Tries, Tries and More Tries - Aviva Premiership Round 20 Review

Round 20 provided us with an Easter treat that was more delicious than a family sized box of Cadbury's Creme Eggs, other chocolate brands are available (!) as we were delighted by 339 points and a whopping 39 tries, yes I did say 39! Time to get comfortable and review all of the action; 

During their pre-match interviews both Richard Cockerill and Conor O’Shea stated that their players’ intended to play some expansive rugby and my goodness me did they do just that! Underneath the Friday Night Lights in South West London the game was played at a ferocious pace with breaks made all over the field from both sides. Leicester were quickest off the mark thanks to the cool head of Toby Flood who stepped into the 10 shirt as if he had never been away and Ed Slater who continued to marshal and captain his side as if he had been doing it for years, not just a matter of weeks. Harlequins' Nick Evans kept the home side in touch as he utilised his full box of tricks and the dynamic England duo of Danny Care and Mike Brown were on fire and proved to be the difference between the two sides. The ferocity of the game boiled over at points and once again referee Tim Wigglesworth was perhaps a little too prominent for some people's liking however that should not cloud what was a stunning advert for Premiership Rugby. Whilst the Leicester Tigers fought until the bitter end the night belonged to the Harlequins' players and supporters... Quins played the type of rugby that secured them the Aviva Premiership title just a few ago and even though both Bath and Leicester are now six points ahead of them they won’t have given up hope of gaining a playoff position just yet. 

On Saturday London Wasps had the honour of calling Twickenham Stadium home for their huge Stinger fixture and underneath the blissful sunshine in South West London Dai Young’s squad delivered the bonus point win that they so desperately needed in order to keep their European rugby hopes alive. Once again Gloucester were forced into a late change due to Martyn Thomas' injury and that resulted in a drastically reshuffled back line which included a rare appearance from Freddie Burns in the role of fly half. Charlie Sharples and Jonny May both ran some stunning lines and the men Cherry and White played with intent and endeavour however their inability to dominate at the set piece and pacify Wasps’ large ball carriers meant that in the end the result slipped away from them as it has done on so many occasions this year. London Wasps fought hard for their victory, captain Chris Bell played a blinder, obviously inspired by leading his team out at HQ for the first time and the whole back row were outstanding. Nathan Hughes deservedly was given the MOM award for his storming performance and finally Tom Varndell slipped back into action as if he had never been away. According to Dai Youngs in the post match press conference his men had to 'win the game two or three times' and should have been a little more clinical however on the whole he was a happy man. The result means that Gloucester now slip to ninth in the table whilst Wasps leap frog Exeter into that much coveted 7th place position. 

On the Chiefs’ website their match report begins with the following words; ‘Those of a nervous disposition had best look away now……as the this doesn’t make for happy reading if you follow the fortunes of Exeter Chiefs.’ and I really couldn’t have put it better myself. On Saturday afternoon Baxter's men had an afternoon that they will wish to forget and not repeat for a long, long time. The Sale Sharks arrived at Sandy Park with the bit between their teeth after their lackluster performance against Harlequins last Friday Night and my goodness me did they raise their game... the Sharks scored no less than 8 tries and secured their place in Europe in style. Exeter lost Captain Dean Mumm before the match after he failed a late fitness test on his shoulder and sadly for the home side he was sorely missed. The Chiefs never were allowed into the game and individuals weren’t allowed to play to the best of their abilities due to the Sharks dominance. As ever Mike Paterson was outstanding, Dwayne Peel was effervescent and another individual shone too; Mr Danny Cipriani. Andy Farrell was sat in the stands and I hope that he noticed Cips' outstandingly assured performance and made a note of it with a certain tour coming up very shortly!! All in all it was as great weekend to be a Shark and a character building one if you are a Chief.

At The Rec both teams had a huge amount to play for and boy did it show in the rugby on the pitch... the Worcester Warriors pushed the home side all the way in an attempt to keep their Aviva Premiership survival hopes alive and kicking however once again they didn’t quite finish the job. What will be most upsetting for Dean Ryan’s men was the fact that it could have ended so differently had they secured the 13 points that they missed from place kicks. As usual Pennell oozed class and their inside centre Andy Symons had a stormer and asked questions of the opposition throughout... whilst it is superb to see their fighting spirit you get the feeling that it is simply too little too late for Ryan's men. For the home side their class act Nick Abendanon was as prolific as ever, Micky Young had a great day at scrum half and outside of him young Ford showed his full repertoire of tricks however as Daddy Ford said after the game defensively they all should be been better. The result and the achievement of a bonus point means that Bath now move up to third place in the table above the Leicester Tigers, however neither are 100% guaranteed a play off position just yet. 

Image Claire Jones Red Hat Photography

The Northampton Saints booked their ticket into the Aviva Premiership playoffs thanks to a five try display at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday afternoon against London Irish however it wasn’t all plain sailing for the home side. Northampton chose to start with Kahn Fotuali'i at scrum half and it was a superb decision; he ignited the match and set an extremely quick tempo for the game. One of Saints' big men, perhaps even their biggest depending on what criteria you employ; Salesi Ma'afu worked his socks of all day and thoroughly deserved his MOM award after a shift of gargantuan proportions. At this point allow me to send hooker Matt Williams the warmest of recovery wishes after he left the field with a horrific looking leg injury after only just returning to full fitness. For London Irish Tom Homer, Blair Cowen and Jebb Sinclair were all outstanding however it was Shane Geraghty who was their standout player as he relished captaining his current side against his former club. The match itself had many twists and turns... Saints raced to a healthy lead however then Irish scored twenty one unanswered points in the second half and it could have been twenty eight had it not been for a rather large forward pass decision from the TMO and JP Doyle. What happened to Saints!? Well they were caught napping and unsurprisingly Jim Mallinder was annoyed at this however when the final whistle blew they had done just enough and recorded a big, fat W against their name and ticked that Aviva Premiership home semi final playoff box . 

The last match of the weekend was up at Kingston Park where the Newcastle Falcons had everything to play for against Saracens... if the Falcons had won then they would have been guaranteed survival for another year however it was not to be. Mark McCall picked a side that showcased the depth in the Saracens squad and whether you like that or not you can surely understand why; Newcastle are/were a full ten places behind them in the table, they have already secured their home playoff fixture and there is the small matter of Clermont in a few days time. Newcastle fielded a familiar squad with the exception of young Joel Hodgson who made his first Aviva Premiership start at fly half. Joel certainly held his own and has come on leaps and bounds this year under the tutelage of Dean Richards. For a team that had lost their last thirteen consecutive matches and had a shocker against London Irish last weekend Newcastle equipped themselves well from early on and pushed Saracens all the way... they were led by their speedster Sinoti Sinoti. For Saracens it was fantastic to see that Al Hargreaves, Alex Goode and Will Fraser were back on the field after their respective injuries and all put in strong shifts, in particular Alex. Saracens more experienced men in the half backs, Wigglesworth and Hodgson, combined well to help secure what was a tough fought victory up in the Toon. After the game McCall hailed his squad's effort whilst Richards and his men have to wait a couple more weeks in order to try and secure their Premiership safety. 

After all of that Easter action it is now time for another short European break... Round 20 has certainly sorted a few things at the very top of the table as both Saracens and Northampton safely secured their home playoff fixtures... however everything else remains unclear! The third and fourth playoff positions are by no means decided... Leicester, Bath, Quins and maybe even Sale are battling it out between them for those precious spots. In the middle even though Wasps now look to be front runners for that 7th place European playoff spot there is still a lot of rugby left to play and finally at the bottom of the table Worcester are clinging onto a tiny, tiny thread of hope! Needless to say Round 21 will be as nail-biter across the country, so do enjoy the forthcoming European action but please save a spot of energy for the Aviva Premiership because Round 21 will be an absolute belter of a round. 

Crunch Time - Aviva Premiership Round 20 Preview

Round 20 is the round that no-one can afford to lose... it is a weekend filled with humongous Aviva Premiership clashes that mean absolutely everything to the teams involved... it is a round that needs no further introduction so let’s dive straight into the full preview;

Last Friday Night Harlequins produced an extremely assured and impressive performance against the Sale Sharks up at the AJ Bell Stadium and they will need to replicate that and add a little more in order to put away the mighty Leicester Tigers. The Tigers truly deserve their aforementioned description thanks to their declining injury list and building form. For both teams the securing four points, at least, is critical in terms of their playoff ambitions; Harlequins must win in order to have any hope of catching Bath in fourth whilst Leicester must win in order to continue to push for that precious home semi final. For the vistiors all eyes will be on a certain Toby Flood who takes the place of Owen Williams and of course their centre partnership of Allen and Tuilagi whilst for the home team their England quartet and Nick Evans will be the driving force behind absolutely everything. Needless to say it will be a closely fought affair; will Leicester out muscle their opponents up front or will Harlequins front up and then outpace their visitors? Home advantage could be king but Leicester aren't afraid of a little away action and it will be a very tasty affair underneath those fabulous Friday Night Lights at The Stoop.

Bath Rugby certainly had their fair share of drama to deal with last weekend and will be hoping for a spot of normality to resume at The Rec in Round 20... by normality I mean a few less cards and a spot of the beautiful rugby that we know that they are capable of. This week Matt Garvey said that his team have earned the right to be serious title contenders and personally I am inclined to agree with that statement however only if they secure a win at the very least this weekend. Their opponents the Worcester Warriors will be a huge handful... Dean Ryan’s players are now just as steely and tenacious as their Director of Rugby and they won’t be daunted by a trip to The Rec. On paper Bath are the stronger side, their individual and collective wealth is greater with the likes of Ford, Abendanon, Garvey, Houston and more within their ranks however Worcester have a lot to lose and you know that they will put every bit of their hearts and souls into this fixture as they continue to fight for the Premiership lives.

Exeter Chiefs' fans have experienced a fair amount of drama themselves this season due to their team’s undulating form and in Round 19 their nerves were tested again thanks to a resurgent Warriors side. Rob Baxter hailed their victory as one of their most critical however this weekend is just as important, if not more so, for his side who currently lie in 7th place just one point ahead of London Wasps. The European play off has added a huge amount of spice to the middle section of the table and their opponents Sale will certainly want to rain of the Chiefs' parade on Saturday afternoon. Last weekend Sale stuttered slightly and lacked energy however this should have been rectified by a slightly lighter week of training and a few words from the coaching team. I expect Sale to be back with a bang and ready for this monstrous away fixture  because if the Sharks do win then they will be guaranteed a place in Europe next year and that is a HUGE deal!! The fans at Sandy Park this Easter weekend will be in for a real treat as both sides aren't afraid to throw the ball around and equally both teams build their games on solid physicality and forwards pressure.

This weekend London Wasps have the honour of calling Twickenham Stadium home as The Stinger arrives in town! The match is a huge event for the club and over 35,000 people are expected at HQ to enjoy what will be an intense encounter between two clubs that know each other very well; this will their fourth encounter this season in various competitions. Both teams are vying for that 7th place finish and like so many others this weekend neither can afford to lose. London Wasps may be boosted by the return of Tom Varndell however that all hinges on a late fitness test although rumour has it that things are looking fairly positive on that front! I have absolutely no doubt that Gloucester’s discipline will be much improved this weekend, referee Wayne Barnes is experienced and I’m sure that he will lay down the law to both teams early on in the match however let’s park that for the moment and focus on their playing strengths. Although we haven’t really seen them really open up this year we know that when they do get it right they can make waves and really ask questions of their opposition; it is vital that Tindall, Trinder, May and Sharples get into the game and take advantage of the sizable Twickenham pitch. It will be interesting to see Dai Young’s squad selection after he made 6 changes in Round 19 that in my eyes proved to be fairly successful ones... will he stick with that starting XV or will he make a number of changes again for this critical encounter at Twickenham?

The Northampton Saints return to Franklin's Gardens with a job to do against London Irish, they have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions and have the Leicester Tigers, in third place, breathing down their necks. Their final 15 minutes against Saracens illustrated their quality and fighting spirit and they will need to show this for the full eighty in order to drive for the necessary bonus point victory. It was great to see Stephen Myler back last weekend and his expertise will be a critical platform to drive off for the home side. London Irish are a different prospect than Saracens and whilst their form has improved in recent weeks I think that they will be brushed aside against a frustrated Saints team. Irish notched up an impressive number of tries last weekend and certainly will wish to play at the same tempo at Franklin's Gardens. Due to injury they will be without James O'Connor however expect big bruising games from Blair Cowen, who has been a standout individual for them this season, and of course captain George Skivington. The Saints know that points mean prizes and they must be careful not to force the game however with the experience of Foden, Dickson, Dowson, Myler, North and more within their ranks I can't really see this one going any other way than theirs. 

The final game on Sunday afternoon is at Kingston Park where the Newcastle Falcons welcome Saracens to town. Looking at the visitors first, Mark McCall was extremely pleased with his side’s performance against Northampton concluding that it was 'as good as they'd played all season' and I totally agree him. Saracens may have let Saints back into the match however for much of the game they looked in control and played some outstanding rugby. McCall's men have their place in the Premiership Semi Finals in the bag already however don't expect them to take their foot off the gas just yet; yes they will employ their rotational policy so expect a few different starters however their level of intensity will remain the same. The Newcastle Falcons certainly have a job on their hands having lost their last thirteen Aviva Premiership matches in a row and last weekend didn't go according to plan for the full eighty minutes. Their first half was described by Dean Richards ‘the worst first half of rugby that he had seen ever however he did praise their endeavour and effort in the second which will be some consolation for his men. Worcester are still battling to catch them so it is vital that they come away with at least a point from the fixture if not more... Sinoti and Cato certainly need to produce some magic and collectively their forwards must be prepared for an onslaught of physicality from the Wolfpack and try to return it with equal measure. 

So there you have it the Aviva Premiership Round 20 preview... it is the round that no-one can afford to lose and that means that we are in for a huge, huge treat of the rugby variety this Easter weekend. 

Sprinting Towards The Weekend - The Stinger

Monday is a difficult day of the week, with the longest amount of time until the weekend the Monday’s blues often catch up on you and challenge even the most positive of souls... I, like so many, have experienced these feelings on more than one occasion however this Monday it was so very different!!! Why!?! Well that is because I spent the afternoon indulging in a spot of sprint training on the pitch at Twickenham with a couple of rather well known Premiership Rugby Players... and if I had my way that is how every single Monday afternoon would be spent and the Monday blues would never, ever appear again!! 

Allow me to explain further how I ended up at Twickenham Stadium polishing my standing starts and endeavouring to set a personal best time over 50m, throughout the season on a weekly basis every Premiership team designate one afternoon for their media duties in order to preview the weekend’s fixture. This weekend London Wasps are borrowing Twickenham for their Premiership encounter with Gloucester Rugby, the match is entitled The Stinger and is a slightly larger fixture than normal. Owing to the size and magnitude of the fixture it was only right that it had a slightly larger media afternoon than normal to accompany it... hence sprint training at Twickenham followed by interviews.

Now I must admit that I was slightly apprehensive on route to Twickenham, I am certainly not a couch potato, I frequent an outrageously tough but amazing functional fitness gym called Reach Fitness in Clapham at least four or five times a week, however I was rather concerned about showing myself up over 50m. As usual I was the only lady and let me tell you that being watched by all of the other media participants, the cameramen and of course the designated London Wasps sprint coaches, Joe Simpson and Tom Varndell made me feel very much under the spotlight! 


It was a gloriously sunny afternoon and HQ looked as resplendent as ever, the size of the stadium really does hit you when it is empty and being allowed to see the new changing rooms and walk out of the tunnel was a huge, huge honour and something that I never thought that I would be allowed to do! It is difficult to find the right words to describe just how impressive Twickenham is and I can only begin to imagine what that must feel like for a player to run out in front of thousands on a game day, overwhelming is the only word that springs top of mind. During my interview with Joe Simpson he described Twickenham as the ‘best rugby stadium in the world’ and I have to say that I totally agree with him, obviously being English that does make me slightly biased however I believe that a few from outside of England would also agree with that assessment.

Focusing on the rugby for a moment the two teams that will run out on Saturday afternoon are London Wasps and Gloucester Rugby, both have a huge amount to play for as there are just 3 rounds left to go in the Aviva Premiership and  both have their eyes firmly set on that 7th position European playoff prize. Gloucester and Wasps know each other well, this will be their third meeting this season, and their second in the same number of weeks. After the sprinting was completed (more about the results later) I spoke to Joe Simpson and it was clear that the Wasps players are more than ready for the task;

“Certainly there is a little added impetus with the 7th place playoff... you want to be playing on the big stage in front of big crowds with a lot riding on it... this is why you play rugby. We played them the other week so we had a good look at them then and we know what we need to do. For me personally Twickenham is the best stadium in the world, as an Englishman there isn’t a bigger stadium, it really is a special experience.”

The game is set to be fast paced with both teams filled with creative backs and as Joe rightly pointed out the contact area will be king. Personally I can’t think of a better way to spend Easter Saturday than at the home of England Rugby enjoying a spot of Aviva Premiership action and with the heat wave set to continue it should be a stunning day in all respects. The match will be shown exclusively on BT Sport with Craig Doyle, Lawrence Dallaglio and the rest of the team recording and analysing every moment… as always the team will bring their fresh approach and outstanding expertise to what will be a massively exciting battle.  

On a final note you'll be pleased to know that thanks to the expertise and guidance of Mr Varndell and Mr Simpson I did mange to record a respectable 50m time that improved after a spot of coaching!!! The pressure that I felt is incomparable to how the two squads will be feeling whilst they are warming up to the sounds of Little Mix on Saturday afternoon however they will be more than ready for this bruising encounter after all that is why they are professional rugby players and why I simply put pen to paper and record their achievements! 

London Wasps take on Gloucester Rugby in The Stinger on Saturday 19th April at 3:15pm, exclusively live on BT Sport. Ticke​ts are available at ticketmaster.co.uk/wasps​

Drama, Drama, Drama - Aviva Premiership Round 19 Review

Once again we were treated to another epic round of Aviva Premiership action and Round 19 certainly had more drama that most... red cards, yellow cards and bonus points galore were the order of the weekend. Needless to say there was a lot of action in Round 19 so cutting it down to a manageable and importantly readable amount has certainly been a challenge but I do hope that you enjoy this Out On The Full Round 19 Review. 

The Friday night clash between the Sale Sharks and Harlequins was billed as a colossally tight playoff battle and initially it looked as if that would be the case however that was until Harlequins found fifth gear and romped away from the home side. Conor O’Shea’s men looked more comfortable than they have done in a long time and played some great heads up rugby led by their outstanding International players; Chris Robshaw, Mike Brown and Danny Care in particular all added an extra dimension to Harlequins and are absolutely vital to their play off hopes. Sale found themselves in the unfamiliar position of having to chase a game and it didn't really sit well with them... Steve Diamond admitted afterwards his men had just run out of gas slightly which was obviously disappointing however given their horrific season last year I think that secretly he'll be quite happy with 5th position in the table after 19 rounds. On an individual note Danny Cipriani continued to remind Stuart Lancaster that he would rather like to visit New Zealand this year and Dwayne Peel reminded us all of the fact that a 10 is only as good as his 9 makes him look!!! Across the board Harlequins looked comfortable, Sam Smith continued to score tries for fun, Nick Evans showed exactly why he gained so many All Black Caps and Chris Robshaw was at his mercurial best. The result meant that Sale now slightly out of the playoff contention and Harlequins continue to march forward and breathe heavily down the necks of Bath Rugby above them.  

At Welford Road the Leicester Tigers continued their pursuit of a home semi final by securing a bonus point victory over a spirited London Wasps side. Cockers’ men put aside their European heartbreak and muscled their way to victory although the man himself was less than impressed as he described his team’s performance as ‘pretty average’ and called the fixture a ‘non-event’. Personally from where I was stood on The Terrace at Welford Road that assessment seemed slightly harsh, yes his Tigers weren’t quite as clinical as they should have been however Manu Tuilagi carried the team on his shoulders and they did secure a bonus point victory. Dai Youngs had made six changes to the starting line up going into the match and his ‘new look’ Wasps side played with strong intent and purpose. Nathan Hughes and Guy Thompson both put in huge shifts to ensure that aforementioned Tuilagi didn’t cause too, too much devastation and Tommy Bell’s try screamed class with a capital C however it was to be Tigers’ day. It was great to see Geoff Parling return to the field after 5 months out and whilst Richard Cockerill wasn’t the happiest man alive post game it was a case of job done for the men in green. 

Now we all know that a West Country Derby is going to be a feisty affair, history has shown us that, however I don’t think that any of us expected it quite to reach the level of drama that it delivered on Saturday afternoon at Kingsholm. For those of you that missed the fixture the main talking points were the 5 yellow cards and 2 red cards that referee Tim Wigglesworth distributed during the match as well as Gloucester having to move to uncontested scrums part of the way through. Pushing the drama and officiating debate aside there was some good rugby mixed in there... Nick Abenendon didn’t let the horrific tackle from Puafisi phase him as he showed his class throughout, Ford worked hard as always and for the home side the praise perhaps should be spread all around as they played for the majority of the game at least a man down and showed endevaour throughout. Needless to say both sides’ discipline could have been a lot better however it was Bath who came away from the fixture with and some may say with a touch more dignity than their West Country rivals. Personally I thought that Toby Booth hit the nail on the head with his assessment...""I thought it was Christmas season - it was a bit like a pantomime at times.", all in all it was a breathtaking match, not always for the right reasons, and it is safe to say that we won’t see another like it this year.

At Sandy Park the Exeter Chiefs needed every ounce of muscle to put away the Worcester Warriors who once again displayed a huge amount of grit and determination to keep their Premiership Great Escape dream alive for another week. The Chiefs raced to a 21-3 lead after just half an hour of rugby however Worcester showed just how far they have come in order to wrestle the game back with Chris Pennell and Bristol bound David Lemi keeping the game in touching distance at the break. Gareth Steenson was the stand out Chief as he coolly reminder Rob Baxter of his credentials however it was Ryan Lamb who had the toughest job of the afternoon having to hold his nerve to secure the losing bonus point with a last minute penalty kick. Baxter hailed the victory as a ‘massive’ one; Baxter’s men have Europe in their sights through either automatic qualification or through the playoff route. Dean Ryan as always warned us all to write off his side at our peril... the mountain that they have to climb might be the size of Ben Nevis however it is one that he and his team fancy scaling.  

On Sunday afternoon whilst some were still finishing the London Marathon Saracens entertained the Northampton Saints in the blissful sunshine at Allianz Park. Steve Borthwick reached new heights as he led his team out for his 263rd Premiership appearance and his men needed every ounce of strength to finish off the Saints. As you would expect it was a bone crunching affair and some of the hits made even the toughest fans in the crowd wince just a little! For 60 minutes or so Saracens were in control, they scored some stunning tries and generally enjoyed themselves; their enjoyment was epitomised by Schalk Brits’ outstanding breaks and Marcelo Bosch’s 56m+ casual as you like penalty however Saints hadn’t travelled down just to make up the numbers. In the final quarter Northampton pulled their socks up and fought hard, they were led by the mighty ball carriers Dickinson, Lawes and Dowson and thanks to tries from North and Burrell they gained a valuable and deserved losing bonus point.

The final fixture of Round 19 was at the Madjeski Stadium between London Irish and the Newcastle Falcons and with Irish safe for another year the Newcastle Falcons were the ones with everything to play for. Now I am by no means an expert in the matter of rugby history knowledge however I don’t think that there have been many Premiership fixtures that have had the same score at half time as at full time, Sunday’s fixture was certainly unique in that respect. The crowd were treated to a barrage of points scoring action in the first forty minutes of the game thanks to six tries, five conversions and four penalties. Andrew Fenby’s hat-trick will have tasted very sweet against his former side and Irish pulled Newcastle apart for forty minutes. From a Newcastle perspective it made for difficult viewing, the ever honest Dean Richards described it as ‘the worst half of rugby’ that he had ever seen! Unsurprisingly in the second half Newcastle picked up their game and displayed much more attacking intent however Irish had a point to prove and did not allow the visitors onto the try scoring sheet. Newcastle remain mathematically unsafe and have the daunting task of entertaining Saracens in Round 20 whilst Irish head to Franklin’s Gardens to be entertained by the Northampton Saints. 

So there you have it, the dramatic Round 19 in a nutshell... of course there were more moments to describe and individuals to highlight however we could be here until the Premiership Final if I were to include every single detail... irrespective of condensing down the action it was still a  mighty fine round of rugby. Now there are just three rounds left until the playoffs and there is still so much to play for that I cannot wait until Friday night when the action starts all over again! 

View All The Out On The Full Photos from Welford Road & Allianz Park Here. 

Things Are About To Get Tasty - Aviva Premiership Round 19 Preview

Time is flying by at the rate of knots, there are just 4 tiny rounds left in this year’s 2013/14 Aviva Premiership Season and things are far from sorted at the top, bottom or indeed in the middle of the table... however Round 19 may go some way towards firming a few things up! 

 

At the beginning of the season the Friday Night fixture between Sale and Harlequins wasn't deemed as a one to watch however given the precarious position of both teams in relation to the playoffs it has now become a huge, huge fixture. Both sides have been busy with the Amlin Challenge Cup and whilst they had differing fortunes (Quins won easily in Paris whilst Sale lost heavily at home) you can guarantee that neither will be tired going into this game. It will be a fierce battle of wills all over the park; the line out dual between Paterson and Easter will be scintillating, the fly half clash between Evans and Cipriani will be intriguing and perhaps the largest battle of them all will be between the two front rows. The last time that these two met in October Sale didn’t turn up however don’t expect that to happen again, Braid and Co mean business and Conor O’Shea’s men know that it is must win game if they wish to stay in the running for the playoffs.

 

Gloucester have announced a number of signings over the past few weeks and Kingsholm is looking like it is going to be a pretty exciting place next season however right now they are not having the best of times on the field. Whilst their set piece problem is improving on the whole the Cherry & Whites aren't playing cohesive rugby at the moment and that is tough for fans to take. Their opponents; Bath Rugby are in the middle of a small Aviva Premiership slump having lost their last two games in a row however that does not make them a bad side, it simply means that they have been found out on two consecutive occasions. Their strong win in the Amlin Challenge Cup, albeit it against a weakened Brive side, will have restored their confidence and they are likely to be back to their Premiership best this weekend. Gavin Henson may have secured an extra year on his contract however his place in the starting line up is taken by the outrageously talented Kyle Eastmond.  For both teams a win is vitally important; Bath need it in order to cement their playoff position whilst Gloucester need it to continue to pressure Wasps for that important 7th position.  

 

The Leicester Tigers return to Welford Road for their Round 19 action...  it is safe to say that there have been moments this season when many thought that they had left too late too however as they always do, they have come into form when it really matters. Richard Cockerill's men played their hearts out at Clermont and were unlucky to leave empty handed and whilst I'm sure that it hurt at the time, they will have left their European disappointment over the channel and be ready to focus entirely on retaining their Premiership title. It is great to see Geoff Parling finally returning from injury and the London Wasps certainly have a job on their hands. Dai Youngs has made a whole host of changes, some are forced others are not; James Cannon, Tommy Bell , Phil Swainston and Charlie Davies all start with Andrea Masi, Joe Simpson, Jake Cooper-Woolley,and Kearnan Myall all ruled out due to injury and James Haskell rested due to the amount of rugby that he has played in recent weeks.  After their huge performance against Gloucester in the Amlin Challenge Cup confidence will be high. which will be necessary to face Cockers' men. 

 

2 years, 9 months and 29 days, that is how long that the Worcester Warriors had to wait to record a big fat W next to their name but boy was it worth the wait. There is no doubting the fact that the Warriors are well into their 9th and final life in this year’s Aviva Premiership however it is great to see such fighting spirit from Dean Ryan's men. Their opponents, the Exeter Chiefs haven't been able to string together a strong run of matches this season and they certainly will need to focus at Sixways this weekend. In theory Exeter should have too much for the Warriors if their 23 reach their full potential; captain Dean Mumm, Dave Ewers and Henry Slade all need to take charge of the game from the outset in order to be successful. Worcester will look towards  their usual talisman; Chris Pennell, Josh Drauniniu, Jonathan Thomas and David Lemi in order to steer them towards victory number two. Can the Warriors prove that Premiership wins are like London buses... you wait for a very long time for one and then two come at once!? 

 

The Clash Of The Titans is the most apt name to describe this Round 19 fixture between Saracens and the Northampton Saints at Allianz Park. It is a case of one versus two in what could be a preview of the eventual Aviva Premiership Final...!?! There are simply too many head to head match ups to pick out one in particular... both packs have been bulloduzing the rest of the Premiership, both sets of backs have been running lines and scoring the types of tries that some teams can only dream about and on Sunday afternoon it will be a thrilling contest when they will meet on that beautiful 4G surface. The Northampton Saints won comfortably against Sale in the Amlin Challenge Cup and didn’t expend too much energy doing it so they will certainly be fresh for this Premiership encounter. A huge bonus would be if Stephen Myler is fit however listening to their podcast from last week I think it might be a little too soon for him. Given the drama at Ravenhill most teams would be tired however let's not forget that Saracens aren't most teams and I'm certain that they will have dusted themselves off and be more than ready to rumble at home against their fiercest Premiership rivals this weekend. 

 

The final fixture of the weekend is at the Madjeski Stadium between London Irish and the Newcastle Falcons, whilst London Irish are safe for another year once again Newcastle find themselves in the familiar position of not quiet being home and dry just yet. Both teams lost in Round 18 and neither qualified for any form of European rugby so they should both be refreshed after a good week's training. Newcastle will need to firm up their core skills and produce a performance that is a little more precise than the one that they delivered two weeks ago at Kingston Park and London Irish will need to really get their killer backs involved because on paper their back three of O'Connor, Ojo and Yarde should be eating teams for breakfast. Expect young Joel Hodgson to make an impact at fly half either off the bench or a the starting ten and up front returning Exile Scott Lawson will spearhead a strong forward effort. 

Out On The Full Meets Chris Pennell

Much has been documented about the Worcester Warriors, they first hit the headlines long before the season even started with the appointment of Dean Ryan and since have featured heavily on a weekly basis however not always for the best of reasons. The Warriors’ ‘difficult run of form’, to put it politely, has been a hot topic of discussion and until Round 18 the players and management had precious little to smile about. However throughout the season one man has received an awful lot of praise and that is Chris Pennell, he has been the shining light in what at times has been a sea of darkness, after such a draining and dramatic season to date I caught up with the man himself to find out more about the fiercest Warrior of them all;

Chris joined Worcester in 2007 and is a rare ‘One Club Man’ club although when I asked him about this I did end up calling him a ‘One Man Club’ which I think also fits quite nicely (!) regardless the first and most obvious question to ask was why Worcester?

“At the very beginning I was just playing rugby for my school in Birmingham and the academy coaches at the time were in contact with the school to see players that were worth looking at… I was invited down to play a couple of A League games and that was it, I was more than happy to take a gap year and play with the academy for a year. I never really knew that I would be good enough, anything after that first year has been a bonus, in all honestly I’ve been delighted to stay and play at my home club.”

During the past seven years it really has been a roller-coaster ride for the Warriors who have experienced the highs of promotion and more recently the lows of a rather long losing run, throughout the good times and the bad Chris has worked hard at his own game and strived to develop. Often upswings in form are credited to an individual, for example Danny Cipriani and Steve Black, and I wondered if this was the case for Chris;

“It is really has been a combination of factors; obviously the coaching staff have had an awful lot to do with it, they’ve given me confidence to go out and play back my instincts however being able to get a run of games under my belt and being fit for a long period of time has also done wonders for me, after all being out on the field and playing is the best way to learn and improve. There are probably a million and one other things that have clicked to mean that I am now  playing at somewhere close to the level that I can do, but I can honestly say that there is still a lot more to come!"

Given Chris’ talent many have tipped him to be in the mix when it comes to the International arena and earlier in the year when he was out of contract the expectation was that he would jump ship in order to peruse this ambition however Chris did exactly the opposite and extended his contract at Sixways until June 2017. Naturally I was keen to hear about Chris’ thought processes when making this decision;

“Well it wasn’t the easiest decision, it obviously was difficult when then there was talk about the fact that if I moved on I would be given opportunities to play for England however I have not had conversations with England coaches that would suggest that to be the case and my heart is at this club.

I’m happy where I am and with the new coaching set up the way it is and the systems that have been put in place I can see this place starting to fulfil its potential over the next 3 years. As a local lad who has been at the Club for a long time I have experienced the tough times and I want to be a part of the good times too and play a central role in that. I want to look back and be proud of what we achieved together at Worcester Warriors."

Much was discussed pre-season about the ‘Dean Ryan Affect’ the term is thrown about left, right and centre and it was fantastic to have to opportunity to ask someone with direct experience of the man himself just what exactly the ‘Dean Ryan Affect’ is;

“Obviously Dean is a great coach however there is a lot more to it than that, Dean would be a very shrewd business man as well, he understands how an organisation works and how organisation needs to operate in order to be successful. Some of his largest challenges here have actually been off the field, putting into place processes that haven’t been there over the last few years. Dean has the full backing of the board and this is absolutely massive, the whole board are fully aware and bought into of his vision for the club and the direction that we need to move in to achieve it and I wouldn’t say that, that has been the case over the last few years.”

“Since his arrival there has been a significant change in the quality of the coaching, a lot of areas that were swept under the carpet in the past are now being dealt with for example basic skills and performing under pressure and these are starting to come together. Away from the field processes have been put in place for a sustainable future in order to create home grown talent and crucially to keep hold of them, we need a very vibrant academy system and again that doesn’t spring up over night.”

Worcester’s run of losses has been well documented and I believe even smashed some records, having played semi professional sport myself I know just how difficult it can be after one or two losses let alone a huge number of them on the bounce and I wanted to know just how Chris and his fellow Warriors retained their motivation;

“Of course it is difficult to pick yourself up, it is never fun losing and it is certainly is tough coming in on a Monday morning when you are 6, 7, 8 games into a losing streak however you simply have to because the minute that you allow your spirits to be defeated is the minute that you should throw the towel in.”

“There are an awful lot of positive personalities and characters around this club, more so than many of you see, and we pick each other up. Obviously you don’t forget that you lost at the weekend but the banter and camaraderie helps to mentally move on, refocus and start getting excited about the opportunity of another game at the weekend”.”

Worcester’s first taste of success was their gutsy win against fellow relegation rivals the Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park just a few days ago and like all good team players Chris kept fairly tight lipped about their celebrations and simply admitted that ‘yes they had enjoyed a few beers on the way back from the game’. However what was most pertinent was the fact that he immediately followed that answer with the words;

“Let’s not forget that we have nothing to celebrate yet, the only time when we can celebrate is if we secure Premiership Rugby for another season, we have a big job to do before then.”

The task is a daunting one, mathematically survival is still possible, realistically, well we will just have to wait and see on that one. Dean Ryan has described Chris as one of his ‘Senior Players’, one of the players that he is shaping the Worcester Warriors around and seeing his output on the pitch as well as speaking to him off it; it is easy to see why. Chris epitomises the word professional and has a great personality to go with it... this was one of the easiest and most relaxed interviews that I have done in spite of the fact that I was touching on subjects of a rather sensitive nature and really digging deep into Chris’ answers. Whatever happens this year for the Worcester Warriors, relegation or survival, Chris will be an integral part of the club for a number of years to come and I for one hope that the club does progress and provide Chris with those golden memories and moments to cherish because boy does he deserve it.

Out On The Full Introduces The Stinger!!

As Premiership Rugby grows in popularity taking games to larger stadiums is becoming the norm… Harlequins and Saracens have both established their own annual larger matches and now London Wasps have brought back their flagship fixture at Twickenham Stadium after a year’s absence. Wasps have chosen to ‘super-size’ their St George’s Day fixture and on Easter Saturday they will host ‘The Stinger’ at Twickenham. Having attended some larger Premiership games before I wanted to understand from Wasps exactly what to expect on and off the pitch;  

The first and most important thing about The Stinger is the fact that it is supporting and raising huge amounts of funds for Sport Relief. £1 from each ticket sold for the game goes to Sport Relief and over the past weeks the entire Wasps Squad have been out there taking part in a huge range of Sport Relief activities. Now I’m sure that you have seen a few of these already via the glorious medium that is Twitter but for those that didn’t let me highlight a few; 4 squad members featured in a music video for a very well-known girl group… whilst Will Taylor, Will Helu and Christian Wade stuck to dancing, James Haskell actually bench pressed a member of the band!! Next the team supported Jo Whiley in her 24 hour treadmill challenge and two lucky team members launched the Stinger shirt by having it body painted on them!! 

Pre-match live music is now and essential part of a Twickenham match day experienced and at The Stinger this will be delivered in the form of the Killer Queen Tribute band and X factor winners Little Mix. The ladies will be performing a number of tracks including their Sport Relief Single; Word Up. Suggestions have already started on Twitter as to which player will deliver the ‘cringiest’ tweet to the girls and obviously I will keep you all posted on that one as the event draws closer… there are already a few front runners but it would be more than my blog’s worth to name who they are… guesses on a postcard or Tweet!!

Now as you would expect Wasps are pulling out all of the stops for The Stinger as well as giving away 64,000 units of Lindt Chocolate Goodies and having a huge West Car Park Village with face painters, stilt walkers and jugglers, they have their 16th Man Competition. Now I love a good competition and when I read about this one I wished that I could win, sadly I think I’m not allowed!!! The 16th Man prize is simply outrageous; you get to sit on the bench with the Wasps subs during the match, you are given up a full set of Wasps kit, you will have a pre match tour of the changing rooms and you will feature in the programme. Now first things first… let me remind you that this game is at Twickenham… HQ…. the home of England Rugby and hardly anyone is allowed into the changing rooms, let alone on the pitch! Secondly the Wasps kit is very, very nice and thirdly you will have the best seat in the house to watch a cracker of a fixture… now you can see why I’d quite like to win it!!! 

Clearly the match itself is the main event, Wasps and their opponents Gloucester have both experienced ‘undulating’ seasons in terms of their performances however you can guarantee that at Twickenham on 19th April both will crank it up a gear as Wasps Club Captain Chris Bell highlighted; 

“It is a huge honour for Wasps to be able to call Twickenham home, personally I can’t wait to lead the team out as it is something that I didn’t get to do at the beginning of the season due to injury. The whole event will be a superb day for the club and obviously we need to deliver on the field” 

There is no doubt about the fact that The Stinger will be an outstanding day both on and off the field. Twickenham Stadium is one of the greatest stadiums in the world and few weeks’ time it will be painted in black and gold. I have my ticket ready to go and hopefully I will see a few of you there ready to enjoy a stunning day of Aviva Premiership Rugby. 

The Important Stinger Event Details; Saturday 19th April 2014, 3.15pm KO Twickenham Stadium. Tickets Here  (West Car Park Opens 12pm, Gates Open 12.45pm Entertainment Starts 1.45pm.)

The 16th Man Competition; Entry is via the London Wasps Website Here. Good Luck!!!