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.