suffered at scrum time as James Johnston was sent to the bin just before the break. Maro Itoje's late try was of little consolation and with set piece difficulties two weeks in a row a spot of focus is needed before their European double header. Rob Baxter's sentiment about his side's form is plain and simple 'it is about time'. He has seen this potential for a while and now is it finally manifesting itself on the pitch. Victories over the Northampton Saints, Wasps and Saracens in recent weeks is no less than they deserve. 

At Welford Road it wasn’t a classic game of rugby and certainly future games between these two, when it becomes a local derby will be of a higher calibre. For Leicester Tigers was the expertise of another Premiership fly half, Owen Williams, that ultimately won them the match however as Richard Cockerill pointed out they ‘had senior players making poor decisions’ and they paid for it. Wasps lacked discipline and that that cost them any chance of gaining a foothold in the game and indeed proved to be their demise in the final ten minutes. Both Directors of Rugby must re-group their sides and fire them up for a spot of French European action as Leicester welcome Toulon and Wasps travel to Castres next weekend; raising things to another level will be only way either will take anything from the games. 

At the Madjeski Stadium London Irish fell to their sixth straight Aviva Premiership defeat in a game that won't win any awards for being the most fluid of the weekend's clashes! The scoreboard read 0-3 at half time and the match didn't truly spring into life until the 47th minute with Henry Purdy's try. James Hook and Greig Laidlaw continued where they left off before their International duties and up front Gloucester’s pack gave them ascendency, something fans will have been delighted about. For the Exiles it was great to see Tom Homer back on the field, however they need to make more use of their territory and possession if they are to press on and gain their first home win of this 2014/15 Aviva Premiership season. 

Dean Richards summed up the thoughts of every single Newcastle Falcons' player and fan when he said; ‘It was incredibly disappointing to lose that game, even if I can't fault the boys' effort. Our choice of options was wrong sometimes, as was our execution, and that second try was an absolute killer.’ His side are really starting to take shape nicely and this Sunday afternoon game showed that. The Falcons were physical in all facets and their 9, 10 and 12 axis hung together well. There was only one element that they didn’t have and that is Danny Cipriani. Danny’s magic created that killer try and boy was it a beauty. It was a battle of wills in the North East and one that Newcastle should have wrestled back in the final 10 minutes and taken. Frustration, of a positive kind will fuel both sides going into Europe next weekend. 

Finally on a chilly afternoon in Oxford London Welsh fell at the hands of the Northampton Saints however they did so with a huge amount of credibility, in spite of what you might think if you read the score line cold. For the first forty Justin Burnell’s side enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession however they simply couldn’t find a way to convert all into tangible points. The visitors remained firm and patient and simply waited to time their surge. That surge came just after half time with the man advantage and 5 tries later and the job was done. Jamie Elliott impressed out wide with superb distribution and speed whilst Phil Dowson put in a Captain's shift. For London Welsh their attacking intent was hugely positive; their Captain Tom May delivered, as always and Carl Kirwan performed particularly well on his return from injury. Both sides should head into their respective European travels with a spot of confidence after a positive afternoon at The Kassam. 

Nerves of Steel - England vs. Australia

With a whole world of pressure on their shoulders today England delivered a crucial win against an Australian side that knew exactly how they were feeling. The nerves jangled around Twickenham almost as loudly as the anthems were sung such was the amount riding on this game. 'It is just one game how much of an impact can it have?' I hear you say, but given the test series to date and what is to come in the future it was so much more than ‘just a game’ for both sides.

Today was a day when you had to have nerves of steel to be an England player; they had the weight of a nation on their shoulders compounded by the weight of three weeks' worth of criticism going into a game against a side that on their day can be deadly.

For all of the ranting and raving that has gone on about Lancaster's men for 80 minutes this afternoon they answered many of the questions that have been lingering and showed what they can do and what we expect from them. Now, that does not mean that I’m saying that they are the finished article, far from it and Stuart is the first to admit that... however they did show us a world class tight five and an extremely effective back row unit. Did we finish everything off out the back? No, however the combination of Ben Youngs and George Ford made for sweet viewing with George delivering the excellent kicking game that we have missed and with Ben's execution and leadership of his forwards being spot on. 

The sights of a bloodied and battered Brad Barritt and a shattered Courtney Lawes being helped off the field after two colossal shifts said everything that you needed to know about this England side. They will fight tooth and nail for each other when the chips are up and when they are down. Ben Morgan’s resurgence to form and the physicality of every single player out there today is to be applauded. The enigmatic Matt Tooma and Adam Ashley-Cooper threw their best at England however the men in white didn't budge and they held firm. It was the type of game that we've seen Lancaster's side lose before, but not today, not when it mattered the most. 

'Pleased and quietly satisfied' that was how Stuart described the dressing room and I expect he won't mind me adding 'relieved' that that description. It was essential England's series ended on a high, with a performance; the alternative doesn't do well to dwell on! 

It has been a testing autumn, an autumn that hasn’t quite taken England to the heights that they would like however perhaps, in the long run, that is a good thing. England have no less than 7 British and Irish Lions to come back into the squad, Lions that add significant gravitas and oomph. When it comes down it to, testing times galvanise sides, they add fire to the bellies and make them stronger. For England it may not have been a beautiful autumn but it certainly has been an important one. 

Here are the Out On The Full Images from Twickenham

Winning Is The Only Option - England vs. Australia

“Against any side that like to attack like Australia do, and that is the heartbeat of their game, you have to try to stamp your authority. It’s all about kick-chase pressure, breakdown pressure and set-piece pressure. It’s the whole combination coming together. We’ve got to have a big say and not let them do what they want to do.”

Those are the words of England's Andy Farrell, they are plain and clear for all to see in black and white on a page and they highlight to us all, in the smallest of nutshells, England’s intention for 80 minutes tomorrow afternoon. The execution of that game plan lies with twenty three faces of men that we all know fairly well by this, the final hurdle, in the 2014 QBE International Series. I’ll save the answering the question as to whether it has been a successful series until Saturday evening or maybe even Sunday morning. At this point in time, on the eve of a mighty clash with the Wallabies many roads and opinions will be gravitating towards the word 'no', however if England produce the type of rugby that we all know that they can do tomorrow, for 80 minutes, not 40 or 50, then the answer may change to 'no... but'.

Once again going into this clash our focus drifts towards the centre of the field, George Ford deservedly has retained the starting 10 jersey after an assured and mature performance (did we expect anything else?!) against Samoa however this week he has Billy Twelvetrees outside of him. Billy has come in for his fair share of criticism over the past season or so focused around one word ‘inconsistency’. Gloucester’s captain has brilliant days and days, where for whatever reason things don’t click and Saturday of course needs to be one of the former. Interestingly Stuart highlighted that he gave Billy some ‘reasonably strong feedback’ at the start of the camp and feels the areas he was told to work on ‘key decision making and skill execution at the line’ have improved. This improvement along with his form in training has warranted another start. Distribution will be the name of the game from both Ford & Twelvetrees, it has to be, along with a cleanly and precisely executed kicking game. Do that and England go a fair way to eradicating some of their difficulties this Autumn - for opening up the prowess out the back could cause Australia issues.

Throwback to the Wallabies last visit to HQ

Precision will be king, for both sides not just England and it will be a battle of nerves out there on the Twickenham turf. Australia are facing the prospect of three losses on the bounce, not the way Michael Cheika envisaged tenure starting and England are facing the prospect of gaining just one solitary win from an Autumn Series that was supposed to deliver at the very least two, ideally three. Australia for their losses have looked sprightly, the most deadly of their weapons Tevita Kuridrani wont’ take to the field due to an ankle injury. For that every English man in the country should breathe a little sigh of relief as dynamic is almost too softer adjective to describe Kuridrani. The two skippers will need to pay close attention to each other, from an English perspective Michael Hooper leads from the front and must be pacified.

Tomorrow afternoon winning really is the only option for England, for many reasons, first and foremost to do themselves justice and to showcase to us all exactly how well this England side can play rugby. Of course recording a win will create a memory that will last the 315 days until they meet again next however the focus for now must remain on the here and now. England have the capability and they have the personnel, tomorrow they must deliver, there isn't an alternative.  

On Cloud Nine - Aviva Premiership Round 9 Preview

Welcome to Round 9 of the Aviva Premiership, the last round of the International window and indeed the final round before we pause for a short two week European interval. We have some fascinating clashes this weekend so let's dive straight into the preview; 

The first game of Round 9 is at The Rec, it was already going to be one of the matches of the weekend however with the news that Sam Burgess may be unleashed for the first time in the Aviva Premiership (off the bench)the profile of this game just raised up a level! Bath have lost just one of their last nine matches in all competitions and once again are boosted by the release of Kyle Eastmond and Semesa Rokoduguni from England duty. Harlequins must find a spot of go forward and press on from their Round 8 performance if they are to take anything away from The Rec, a Captain's performance from Nick Easter is needed with a touch more precision all around than 7 days ago. Naturally tomorrow's team news at 12pm will be closely watched by all and should Sam be on the list our eyes will rest firmly on which number he will have on his back? Whether or not Sam plays, the form book says that Bath should record their third consecutive Premiership victory.

On Saturday afternoon the Leicester Tigers host Wasps at Welford Road in what will soon be a local derby match. In Round 8 the Tigers recorded a fairly scrappy win over London Welsh at the Kassam Stadium and I expect Richard Cockerill and his new head coach Aaron Mauger will have given the squad a firm talking to this week already. Wasps’ Round 8 game was of a similar fashion and equally harsh words will have been traded in their analysis meeting. Putting in a performance will be the focus for both sides; the clash at the scrum time will be interesting to see and it could be Bell vs. Bell if both Tommy and Chris are selected for their respective sides. Wasps have not been victorious at Welford Road in the Aviva Premiership since on 26th September 2008 the question is will that record continue?

As the sun sets on Saturday evening at Sandy Park fans will be ready for an absolute cracker of a match as the Exeter Chiefs welcome Saracens to town. Captain Dean Mumm said to me at the beginning of the season that this year was going to be about converting their chances and turning near misses into wins and this match will be the ultimate test of their confidence and composure. Mark McCall’s side were another that did not give a good account of themselves last weekend however they did manage to turn things around in the second half of their match. Saracens are a proud side and they have not gone three games in succession without a victory since the end of the 2008/09 season, so expect their performance level to be back up to scratch this weekend. What a statement it would be if Exeter could pull off their first win over Saracens at Sandy Park since 2012, only 80 mintues of rugby will tell if they can do or not?

The Madjeski Stadium opens its doors once again and as the Exiles welcome Gloucester Rugby to Reading. Both sides haven’t enjoyed strong recent Aviva Premiership form having slipped to four (Irish) and three (Gloucester) straight defeats respectively. Irish have back their contingent of South Sea Islanders and the prolific Blair Cowen who also renewed his contract this week until 2018 and that will make a huge difference, providing go forward, defensive security and physicality. Gloucester have won on their last three visits to Reading and must set out their case from early on in order to play off a platform of confidence . All in all an arm-wrestle is expected at the Madjeski...

At the Kassam Stadium it doesn’t get any easier for London Welsh as they now face the Northampton Saints. Personally I agree with Justin Burnell when he said they did make inroads last weekend, however the worry is whether or not they can sustain that level? Welsh’s defensive structure was stronger and as per usual Seb Jewell added sparkle in attack. The Northampton Saints excelled in the first forty against Saracens last weekend and if they produce that level of performance again in Round 9 it could be another long day at the office for the home side. Welsh’s injury list is extensive and unless they have an additions to this I expect their line up to remain the same whilst for the Saints it is bitter sweet that Luther Burrell is available but England’s loss is of course their gain. 

The final game of the weekend is at Kingston Park where the Newcastle Falcons take on the Sale Sharks. Newcastle have not won three games in succession at their home ground in the Aviva Premiership since March 2009 and this match against Sale will test them to their limits. In London last Friday night to Sharks’ rock solid defence and the leadership of Dan Braid led them to victory and I expect the same game plan to be unleashed on the Falcons. Sale continue to ramp up their form, slowly but surely and they’ll certainly see this weekend as an opportunity to stamp their authority back onto the Aviva Premiership before a double European header against Saracens.

Putting In The Winter Miles - Aviva Premiership Round 8 Review

'Winter miles make summer smiles' those were the words that BT Sport's Craig Doyle used to introduce opening game of Round 8 and there are 12 Aviva Premiership clubs that are hoping that he is right. We have reached the time of the year where the elements play more than their fair share in proceedings and the delightfully stylish wet weather ponchos come out in force! Once again it was an interesting weekend of domestic action even without our International talents. So without any further introduction let's see how our Aviva Premiership sides got on and review all of the Round 8 action; 

The weekend started in South West London where Harlequins hosted the Sale Sharks. Conor O’Shea highlighted pre-game that his side were ‘searching for fluent rugby’ and after 80 minutes of play in the drizzle they finished the game still searching for it. Harlequins had given just enough to the cause to lead 12-9 with 10 minutes to go after Nick Evans and Danny Cirpriani had spent the best part of 60 minutes trading penalties in the rain. Sale put in a strong defensive shift and Captain Braid led from the front and more than deserved the only try of the game. For the second week in a row Harlequins desperately missed the go forward of Chris Robshaw and the ability that Mike Brown has to penetrate the gain line.  

Elsewhere on Friday Night Dean Richards’ Newcastle Falcons secured their first set of back to back home wins since the 27th March 2009, that’s 2065 days of waiting. Gloucester arrived with some missing personnel and in spite of scoring first, the game went away from them in the 10 minutes following the break when they struggled with both the elements and a spot of precision. Newcastle have been building slowly and on Saturday afternoon they found their stride with patience and the boot of Rory Clegg finally being on song. It was a classic Northern Friday night with a difficult set of elements and a match that a young Gloucester side will learn from before taking on London Irish next weekend. Newcastle will entertain the Sale Sharks and will be aiming for a third straight home win.

100 not out @ExeterChiefs

The Exeter Chiefs secured a solid 31-15 point win over Wasps and put themselves top of the Aviva Premiership table, for 24 hours at least. Wasps are a side that suffer acutely from travel sickness having now lost their last 6 away Premiership matches in a row. For the home side three elements combined to produce a strong result; Gareth Steenston's precision and boot, Thomas Waldrom's go forward and Jack Nowell simply enjoying his rugby life. It was a frustrating day for Dai Young and his side for on paper they had all the attributes to make it a close fought battle. Wasps' players and fans will feel slightly aggrieved that no less than four dominant five meter scrums didn't deliver the penalty try however that is the hand that they were dealt with from referee Ian Tempest. 'We let ourselves down defensively' those were the words of Wasps' Andy Goode in the BT Sport Studio on Sunday and it is something that must fix and fast for consistency is the name of the game in this Aviva Premiership competition. 

In Reading London Irish entertained Bath Rugby in the first of their seasonal 'grudge matches' that sees former team mates and coaches battle against each other. Once again Mike Ford's side showcased their considerable depth in talent and expertise as they dismissed an Irish side that had many more of their first choice personnel on display. Gavin Henson's string pulling continues to get better with a 18 point contribution this week, 5 more than last and both Chris Cook and Henry Thomas scored tries that will bring a smile to everyone's faces in their Monday morning analysis session. Best recovery wishes to Nathan Catt who left the field with what was said to be a broken arm however his replacement Nick Auterac performance well. The assessment of Brian Smith sums up his side's day; ‘Our effort was good but our precision wasn't great. We put ourselves under pressure situations which were of our own making.’ 

Claire Jones (C)

It wouldn't be a complete round of Aviva Premiership rugby without a classic 'game of two halves' and that is what we were treated to at Allianz Park on Sunday afternoon. In the lashing wind and rain Northampton were rampant in the opening forty; they were precise, clinical and absolutely dominant at scrum time. For Saracens James Johnston's introduction after the break was the catalyst to turn the momentum and almost the game around. Two men that had a huge amount of pressure on their shoulders were wearing green; Stephen Myler and Luther Burrell and both delivered well. Charlie Hodgson had an opportunity to secure the losing bonus point with a last minute penalty however for once it was not to be. Both sides showed their considerable skill levels and just why they remain as two of the top teams in the competition.  

Stunning shot by @LeicesterTigers

The final game of the weekend was at the Kassam Stadium where London Welsh welcomed the Leicester Tigers. After one of the toughest days at the office you can ever imagine last weekend London Welsh turned up with determination and heart in Round 8. Leicester took a long time to wind up and really get going after an opening forty of what can only be described as error strewn rugby. Welsh's new man Opeti Fonua certainly made his presence felt as he provided them with the much needed go forward and gain line penetration that they have missed before he went off with a nasty looking injury 10 minutes from time. Leicester did what they had to do and secured a bonus point win,  credit to young Harry Thacker for putting two tries on the board and having a solid at the office however they'll need more against a hurting Wasps side next weekend. All in all it wasn't the most glamourous way to end the weekend however sadly we cannot enjoy champagne rugby 24/7!!

Full Round 8 Results

Harlequins 12 – 16 Sale Sharks

Newcastle Falcons 20 – 10 Gloucester Rugby      

Exeter Chiefs 31 – 15 Wasps       

London Irish 23 – 33 Bath Rugby

Saracens 24 – 31 Northampton Saints

London Welsh 5 – 26 Leicester Tigers 

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

The View From Twickenham - England vs. Samoa

28 points to 9, on paper it reads as a  fairly comfortable winning margin, however in reality England didn't secure the victory in the most convincing of fashions. Whilst I will never, ever fault the work rate or intention of our England rugby side I must say that there were still elements of the performance that lacked the precision and the execution that we expect from an English International side. Positive I always am however a realist I must also be.  

Against New Zealand and South Africa some of England’s problems in the area of cleanly executing a game plan could, in part, be blamed on the strength of the opposition however with the utmost respect to the physical Samoans the All Blacks and Boks are on a different level. At Twickenham England should have put more points on the board for they left chances out on the field and chances that were not ground breaking or anything that they shouldn’t easily convert into seven points. In my opinion we witnessed at least 40 minutes, maybe even more, of what can only be described as ‘trying too hard’. The dropped balls, the passes that halted the momentum in attack and the soft penalties that were given away, all were due to a side that knows that they aren’t singing and knows that they must and fast. Chris Robshaw’s assessment following the game summed things up well; ‘We were a little bit loose with the ball, it was greasy and it went wide a little bit early instead of punching up the guts. However we got the win; first and foremost, the kicking options were a lot better and certainly our exits getting out of our own half although there was a little bit of confusion at certain points in the game.’

Once again at scrum time England delivered, the forwards came to the party and shook things up nicely whether it was a Marler, Webber and Wilson combination or a Mullan, Hartley and Brookes one. Outside of them was Mr George Ford, having waited so patiently for his first complete eighty minutes in an England jersey he delivered on all counts. His distribution, vision and his full court kicking game turns heads as well as the way in which he shrugged off the largest hit of the day as if it was nothing more than an unwanted cuddle. The Farrell Ford partnership I think still has some question marks over it, let’s not forget Farrell isn’t accustomed to the 12 jersey and that it was their first outing together. Interestingly George Ford said to us in the media interviews after the game that the information that he gained from both Owen and Brad were instrumental on the field particularly in terms of the tries that he facilitated. That is the type of insight that you and I can’t see through our own eyes or on the TV screens. I, like everyone else, will be intrigued to see what selection choices are made at in the centre and at fly half for next weekend’s almighty test against the Wallabies.

Ultimately as cliché as it sounds I must state plain and simply that a win is a win and after five losses on the bounce that is a relief. Yes, you may knock me for saying that however we all would be fuming if the full time score sheet was flipped and England hadn't delivered the victory. Ultimately, like a broken record, I will repeat the words that I stated prior to this test match; England must take things up a gear and they must improve their performance levels if they are to even entertain the thought of gaining that psychological boosting win over Australia next weekend.

Great solidarity shown after the game between England and Samoa

England vs. Samoa - Time To Take Things Up A Gear

If you will for a moment, cast your minds back to a little over a month ago to the weeks/days prior to the 2014 England EPS squad announcement. Do you remember the feelings that we all shared? A buzz and a huge amount of excitement and anticipation. The excitement was due to the wealth of depth that Stuart and his team had to choose between, how much can change in a couple of weeks. Now, coming into this third QBE test I would say that there is a little trepidation across the country and dare I say it in the aftermath of Saturday's defeat a little flatness. This is something that 23 men wearing white shirts with red roses on at Twickenham have the power to change for they their talent is unchanged from a month ago, they simply must display it, in full on Saturday afternoon and put on a show.

GF & OF must shine 

Two individuals that will be integral to that show are George Ford and Owen Farrell, at 10 and 12 respectively. They have been friends for years; so many years that used to do each other’s homework and I'm sure over an essay or two they once said the words 'when we play for England together'. Now that is a reality, and boy does a lot of responsibility lie on their young shoulders for it is absolutely critical that they perform and perform well. This is an axis that is being tested and it is one that must fix the game management issues that England have shown in the previous two tests. Owen's selection was always going to be questioned and personally I'm going to hold judgement for the proof will be in the pudding. Naturally we are all excited about George wearing the 10 jersey for a full 80 minutes, for in the cameos that he has made to date he has delivered well on his key priorities; obtaining England the right territory, at the right times and securing those essential goal kicks. In short, Ford and Farrell must recreate the magic of their youth and excel this weekend and with the experienced Ben Youngs at scrum half, in theory this should be easy to do.

The back row has a new shape to it too with James Haskell, Chris Robshaw and Ben Morgan. James has only been capped more times than Dylan Hartley; during his 51 England caps and as Captain of Wasps he has shown unrelenting physicality and go forward and that he can be a real pain to an opposition at the breakdown. On Saturday, all of these attributes will be king. Robshaw will work himself into the ground and Ben Morgan will know just how much of an opportunity this is to showcase his worth against a hugely physical Samoan side. Elsewhere in the forwards the phrase ‘as you were’ springs to mind, Rob Webber should simply continue his form and at the set piece England have been strong... nothing need change this weekend.

For England it is time to put two weeks of trouble behind them and go out and play a spot of rugby in the manner that we know that they are capable of doing. Errors must not feature, gifting points must not happen for Samoa's threats are real with Wasps' Alapati Leuia and Saints' Kahn Fotuali'i just two of many. The dishonourable behaviour of Samoa's Union will only fuel their fire and there is not questioning the fact that they will be a test for Lancaster's side. Exactly like last weekend the pressure on England will be huge, for a loss this weekend is quite frankly unfathomable. As Stuart rightly said last weekend ‘It hurts to lose; it hurts to lose at Twickenham’ and I truly hope with all my heart that after 80 minutes of action on Saturday evening I am not hearing or writing about any form of hurt, instead I am praising players to the hills and penning a glowing report due to the outstanding rugby showcased, by England, on the Twickenham turf. 

England: 15 Mike Brown 14 Anthony Watson 13 Brad Barritt 12 Owen Farrell 11 Jonny May 10 George Ford 9 Ben Youngs 1 Joe Marler 2 Rob Webber 3 David Wilson 4 Dave Attwood 5 Courtney Lawes 6 James Haskell 7 Chris Robshaw 8 Ben Morgan Replacements 16 Dylan Hartley 17 Matt Mullan 18 Kieran Brookes 19 George Kruis 20 Tom Wood 21 Richard Wigglesworth 22 Billy Twelvetrees 23 Marland Yarde 

Samoa: 15 Ken Pisi 14 Alapati Leiua 13 Reynold Lee Lo 12 Johnny Leota 11 David Lemi (C) 10 Tusi Pisi 9 Kahn Fotuali'i 1 Sakaria Taulafo 2 Tii Paulo 3 Census Johnston 4 Teofilo Paulo 5 Kane Thompson 6 Maurie Fa'asavalu 7 Jack Lam 8 Ofisa Treviranus Replacements 16 Maatuilmanu Leiatua 17 Viliamu Afatia 18 Anthony Perenise 19 Faatiga Lemalu 20 Daniel Leo 21 TJ Ioane 22 Pele Cowley 23 Michael Stanley

Magic Eight Ball - Aviva Premiership Round 8 Preview

The next stop on our Aviva Premiership journey takes us to Round 8 and the second round in this Autumn International Window. As expected Round 7 delivered us with a couple of surprises and some the outstanding rugby across the country. Now it is time to look forward to another weekend of action with the Out On The Full Round 8 preview;

The Twickenham Stoop opens its doors for its first Premiership Friday Night Lights since that defeat to Saracens and the home supporters will be hopeful for a different result this time around. Harlequins showed great character to grind out a win over Gloucester last Friday evening and I don’t expect Conor O'Shea to make many too many changes to the line up, unless forced to due to battered bodies. In Round 7 the Sale Sharks turned their dial up a notch against London Irish and will breeze into Lodnon town confident in their team structure and settled in their systems. The breakdown battle will be fascinating with strong two back rows and the Evans versus Cipriani showdown I cannot wait to watch, as long as both are selected!!! Personally I’m envisaging a tight one at The Stoop and a game that involves some flowing rugby as long as the weather gods are smiling on us. 

The Newcastle Falcons’ are imploring supporters to ‘Bring The Noise’ at Kingston Park this weekend as they welcome David Humphreys’ Gloucester. With London Welsh’s form the pressure is off Newcastle for instead of having to constantly worry about relegation they can build and develop. In order to be competitive this weekend Newcastle must bring their scrum to the table for with the likes of Nick Wood and John Afoa packing down opposite them it could be a long day if they don’t. The Cherry and Whites will be anxious to get back on a rugby field to ‘right their wrongs’ of last Friday night. Gloucester will be without their Captain Billy Twelvetress as he is given the nod for England duty so again another of their young guns will be given an opportunity to shine. This shouldn't be an issue for Humphreys' side as they Billy Burns waiting in the wings and if they play with confidence and conviction their backs should excel on the artificial surface. 

When Exeter Chiefs blew away London Welsh in Round 1 and followed it up by pushing a fully fit Leicester Tigers side all the way you knew that something special was happening at Sandy Park and since then they have continued to shine. Baxter and his men are delivering in all the right areas and that is why this match against Wasps will be fascinating. Wasps hit another gear last weekend against the aforementioned London Welsh; they were totally ruthless and relentless in their pursuit of victory. They are a side that houses enormous potential and if they back up their Round 7 performance against much stronger opposition then that will turn heads. In saying that Dai Young's men have lost their last five away games in the Aviva Premiership.  In my eyes this game is one of the picks of the weekend for with the talent on display on both sides it will be a close fought battle of wills.

At the Madjeski Stadium London Irish need to up their game in order to compete with Bath Rugby, for their performance against Sale in Round 7 won’t cut the mustard and Brian Smith and his men know this. London Irish have won only one of their last nine matches against Bath so they'll be looking to their enigmatic backs including Andrew Fenby and Alex Lewington to ignite something on home turf. Bath are a side that are cool, calm and collected, even without some of their shining England lights, Mike Ford and his team are building a rock solid rugby club in the West Country and I believe that they will be one of the sides the International period extremely well. Stu Hooper is one of the Premiership’s most respected leaders and this weekend he should drive his side to a vital away win.

The first of the Sunday matches is at Allianz Park where Saracens host the Northampton Saints. When both sides have all of their Internationals this is a humdinger of a fixture with little to choose between the two and even without some key men it will be one of the most intense games of the weekend. Northampton had a bad day at the office last weekend, however in my eyes their personnel losses are greater than Saracens’ are, and that will make this trip on the road challenging. Saracens’ time at Welford Road wasn’t pretty and they will have had a fairly heated analysis session on Monday for with their high standards their penalty count and inability to pull ahead just wasn’t good enough. Personally I don’t expected either side to make too many of the same mistakes in Round 8, both will have their tails up and be more than ready for a battle.

Of all of the losses that London Welsh have had to deal with this year last weekend’s slaughtering by Wasps was perhaps the toughest for the manner in which they were taken apart became difficult to watch. Conversely the Leicester Tigers showed a spot of grit and determination to stay in touch with Saracens in difficult conditions and Owen Williams’ form should have made Warren Gatland take notice. Predicting a bonus point win for the away side is not disrespecting London Welsh, sadly it is realistic however I hope that game is slightly less brutal than Round 7 was. The game is pretty well timed for the Tigers to consolidate their form and press on whilst Welsh must find the super human strength to pick themselves back up after being so comprehensively beaten up.

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A Window Of Opportunity - Aviva Premiership Round 7 Review

This weekend the Aviva Premiership returned to our lives and although the Great British weather did it's best to disrupt things the quality of our Premiership teams shone through and we enjoyed some captivating matches. Here is the full Out On The Full Round 7 review;

(C) Paler Images

Heading to Kingsholm on a Friday Night without a whole host of your leaders is a huge test of character and it is a test that Harlequins passed, perhaps not with straight A’s but they did pass. It wasn’t a game that will go down in history as the greatest 80 minutes of Aviva Premiership Rugby however it was significant for Harlequins. Gloucester enjoyed much of the first half supremacy thanks to their strong ball carriers and initially a very accurate Twelvetrees’ boot. At times, O'Shea's men lacked clear direction and throughout they missed their England contingent although Kyle Sinckler in particular put in a handsome shift up front. Both sides spent a great deal of the second half wrestling for territory and much of the rugby was played in the middle of the field due to strong defensive efforts. Eventually a moment of superb vision from Karl Dickson and the wheels of Charlie Walker to put the game out of reach of the Cherry & Whites and secured Harlqeuins' first victory there since 2011.

(C) Claire Jones

It is not often that the Northampton Saints concede a try within the first five minutes at Franklin’s Gardens however on Friday evening Exeter arrived and shook things up from the word go. The Chiefs’ intent was outstanding and their execution wasn’t bad either as for forty minutes they pacified a Saints outfit that contained on paper more experience and some would say firepower as well. The Chiefs are a settled team and they executed their game plan like one. Thomas Waldrom's intercepted try was a gem and certainly not so bad for a man that some deemed to be a ‘duff signing’. The Saints well they left themselves with too much to do and whilst their comeback was what you would expect from the Aviva Premiership Champions another loss was not part of the game plan. This match and this result is nothing more than Exeter deserve and it shows to us all that this period of the year really is a window of opportunity for many of our Premiership teams. 

The Rec hosted an evening kick off as Bath Rugby welcomed the Newcastle Falcons. It was the Gavin Henson show as he pulled the strings impeccably well scoring 13 of the 23 Bath points. Another man wearing blue, black and white that meant business was Jonathan Joseph who showed why he might just be given an opportunity in an England jersey next weekend. Once again for the Falcons the boot of Socino wasn’t wholly accurate and that will have upset Dean Richards for momentum is difficult to find without a boot that shoots accurately and keeps the scoreboard ticking. It was great to see Matt Garvey on the pitch for 20 minutes following his lengthy injury spell and across the board Bath’s ‘under studies’ delivered well. The Falcons made a rod for their own backs and must ensure that their scrum actually fires against Gloucester next weekend. 

On Saturday lunchtime the Sale Sharks hosted London Irish and Steve Diamond was a happy man following eighty minutes of rugby for his side dominated the Exiles and recorded a well deserved bonus point victory. One glance over the scoreboard tells you everything you need to know about Danny Cipriani’s response to being left out of England’s autumn plans with three conversions and a penalty to his name as well as confidently pulling the strings. It was done and dusted by half time as the power and precision of Sale proved too much. Alex Lewington’s moment of brilliance was the highlight for an Irish side that missed the direction of Shane Geraghty and a spot of real impetus. ‘A tough day at the office’ said Brian Smith and with Bath Rugby arriving at the Madjeski next weekend the output must be improved. Sale head to London for a spot of action under the Friday Night lights at The Stoop in what will be a cracker. 

At Welford Road it was one for the purists as the rain fell and conditions suited the front fives of both Leicester and Saracens much more than the backs. Given these conditions and both sets of defences it was always going to be a game that was won from penalties as opposed to tries. Pretty, perhaps not, but a ding dong it most certainly was. In my eyes Saracens appeared the calmer of the two both with and without the ball and they will be frustrated that they didn’t obtain the four points that they were looking for. Charlie Hodgson delivered another performance that earned him another bottle of Aviva Champagne and Alex Goode also reminded us all of his credentials. Dan Cole was slightly out muscled and a touch rusty but as Cockers said he will be better for it. It was a credit to Leicester’s diligence that they fought their way back into the game although the final penalty to seal the draw could have gone either way.

Lozowski a Wasps' gem

The final game of the weekend was the last ever Aviva Premiership game to be played at Adams Park as Wasps hosted London Welsh. The bonus point was sewn up on 33 minutes after an emphatic two tries in four minutes start and from then on it was damage limitation for Welsh and a fun day at the office for Wasps. Welsh were ravaged by injuries during the course of the game and the loss of Chris Hala’ufia was a huge shame for it was his power and physicality that was needed. For every move that Welsh had in the armoury Wasps seemed to be one step ahead and defensively things were still a far too loose. Nathan Hughes continued to turn heads with his physicality and Alex Lozowski delighted everyone with his vision, pace and decision making on his Premiership debut. All in all a more than satisfying day at the office for Wasps with 11 tries in the bank and another very difficult one for Welsh. Burnell's side continue to search for the physicality and answers required to compete in the Aviva Premiership and it is becoming increasingly difficult to watch. 

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

Post Match Reaction - England vs. South Africa

This weekend was a tough fixture for England, as they fell to their fifth straight defeat, here are some of the comments following the game from both Stuart Lancaster and Andy Farrell. 

listen to ‘Post Match Reaction - England vs. South Africa’ on audioBoom

The View From Twickenham - England vs. South Africa

Today, as you open your Sunday papers with your glass of orange juice and croissant the headlines are straight down the line and to the point for yesterday England fell to their fifth straight defeat in a row and their twelfth at the hands of South Africa. From a fans perspective it was tough result to take however our hurt is nothing compared to the men in white and their coaching team. Last night, when they arrived home their bodies will have been hurting and their hearts too, for it is agony to lose at a game, let alone one at Twickenham at the hands of your own mistakes.

  

This Autumn a lot has been said about learning lessons and during the course of the eighty minutes some of those lessons remained un-mastered. With the spotlight focused on our kicking game England once again didn’t deliver when it truly came down to it. Owen Farrell has performed superbly for England in the past however at this moment in time he isn’t quite on the money and isn’t consistently putting England in the right places. If you are playing without a fully functioning kicking game then rugby becomes a difficult prospect. Stuart highlighted following the game that he was planning to make changes for the third test in this series regardless of the result and I fully expect two different half backs to be starting in next Saturday evening. 

Frustration is the overarching emotion, for the basics let England down, as Stuart pointed out his side gave away points that South Africa didn’t really have to work hard to earn. Dropped balls and un-necessary penalties halted England from getting any serious momentum when it mattered, although coming back to 20-20 must be applauded. In Andy Farrell's matter of fact tone he hit the nail on the head when he stated that 'that type of loss of continuity just mars our game.’ Consistency of execution is king at this level and England’s just hasn’t been up quite up to scratch at key moments in these tests.

Individuals did come out of the game with ticks against their names, Mike Brown was rock solid under the high ball and did everything in his power to ask questions of the Boks. Courtney Lawes put his body on the line throughout and at scrum time England’s front three were a force and made South Africa think. Robshaw’s work rate and leadership cannot be knocked however it is plain and evident that England are missing a spot of oomph. Billy Vunipola has the weight on his shoulders whenever he gets the ball for it is up to him to make the gain line and penetrate defences. Clearly this Autumn the impetus that a player like the injured Manu Tuilagi brings is being sorely missed. 

As Stuart addressed the press after the game hurt and frustration was etched over his face as it was over every single player on the pitch and we all know that losing consistently isn’t good enough at any point in time, let alone a year out from a home World Cup however shooting insults and panicking will not get us anywhere. If the players and coaches were being unrealistically positive then I'd be mightily concerned however I don’t think that they are. Behind closed doors harsh words will be being said, they may not be openly expressed to you and I but I guarantee you that they will be being said. Right now, England are bitterly disappointed, hurting and kicking themselves and personally I believe that a spot of solidarity and support is needed to be shown to our national side.

See Mike Brown's Post Match Reaction, his facial expression and words say it all --> here