Aviva Premiership Round 2 Reflection

In the film industry, bar James Bond, you often find that squeals just aren’t as good as the original however the same cannot be said for the Aviva Premiership. This weekend Round Two proved to be just as enthralling, if not better, than Round One as our Aviva Premiership sides are starting to settle back into the swing of things.

Last season we saw our Aviva Premiership back rows flourish and when it came to choosing the Green Flag Forward of the Season it didn’t surprise anyone that our shortlist was filled with back row forwards. Prior to the 2015/16 season it was clear that the performance bar was going to rise again with the individuals arriving and this was evident at the weekend. At the Ricoh Arena Wasps Rugby fielded the Haskell, Smith and Hughes combination for the first time and it certainly gave the home crowd something to shout about. James Haskell had refund his handling skills after a difficult day for England in Manchester and George Smith is simply a sublime rugby player however it says a lot about the talent of Nathan Hughes that he was the standout individual. Nathan’s ball carrying, handling and defensive work are all sublime and the day cannot come quick enough for him to be eligible for England. Elsewhere Will Fraser showed exactly what he is made of coming early at Kingsholm. There has been endless conversation and discussion about 'true sevens' and Will certainly knows his way around the breakdown. If the Saracen has an injury free season then I expect him to be pushing hard for inclusion in England's squad either for the RBS 6 Nations or for a trip to Australia next summer. 

Across the country a number of new signings showed that already they are very much at home at their new clubs. At the Stadium MK JJ Hanrahan was instrumental in the Northampton Saints’ five try victory over the Newcastle Falcons. JJ came on early in the match for George Pisi and his sharp handling, vision and quick feet were too much for the Newcastle Falcons to handle. Over the water in Ireland JJ has been tipped by many for great things and if Saturday’s performance and his pre-season outings are anything to go by the Saints have bagged themselves a stellar signing. Another Premiership newbie that has settled in brilliantly is Gloucester Rugby’s Willi Heinz. Willi’s six years in Canterbury New Zealand has giving him an eye for a fast paced game and he combines a will to attack with a strong kicking game. As Scotland have now left the Rugby World Cup the competition between Willi and Greig Laidlaw will be fascinating to see and is certain to push both players to even greater heights. 

On the basis of two rounds of rugby it is fair to say that not all of our Aviva Premiership sides are firing on all four cylinders yet. With the Rugby World Cup forcing the longest pre-season ever the assumption was that all twelve sides would start the new campaign at a fast pace however the reality is some are still building. London Irish's start is akin to that of Gloucester Rugby's last season and it is clear that bedding in new management isn't a two minute job. The Newcastle Falcons will be disappointed that they haven't been able to transfer their pre-season form into the competition, after a strong and confident victory over Georgia and some positive performances in the Kings of the North competition the opening two rounds have been tricky, mostly down to their own discipline. Finally last year's Aviva Premiership finalists Bath Rugby are yet to hit the heights that we expect from them. Bath had so many of their key players away over the summer break that they look to be a couple of weeks behind everyone else. This will be frustrating for the side that would have wanted to press on strongly from the heights of their 2014/15 campaign however as individuals arrive back I expect them to start putting their foot strongly on the accelerator in the next couple of rounds.