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.