So, Round 3 was fairly eventful wasn’t it!? It delivered us a little bit of everything from runaway victories to last minute nail-biters. Of course the disciplinary news to come out of Saracens’ match at Allianz Park regarding Chris Ashton has marred what was an enthralling weekend. Until we know that outcome of that I’m going to park it and instead focus on the rest of the action that happened during the course of Round 3.
Sale Sharks 13-26 Gloucester Rugby
We stared the weekend at the AJ Bell Stadium and prepared ourselves for another Friday night thriller. Instead it didn’t house quite as much drama as the previous two Fridays, something that will have helped Gloucester fans’ blood pressures. Instead we finally saw the Cherry and Whites keep their heads and manage a match well in the final quarter. The work of Billy Burns and Greig Laidlaw in particular to steered the side through at the AJ Bell and it bodes well for coming matches. Conversely Steve Diamond was unhappy with his side giving away ‘soft penalties’ and believes that they were ‘second best by a country mile’. Of course the hosts’ efforts were thwarted by the loss of Dan Mugford in the second half which forced Mike Phillips into a very unfamiliar role. Sale need to park the match asap and ensure they sharpen slightly ahead of a trip to Sixways while Gloucester must use the match as a platform and blueprint to work from.
Key Man: Greig Laidlaw - not only for his goal kicking but for the influence that he has on the field in terms of leadership and game management. When he’s at his best Gloucester are a much more confident side.
Bath Rugby 37-22 Worcester Warriors
At The Recreation Ground Bath’s winning start to the new season continued albeit after a strong opening half from Carl Hogg’s Worcester Warriors. In the first forty minutes Worcester showed us what they can do with ball in hand and looked the more confident of the two sides. However the hosts rectified their lack of real intent and belief after half-time and quickly turned the match on its head. As Bath grew in confidence so did the noise around the ground and the loudest cheer of the day was reserved for Leroy Houston who scored their bonus point try. Worcester will take plenty of positives away from their opening forty but must now endeavour to put all parts of their game together for a the full eighty. For Bath they passed their first real test of the season but will know that at Welford Road they cannot only get going after half-time.
Key Men: Having flown in this week from Australia Leroy Houston could have been forgiven for feeling little jaded but instead he looked like he’d never been away. Also two notable mentions for Worcester’s debutant Jamie Shillcock and winger Perry Humphreys, both of whom turned heads.
Exeter Chiefs 36-25 Harlequins
On Saturday afternoon Sandy Park was a content place again as Exeter finally got their season off the mark however Tomas Francais’ red card was the one black mark on their report card. Francais’ red was the right decision, World Rugby have made it very clear that they’re tightening up on feet around the ruck and contact with players’ heads, and his DOR will have been disappointed by the prop’s careless actions. Putting that aside Exeter showed plenty of firepower and reminded us how good they can be when they are on the front foot and enjoying their rugby. Lachie Turner had a superb afternoon’s work and Henry Slade looked more comfortable in the centres with Gareth Steenson at fly-half to work with. Harlequins are still not firing as strongly as they should be, yes their midfield was shorn of experience, but as a collective they should have done better in the opening half. We saw some of their players step up in the second but it’s just not clicked yet for John Kingston’s side this Premiership season and that will be a concern.
Key Men: As mention I was impressed by Lachie Turner's outing at full back and am looking forward to seeing more of him as the competition progresses and in Europe.
Saracens 27-12 Northampton Saints
It was an intense and bruising encounter at Allianz Park - a battle of wills and one that, eventually, Saracens won. That said for 55 minutes Northampton had their hosts rattled, they got into Saracens' heads but then their bubble burst with Alex Waller’s yellow card. It was the turning point of the match and it gave Saracens the opportunity to readdress the balance of power that had previously been against them. As you'd expect with the calabre of players on the field there were notable performances on both sides. First, the big men in the back rows of Schalk Burger, Billy Vunipola, Tom Wood and Louis Picamoles were all particularly rumbustious and I also thought that Courtney Lawes also put in a shift to turn heads. Ultimately the reigning champs found a way to win but Saints proved, for 55 minutes at least, that Saracens could be beatable.
Key Men: The aforementioned back rowers plus the continued cool performances of Alex Lozowski, let’s remember how little Premiership game time he’s had prior to this season.
Wasps 70-22 Bristol Rugby
If you have anything other than Wasps Rugby in your hearts then Sunday’s match against Bristol Rugby did make for slightly uncomfortable viewing as Dai Young’s side absolutely annihilated Bristol. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the rugby played by Wasps, I do, but it was the stark contrast between the two that made it difficult to watch. Wasps tries, all ten of them, were well taken and it’s their squad depth that should worry the rest of the Premiership (even Saracens). Andy Robinson was matter of fact after the match saying that his side need to ‘stick together’ and focus on closing the gulf between them and the top Premiership sides. He’s not making excuses or feeling sorry for his side but the question is can they make those improvements while being taught harsh Premiership lessons at the weekend? Exeter Chiefs are next and you can be sure that the Chiefs won’t hold back. On the other hand Wasps march on, looking really strong and I’m fascinated to see their performance against Saints at Franklin’s Gardens because I think that will be a real contest.
Key Men: Take your pick from those in black and gold but for me Elliot Daly caught the eye.
Newcastle Falcons 13-14 Leicester Tigers
The final match of the weekend was at Kingston Park where Richard Cockerill’s Leicester Tigers just scraped through to take full points. After Falcons’ thrashing at The Rec I didn’t give them too much of a look in, even at home, and I was pleased to be proved wrong. Dean Richards’ side were combative and exposed Leicester's slightly disjointed output at this moment in time however they couldn’t quite finish it off. Joel Hodgson will have nightmares about that drop goal for months to come, it was a sitter, but the result aside Falcons should be the happier of the two. As you’d expect Vereniki Goneva really put himself about against his old club and Dean Richards’ side must ensure that they take that sort of output on the road as well as delivering it at home. They’ll be a few more discussions this week at Leicester’s training ground before they head home because they need to click to ease the pressure currently weighing heavily on their own shoulders.
Key Men: Mike Fitzgerald was at the heart of a Leicester pack that really helped to turn around a difficult opening half alongside key influences from Ellis Genge. Elsewhere Simon Hammersley and Vereniki Goneva were sparky and filled with intent in attack for Falcons.
