Aviva Premiership Round 5 Review - Rain Doesn't Stop Play

On an Aviva Premiership weekend in which the Great British elements did their best to ransack proceedings our hardy Aviva Premiership teams and fans triumphed. The rugby on the field belied the conditions and we witnessed some thrillers across the country. Points of note included Saracens' imperious form at Twickenham, Saints' pack, the Exeter Chiefs just hanging onto their dominant home record and the Newcastle Falcons picking up their first table points of the year. 

The round kicked off in dismal conditions at Franklin's Gardens where the Northampton Saints’ pack took Gloucester Rugby’s to the cleaners and manoeuvred Jim Mallinder’s side to their only second Premiership victory of the season. The difficulties that Gloucester's front row experienced manifested themselves in Paddy McAllister being substituted after just twenty minutes and they continued to come off second best for most of night. For much of the match neither side looked like scoring and instead embroiled themselves in multiple phases of kick tennis. Victor Matfield's entrance to the game was a highlight however it wasn't a vintage classic! The long and the short of this one was that Stephen Myler’s radar was on song, the Saints’ were pack dominant and Gloucester are still struggling to work out their optimal backline. Full Time Northampton Saints 15 Gloucester Rugby 3

Saracens were in imperious form at Twickenham Stadium and produced a ruthless performance over Dean Ryan’s Worcester Warriors. Ryan described the afternoon as a ‘sobering experience’ however his side must be given credit for pushing until the end and delivering two tries when others would have crumbled. For Saracens Ben Spencer took his starting opportunity with both hands setting up the opening try, scoring the second and delivering a strong all around game. Charlie Hodgson’s 6 conversions and 3 penalties pushed him over the 2,500 Aviva Premiership points mark and made a few remark as to whether or not he should hang up his boots at the end of the season! Worcester will obviously be disappointed however at this moment in time few, in Europe let alone the Premiership, can handle Saracens’ powerful form. Full Time Saracens 48 Worcester Warriors 18

If you review the scoreline without context a 33-15 loss looks like another tough lesson for London Irish however it isn’t a fair reflection of their endeavour and performance. Tom Coventry said before the game that he hoped playing at Twickenham Stadium would ‘add a little bit of flavour’ to their performance and from where I was sitting it did so. Wasps were slow to get going and showed a little European hangover however once they opened up they delighted us again with the pace housed in their backline. The Exiles’ positives contained two tries from 19 year-old Johnny Williams who crossed for third consecutive game and Ben Franks’ impact in the set piece. Two Wasps’ men that should be continuing to make Eddie Jones think are Elliot Daly and Nathan Hughes, who becomes England qualified in June. Both enjoy fine days at the office and when it came down to it Wasps had another gear to go into that eventually wore down the stoic London Irish defence. Full Time London Irish 15 Wasps 33

At Sandy Park the Exeter Chiefs’ unbeaten home record was pushed to its limits against a Harlequins side that is determined to play and had an opportunity to take the game with a late Tim Sweil penalty. The two packs arm-wrested throughout and although Harlequins achieved a penalty try  it didn't reflect the rest of the contest as Moray Low was off the field being treated. Both sides are looking great going forwards, James Short continues to excel and Charlie Walker showed that anything Short can do he can do too. 21 points off Gareth Steenson’s boot underlies his value and assisted the Chiefs is prevailing after a slower opening half. At the end of the season this is likely to be one of the matches that Rob Baxter looks back on and circles as an important victory in the grand scheme of the total competition.  Full Time Exeter Chiefs 26 Harlequins 25

5 but not 6 pens
Hard lines for DC

Exactly like at Sandy Park the AJ Bell Stadium crowd enjoyed a dramatic finish Sale’s Danny Cipriani also had a last minute penalty to take the game. However after slotting his previous 5 the last attempt didn't find the target much o the fly-half's annoyance. It won't surprise you to hear that the conditions weren’t conducive to attractive rugby with hammering rain and at times it did dampen, no pun intended, the quality of the rugby. The Falcons’ defence looked much stronger than in previous weeks and their front row put in a good shift having done their homework on their opponents well and stopped their powerful maul. It wasn’t a day to judge either side fully however in Steve Diamond's eyes the conditions aren't an excuse with his view being; “We're a good team, we've got a good set of lads and we're better than that. That's a disappointment, the lads know that in no uncertain terms.” Needless to say I’m expecting a reaction against Gloucester on Friday night. Full Time Sale Sharks 15 Newcastle Falcons 15

The Leicester Tigers fought their way through biblical wind and rain at Welford Road to deliver their twelfth consecutive victory at home. Bath Rugby's territory management and possession were much greater than the home side's however they shot themselves in the foot on multiple occasions. The Tigers' summer signings are really delivering with Mike Williams thoroughly deserving his Man of the Match award and Telusa Veainu’s interception try proving to be a huge momentum shifted just before half time. A Bath Rugby will have left Welford Road frustrated on a number of fronts, first for not converting their ample possession and attacking breaks into more points, second for a few decisions that didn’t go their way and third for turning down the final kick at goal to gain a losing bonus point. Plenty to think about for Mike Ford as they host the Northampton Saints next weekend while Leicester will be quietly content after avenging the side that beat them so handsomely on a number of occasions last year. Full Time Leicester Tigers 21 Bath Rugby 11

Lesson of the Round - Patience is a virtue

On Sunday afternoon Leicester Tigers' prop Dan Cole crossed for his first try in 79 matches and his DoR summed it up perfectly; 

"It doesn't happen very often but he’s happy pushing, tackling and learning rucks" 

Imagine Change Moment Of The Round

Ben Kay has chosen the Exeter Chiefs' score just before half time at Sandy Park as his influential game changing moment of the weekend. The Chiefs were made to work hard to retain their stellar home record and without this score would have gone into the break behind and having to chase the game with the inclement elements against them. 

Positivity at Welford Road

When sides lose a number of key players from their squad and sign ‘relatively’ unknown individuals you always wonder what the result will be? The gut feeling says that things will take time to settle and that the side in question will start the season slower than everyone at the club would like. However so far this year the Leicester Tigers have defied this assumption and after five rounds are sitting contently in third position in the Aviva Premiership table. 

The Leicester Tigers are a club where success is expected and not hoped for. It is a club that deems a season without knockout Premiership and European rugby a failure. These expectations mean that, by in large, the last few years simply haven’t been good enough. Of course there have been slightly extenuating circumstances with numerous injuries however the view from the outside was that this year it had to work, or else.

Last season Welford Road was hidden under a cloud of angst and pressure that resulted   from stuttering performances and having to rely on winning ugly and the reaction of Richard Cockerill after their victory over Wasps in Round 21 said it all. However with the introduction of Aaron Mauger and a fruitful pre-season there is a new air of optimism. 

Geoff Parling, Brad Thorn, Louis Deacon, Anthony Allen and Julian Salvi all left or retired from the club last year and their boots were filled by individuals less well known by most. However since the opening competitive fixture of the year Leicester’s ‘new boys’ have excelled. Mike Williams, Mike Fitzgerald, Brendon O’Connor and Lachlan McCaffrey in particular have stood up in the pack and slotted straight into the Leicester way. In the backline Peter Betham and Telusa Veainu have been sticks of dynamite and without question have assisted Vereniki Goneva in re-finding some early form. 

Of course the Tigers aren’t perfect just yet however Aaron Mauger certainly has started to stamp his authority on their attack and develop their all around game plan. The Tigers’ set piece and forward play, Richard Cockerill’s area of expertise, has never been in doubt however last season they didn’t have anything meaningful to show for going forwards - they were an east west side. Now they’ve already delivered two European trying scoring bonus points, notched up 6 scores in 5 domestic games and have a certain Jean de Villiers arriving.

Right now Saracens are the form team in both competitions however the Tigers are ticking all the right boxes. Welford Road is signing again, it is early days however a confident and happy Leicester Tigers know exactly what it takes to press on from a positive start to the year. 

Throwback Thursday - LDH & More

Throwback Thursday is now a firm part of the social media calendar and each week it manifests itself across all platforms and showcases memories of moments and years gone by. 

Out On The Full has been delivering Throwback Thursday tweets for the past few seasons and will now be adding a weekly Throwback Thursday article to this. This first Out On The Full TBT looks at a memorable London Double Header match, last season's clashes between the Northampton Saints and Gloucester Rugby and the meetings between the Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby.

The London Double Header has been part of our Aviva Premiership calendar since 2004 and has treated us to some epic encounters. One of the most dramatic was back in 2012 when Wasps narrowly lost by 40 - 42 against Harlequins. Early tries from Tom Varndell and Christian Wade pushed Wasps into a 20 - 0 lead after just twelve minutes and although Harlequin Tom Williams crossed for a try Wasps had notched up a sizeable 40 - 13 lead by the early part of the second half. At that moment most individuals would say that it was game over for O’Shea’s side however the South West London outfit were inspired in their comeback. Nick Evans notched up four conversions, three penalties and scored a try of his own to help deliver the 29 points required to win the game. 

On Friday night the Northampton Saints will meet Gloucester Rugby for the first time this Aviva Premiership. Their opening dual last season was a harsh reality check for the Cherry and Whites as they went down by 53 - 6 and their very short pre-season together was exposed. The return fixture in March highlighted Gloucester’s progression as it was an enthralling 33 - 33 draw that the Cherry and Whites should have taken. Stephen Myler converted a late Samu Manoa try to salvage the draw however the home side had romped to a 23 - 9 lead. This year Gloucester have started with much great purpose and the Saints are just starting to find their groove after two European victories. Both sides are showcasing some new talent this weekend with Jeremy Thrush gaining his first start and Victor Matfield being named on the bench for the home side.

Two other sides that will be meeting in the Aviva Premiership this weekend are the Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby. In the 2014/15 season they met three times in the Premiership with Bath Rugby taking two victories to Tigers' one. The two matches held at The Recreation Ground were, in my book, Bath's strongest domestic performances of season and the semi-final was one of their strongest in recent years. 

In that semi-final it was Bath’s clinical finishing that pushed them to victory, they visited Leicester’s twenty two 8 times and scored off 7 of those visits however we haven’t seen that level of accuracy yet this Aviva Premiership season. As we all know the Tigers have already found a spot of creativity in attack under Aaron Major and are a completely different prospect to the one Bath Rugby faced last season. The Tigers have won their last nine Aviva Premiership Rugby matches at Welford Road and actually unbeaten in their last eleven there. Needless to say this weekend’s Sunday service is expected to be a much closer encounter than their previous meetings and without question the Leicester Tigers will believe that the balance of power is swinging in their favour going into the game. 

Aviva Premiership Round 5 - Preview

After such a successful European weekend with 12 out of 14 victories across both competitions the expectations are high heading into Round 5 of the Aviva Premiership.  The annual double header fixture returns as Twickenham Stadium opens its doors for the first time since the Rugby World Cup, we will see second take on third at Sandy Park, fourth versus fifth at Welford Road and plenty of other intriguing clashes in between. 

The Northampton Saints will kick off the round underneath their Friday night lights against Gloucester Rugby. The hope for all home fans is that their two European victories will have given them their confidence heading back into the Aviva Premiership. It has been a slow start to the year for Jim Mallinder’s men and on home soil they must crank it up once again. Victor Matfield is set to make his Aviva Premiership debut off the bench, continuing this 17 year professional career, and for the visitors All Black Jeremy Thrush is also making his club debut. Jonny May missed both of Gloucester's European fixtures however he returns out wide and will be part of a slightly tweaked Gloucester back line including Rob Cook at full back and Willi Heinz rotating in and starting at scrum half.  


On Saturday the AJ Bell Stadium opens its doors as the Sale Sharks will host the Newcastle Falcons. Sale have won their last three Aviva Premiership contests with the Newcastle Falcons and will be confident that they can deliver a fourth on home soil. Dean Richards’ is handing sevens convert Marcus Watson with his first Aviva Premiership start after scoring four of the side’s nine tries against Enisei-STM last weekend. Steve Diamond has named familiar and strong looking side for this weekend’s match and personally I’m looking forward to watching their back rows dual. Nili Latu has been one of Falcons’ shining lights to date and the trio of Dan Braid, Magnus Lund and Josh Beaumont is always powerful one for the home side. 

In Devon the Sandy Park faithful are in for a cracker between the Exeter Chiefs and Harlequins. Both sides love to play with ball in hand and have started strongly domestically and in Europe, excluding Exeter's’ Liberty Stadium error. After his barnstorming performance in the Challenge Cup Dave Ward is handed the 7 jersey in Harlequins’ back row and will line up alongside Chris Robshaw and Nick Easter. Elsewhere Mike Brown will make his 250th appearance for the visitors being only the second player in the club’s history to do so. Rob Baxter’s side looks largely familiar to the one that has delivered such impressive performances in the opening four rounds of the competition. Thomas Waldrom is handed the eight jersey, Henry Slade moves back into the centres after his outing at fly-half last weekend and captain Jack Yeandle starts at hooker. The Chiefs have recorded just two home defeats in 14 months however Conor O’Shea’s side don’t mind disrupting longstanding home records, just ask Bath Rugby! 

At Twickenham Stadium the annual double header fixture arrives in town and the first match is between Saracens and the Worcester Warriors. Saracens victories over Toulouse and Ulster. As expected Mark McCall has mixed things up from a selection perspective and is handing starts to Ben Ransom, Ben Spencer and Juan Figallo. After announcing his retirement earlier in the month Ernst Joubert will play his final professional match starting at eight and joins up with Will Fraser and Kelly Brown. The Worcester Warriors’ starting XV were rested last weekend so they will be fresh for this domestic encounter and I see absolutely no reason why they won’t attack this fixture like any other. Worcester have never played a game of XVs at Twickenham Stadium and I hope that the occasion adds to their performance and doesn’t hinder it, for they need to continue their impressive Premiership form against a side that have fond and successful memories of Twickenham.

The second fixture of the double header is between London Irish and Wasps. Wasps enjoyed two tremendous weeks in Europe however their historic victories came at a cost as hooker Carlo Festuccia fractured his cheekbone and Christian Wade sustained a foot injury meaning he’ll be out for a 2-3 months.  That said Dai Young’s side remains strong; Sailosi Tagicakibau will line up against his former club, Ruaridh Jackson continues to hold onto the 10 shirt in spite of Jimmy Gopperth being available for selection again and James Haskell will captain the side. Tom Coventry has the luxury of starting Rugby World Cup winner Ben Franks for the first time in his front row, Joe Trayfoot, Blair Cowan and Ofisa Treviranus form an industrious back row and he has handed the captaincy to Matt Symons in the second row. 

The final game of the weekend is at Welford Road where the Leicester Tigers will host Bath Rugby. The fruits of Aaron Major’s labour have been noticeable as Leicester are now showing the ability to punch holes through oppositions’ defences. The man that turned so many heads on his debut against Stade Francais, Brendon O’Connor, starts in the seven jersey and will be tested against the experienced Francois Louw. In Tigers’ back line Matt Smith and Peter Bethan will form a strong centre partnership and one that will face off against Kyle Eastmond and Matt Banahan who will be making his 200th Bath appearance. The Tigers have won their last 9 Aviva Premiership matches at Welford Road however have only been victorious in one of their last seven matches against Bath in all tournaments. 

Plenty To Work With - Eddie Jones

A clean sweep of European Champions Cup victories was achieved by our Aviva Premiership sides this weekend for the first time since December 2008. Alongside this, 4 out of 6 sides gained victories in the European Challenge Cup, thus delivering one of the most successful European pool weekends ever for English rugby. 

Prior to the round unfolding Eddie Jones was unveiled as England and as Out On The Full documented earlier at the weekend Eddie spoke openly about the journey ahead of him;

"There are two things that you need to win games of rugby, you need to have talent and you need cohesion. There’s plenty of talent in England so the thing that we have to work on is cohesion." 

Of course any coach or individual will tell you that it is better than have too much rather than too little to work with. However, make no bones about it, the depth of talent in England will challenge even the astute and vastly experienced coaching brain of Eddie Jones. 

Let’s take the centres as an example shall we... a few of the names that immediately spring to mind for England colours are Henry Slade, Kyle Eastmond, Brad Barritt, Jonathan Joseph, Elliot Daly, Luther Burrell, if fit Manu Tuilagi and potentially Owen Farrell if you see him as as 12. This European weekend I would argue that four of this group excelled and when Jonathan Joseph is fit he puts a very strong case forward for inclusion in any side. The fact of the matter is, that in this area and many others, England’s new head coach is spoilt for choice. 

“Over the next 6-8 weeks I’ll be watching games, looking at the talent and working out a style of play, that we want to play, that is going to be effective.”

My personal hope is that this style will be one akin to the purposeful endeavour that England Rugby showed during the 2014  RBS 6 Nations. In that tournament, particularly towards the latter stages, England showed a hunger to play rugby and to score points. Yes, they needed to against France in order to deliver the Championship, however when you read the names above and combine them with the other individuals available, the majority are ball players.

Of course pragmatism and adapting to the conditions, referees and situations is critical to becoming a Championship winning side however I truly hope that England’s foundation is based on a desire to score points and to play front foot rugby. England have individuals like George Ford, Joe Simpson, Henry Slade and Jonathan Joseph in their mix and in my view it is a gross waste of talent if they are not used to their full potential on the International stage and given license to play. 

Clearly the buck doesn’t stop with England’s attack, they need to have a rock solid set piece, a strong defence and a powerful pack. This Rugby World Cup highlighted to us all, once again, the importance of the breakdown at International level and Eddie Jones' selection in this area will be scrutinised to the nth degree.  ‘We need to develop openside flankers’ were the words of England's new head coach on Friday morning. They were not a direct dig at England’s RWC captain Chris Robshaw, instead they were voiced as a statement of fact. Calum Clark’s injury is unfortunately timed however there are others within the Aviva Premiership, Will Fraser, Matt Kvesic, Jon Fisher and more that will want to show that they fit the mould and are ready for action. 

In short England Rugby’s new head coach has a tremendous amount of talent at his disposal and I for one will be extremely intrigued to see the make up of Eddie Jones' England and the game plan that is put on the park.

A Rugby Experience - Bath Boutique Stays

Every year when the European fixtures are announced the first thing that many of us do is to look at the away fixtures and hastily make plans for European road trips. As a fan heading away to watch your side is one of the best experiences that you can have - being in a different country or even just a different city galvanises the support and it is on these trips that some of the best rugby memories are created. I can assure you that is exactly the same as a writer, European away days are always tremendous affairs and a great privilege to be a part of. 

This year when Pool 5 was announced containing Bath Rugby, Wasps, Leinster and RC Toulon my European thoughts started flowing. Toulon has been on my list of rugby cities to visit for a long time, Dublin I have enjoyed previously and vowed to go back this season. The Ricoh Arena is made for big European clashes and Bath is a city that I've always wanted to explore but have only ever visited fleetingly on match days. Prior to the season starting the opportunity was proposed for me to experience a European weekend with difference in Bath and as you can expect I jumped at it.

Even before Leo Cullan's side lost to Wasps last weekend Bath’s fixture against Leinster had a strong back drop to it and was guaranteed to be a belter. That was the reason why I chose this weekend experience rugby Bath Boutique Stays' style and I can honestly say that their team provided the most exceptional weekend and one I believe so many of you would love. 

I think that by now you all know that I am not one to over enthuse about or feature hundreds of brands at Out On The Full. The action on the pitch and rugby remains at the heart of OOTF however when there are offerings and opportunities that I believe others will greatly enjoy and benefit from then I believe they need to be shared.

As I mentioned having the opportunity to really enjoy an away weekend, instead of rushing in and out, adds so much to a rugby weekend. The time that you gain by going the night before or staying the night after gives that extra window to enjoy the match in full and to explore the beautiful city. 

Bath has so much to offer from a cultural perspective as well as being a rugby town that embraces fans from across Europe with tremendous hospitality. The Jane Austin Apartment that I stayed in was stunning and located less than 5 minutes from The Rec - I could almost see the ground the bedroom window. Not only are the surroundings first class and perfectly situated but Bath Boutique Stays take care of everything including tickets. Inside the intricate details are all thought of including the best shortbread that I have ever tasted waiting on my arrival! Food certainly is the way to my heart and with links across the city Sunday's brunch and the most divine roast that I have ever tasted were also sorted!

Needless to say I have already booked to come back for the Champions Cup fixture in December between Bath Rugby and Wasps Rugby which promises to be a cracking match after both sides's strong starts in Pool 5.

This season Bath Rugby have 11 more home matches, excluding any knockout fixtures, and I wholeheartedly recommend that all away fans consider spending a weekend in the city with Bath Boutique Stays. 

All of the details about Bath Boutique Stays' Rugby packages are here. They are covering every single match for the rest of the Aviva Premiership and European season and with Out On The Full as a reference there are a few extra perks available! Do have a look and start planning your away trip - I promise that it will be a stellar way to spend a rugby weekend. 

Champions Cup Feature Match - Bath Rugby vs. Leinster Rugby

With the memories of last year’s quarter-final defeat in the back of Bath Rugby’s minds and the hurt of being utterly taken apart at home featuring heavily on Leinster’s Saturday afternoon’s Round 2 Champions Cup clash was always going to have plenty of bite to it. 

To add further Bath Rugby headed into the match having never beat Leinster on home soil in the European competition before and Leo Cullan's side knew that a loss would effectively end their European hopes this season with a double bill against RC Toulon on the way after.

In beautiful conditions at The Recreation Ground Bath’s pack were outstanding from start to finish and it was their industry as well as the assurance and boot of George Ford that proved to be the difference on the day. 

“At 16-9 I thought that we had the foothold in the game that we wanted," said Mike Ford after the match. "I thought that we should have gone on and made it a 10 point lead however we did one or two stupid things which showed our inexperience which put them back into the game. But, we found a way to win which is crucial for this team, for the belief and for their confidence although we tried to give it to them again when we lost the football but luckily Stuart Hooper nicked that last lineout.”

The depth in the front row that Mike Ford has at his disposable is the envy of most in the Aviva Premiership let alone Europe as when you can have a front three on the bench that you would trust to start the game it pays dividends. One individual that shone was Nick Auterac, described after the game by his Director of Rugby as ‘a bit of a steal’ from Saracens and at just twenty three years old he has plenty more development ahead of him. Auterac had the small matter of Mike Ross to handle in the scrummage, he did so tremendously and then added so much more around the park highlighting that he really is what Ford calls ‘modern day prop’.  Auterac was one third of a front row that turned all of our heads and you expect Eddie Jones' too, with Henry Thomas also stating his case loud and clear. 

Behind the pack Bath’s backs didn’t deliver a pristine performance... it was stronger than we have seen however not perfect just yet. The fact is that last season they set themselves an extremely high benchmark, particularly towards the latter end of the year and now they are working back up towards that. George Ford, no doubt spurred on by the performance of England team-mate Owen Farrell the night before, controlled the match masterfully and in my view eclipsed his International counterpart Jonathan Sexton in all areas. As soon as Bath’s pack won what proved to be the decisive penalty there was never any doubt that the ball would be soaring through the middle of the uprights. 

The fact is that Bath won this fixture without playing to their full potential, they took another step forwards however there is more to come. Francois Louw's presence in the back row was divine, his work at the breakdown and across the park adds so much and now they have a full contingent back Bath must press on. 

With all due respect at this moment in time Leinster look a shadow of their former selves with Leo Cullan saying after the match ‘we are very early in our workings with this group so people need to stay patient with us…’ however with back to back fixtures against Toulon, starting away from home, this competition waits for no-one. Bath will head to Coventry in three weeks time after two tough domestic figures against Leicester and the Northampton Saints... as long as injuries are kind to them and they press on from this performance then they'll be in a good place in Pool 5 with their fixture against Toulon still to be re-arranged. 

Opta Facts & Stats

• Saturday's victory was Bath's first against Leinster Rugby in Europe at The Recreation ground and only their second win in eight European meetings between the two 
• Bath Rugby delivered an 83% scrum success winning 10 scrums and losing just 2
• Leinster Rugby's Rhys Ruddock made the most tackles of the match with 12 to his name and the side achieved an 83% tackle success rate.
• The positive result means that Bath Rugby deliver their first three match European home winning run since the 2001/2 pool stage where they were undefeated. 

Eddie Jones' Opening Address - England Rugby

A man that knows what he wants and one that won’t be afraid to ruffle a few feathers to get it, that is my assessment of Eddie Jones following his first press conference in charge of England Rugby. 

The 55 year old is straight talking and focused, he knows the task at hand and has a management and personal style that will be good for both the RFU and England’s players. Eddie Jones is not a quiet individual, he will not shirk away from any issue and will certainly say exactly what needs to be said. In short, it will be hugely interesting to see how the union and England’s players react to him. 

“There are two things that you need to win games of rugby, you need to have talent and you need cohesion. There’s plenty of talent in England so the thing that we have to work on is cohesion - that’s about identifying what are going to be the strengths of the team, making sure that we keep improving those and identifying those areas where we can have a competitive edge."

For Eddie these areas of competitive edge and England Rugby’s points of difference will be dictated by the players he has at hand;

“As I said I think that the traditions of English rugby is to have a strong set piece and to be defensively strong and then to score points you need to be able to score points off your ball and you need to be able to score points off the opposition ball. If you have got all of those things in place then you have got a team that is hard to beat, that’s the reality.”

“Again, if you look at the All Blacks as the benchmark that is why they are so hard to beat… but if you look at the All Blacks 10 years ago when Australia used to beat them regularly they were fundamentally poor at the lineout and their scrum could be scratchy. So there was always a way to get to them, but now their lineout is strong and their scrum is strong. They can score off their ball, they can score off the opposition’s ball and they know when to kick - they have all of the fundamentals. With England, we’ve got to make sure that we create a team like that but it is going to be our way of doing that and how we attack is going to depend on the skills of the players.”

At the heart of any side is a captain, Eddie has previously quite heavily criticised Chris Robshaw and openly said that one of his first tasks will be to speak one on one with Chris. To be very clear Eddie is not making any guarantees with any individual, instead he has clearly articulated that ‘everyone starts from zero’ and that will be music to many players’ ears across the country. This will be Eddie Jones' England and no-one else's and he will select the players that he believes will create a winning team regardless of history. 

A clear focus is developing England’s style of play, one that is unique to England and ensuring that this England squad going forwards is also being pragmatic about their approach. Adaptability is king to win matches and you get the feeling that England’s players will know about it if they forget that and start becoming one dimensional - Jones will not beat about the bush. 

The question remains as to the individuals that will support the charismatic Australian, currently Andy Farrell, Mike Catt and Graham Rowntree are under contract from the RFU however they may not remain;

“In terms of the coaching staff I start on the 1st of December and  I’ll assess the coaches that have been here and the staff that have been here. I want to speak to all of them individually and work out what they can offer going forwards. If they can offer what I want, then they are going to have a job and if they don’t then I’ll look at other options.”

That said, Eddie was very clear that part of his remit over the next four years is to develop English coaches to take over from him after that point. Eddie sees this England Rugby role as a four year project and no more, so given that context there will be a great focus on the make up of his back room team. 

Right now England’s new head coach has a few commitments to finish, one with World Rugby regarding the development of Tier 2 nations and then the small matter of picking up his wife and moving to England. 

The overarching feeling from Friday's press conference is that England are in good hands however there is plenty for Eddie Jones to get his teeth into and we all know how quickly time is ticking by, the RBS 6 Nations is just over 70 days away. 

Champions Cup Feature Match - Bath Rugby vs. Leinster

As the Champions Cup pool draw was made and the magnititude of Pool 5 unfolded we all took a little breath and thought ‘Wow’. Bath Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Wasps and RC Toulon have 9 European titles between them and would all be expected to be in the knockout stages. However this year they must face off against each other in the opening rounds of the competition knowing full well that all will not make it out of the pool. 

Wasps’ Round 1 victory at the RDS will be remembered as one of their great European away days. It was a significant victory and it means that this weekend Leinster Rugby arrive at The Rec with an awful lot to do. In Leo Cullan’s words they are ‘scrambling’ already after just one match. 

Bath Rugby haven’t started the domestic season as they would have liked, instead they have stuttered towards this Round 2 Champions Cup fixture. Of course there are extenuating circumstances surrounding this, first the fact that so many of their key individuals were away throughout the summer and second, the unrest and disruption caused by the 'Sam Burgess affair'. Needless to say, the road hasn't been easy for the Aviva Premiership runners' up however all of their tribulations must be forgotten this weekend and a positive Bath Rugby side must emerge on the field. Mike Ford has selected the side that was due to play against Toulon last weekend and on paper it ticks all of the boxes combining an electric back line with a wily and forceful pack. 

At the beginning of the week Leinster Rugby still had a number of injury concerns however Isa Nacewa is named in the squad for this weekend and that is a great boost to the side.In total Leo Cullan has made eight personnel changes and two positional changes in a bid to shake things up following last weekend. Ben Te'o and Luke Fitzgerald form a new partnership in the centres with Isaac Boss starting at scrum half. Cian Healy and Sean Cronin come in for Jack McGrath and Richardt Strauss, respectively, in the front row. Mike Ross is Leinster's starting tighthead for the third game in succession. 

The key for both sides this weekend will be finding their flow and delivering their game plan with discipline and precision. Leinster conceded 18 turnovers against Wasps and Bath Rugby already have 6 yellow cards to their name after only 4 Aviva Premiership rounds. This match will house a great deal of emotion after last year's European quarter-final and with Leinster's position in the competition on the line. For Bath Rugby the match on 4th April 2015 was one that got away and according to their Director of Rugby Mike Ford it 'still gets him'. 

The match ups and head to heads are divine from Jonathan Sexton and George Ford duelling in the middle to Henry Thomas and Cian Helay in the front row. The breakdown will be a key area of contention with Bath's Francois Louw starting for the first time this season after his time with South Africa.  In short Saturday lunchtime’s encounter will be a full blown test match between two sides itching to show us all their true colours. The Met Office are forecasting a cold, crisp and dry winter’s day at The Recreation Ground and all of the signs are pointing to a European day to remember. 

Bath Rugby Key Men - George Ford, Francois Louw and Kyle Eastmond

Leinster Rugby Key Men - Jonathan Sexton, Jamie Heaslip and Isa Nacewa

2014/15 European Champions Cup Form - Bath Rugby Quarter-Finalist & Leinster Rugby Semi-Finalist 

Opta Match Facts

Leinster Rugby have won 6 of their 7 matches against Bath Rugby, including their 18-15 quarter-final fixture last season 

Bath Rugby have only won two of their 13 matches against Irish clubs in the competition with the last victory being back in 2005 

Leinster Rugby conceded 18 turnovers and 6 penalties in Round 1 against Wasps 

Teams

Bath Rugby; 15. Anthony Watson; 14. Semesa Rokoduguni, 13. Ollie Devoto, 12. Kyle Eastmond, 11. Matt Banahan; 10. George Ford, 9. Chris Cook; 1. Nick Auterac, 2. Rob Webber, 3. Henry Thomas, 4. Dom Day, 5. David Attwood, 6. Matt Garvey, 7. Francois Louw (c), 8. Leroy Houston Replacements: 16. Ross Batty, 17. Nathan Catt, 18. Max Lahiff, 19. Stuart Hooper, 20. Alafoti Fa'osiliva, 21. Niko Matawalu, 22. Rhys Priestland, 23. Tom Homer

Leinster Rugby; 15. Isa Nacewa (c); 14. Fergus McFadden, 13. Ben Te'o, 12. Luke Fitzgerald, 11. Dave Kearney; 10. Johnny Sexton, 9. Isaac Boss; 1. Cian Healy, 2. Sean Cronin, 3. Mike Ross, 4. Devin Toner, 5. Hayden Triggs, 6. Rhys Ruddock, 7. Jordi Murphy, 8. Jamie Heaslip Replacements; 16. James Tracy, 17. Jack McGrath, 18. Martin Moore, 19. Dominic Ryan, 20. Josh Van Der Flier, 21. Luke McGrath, 22. Ian Madigan, 23. Zane Kirchner