Emotional and Eventful - Aviva Premiership Round 17 Review

Round 17 of the Aviva Premiership was one of the most emotional rounds yet, it produced massive highs and extreme lows and continued to show exactly why the Aviva Premiership is one of the most exciting and competitive leagues in the world. 

On Friday Night at Sixways Worcester hosted London Wasps in a hugely tense encounter that once again ended with a home loss. Dean Ryan hit the nail on the head in his post match interview; “Sport is pretty cruel, you throw everything that you've got at it and sometimes you don’t get what you deserve, it is really tough take and it hurts”. His side have certainly experienced a huge amount of heartbreak already this year however the result on Friday night would have hurt the most. For 80 minutes Worcester had control of the game, they worked themselves into the ground and even started to play with confidence. However once the clock had gone red Jake Cooper-Woolley's try and Andy Goode's conversion snatched the match away from them and that was that. Prior to that point Wasps had hardly entered the Worcester 22 and had delivered a performance that lacked precision and penetration. Worcester will once again need to pick themselves up as they now travel to Kingston Park and we all know that if that ends in a similar fashion then the Championship becomes a very real prospect. Wasps are back at Adams Park in Round 18, they will be relieved to have gained a win and will know that they need to improve in every area to compete with their opponents Saracens. 

The shock of the weekend came at the AJ Bell Stadium as the Sale Sharks comprehensively swept aside the Northampton Saints... something that they haven’t been able to do since 2011. The Saints were forced into a late change when Stephen Myler pulled out through injury and that meant Will Hooley was thrust into the limelight to gain his first ever Premiership start. An early Mark Cueto try set Sale on their way and they proceeded to cross the try line twice more before half time. Northampton looked disjointed and didn’t achieve the level of fluidity that we expect from them. Sale defended as if their lives depended on it and when the elements worsened and Saints came back at them they dug their heels in and secured the win. At the end of Round 17 in spite of that loss Northampton are not down and out, we all know how well they can regroup and I am certain that they will be ready to fire on all four cylinders against the Leicester Tigers next weekend. 

On Saturday afternoon Kingsholm was treated to a whopping 73 points from 10 tries, 7 conversions and 3 penalties. Gloucester looked to have the match wrapped up with a bow on top on 60 minutes with a 37-7 lead however then they crumbled and in the words of Nigel Davies “fell off a cliff”. The Newcastle Falcons came back all guns blazing and gained a valuable two points from the match, something that will have caused Worcester hearts to break even more. Once again Rob Cook put in a strong performance for Gloucester and for the Falcons their back line looked sprightlier than it has done all year, led by Noah Cato. Frustration should be the overriding emotion for Newcastle, just what could they have achieved if they had been clinical and proficient from minute one!? Both teams cannot afford to deliver such inconsistency in Round 18... Newcastle must pressure Worcester for the full eighty and if Gloucester switch off against Exeter they will be punished.

On Saturday afternoon in North London it was a Derby Day with a difference as Premiership Rugby took over Wembley Stadium. In front of 83,889 Saracens worked hard to gain a bonus point win and push themselves to the top of the table. It should worry all of the other teams in the Premiership that in the post match press conference Mark McCall described the changing room as a ‘frustrated one’ and said there was 'much to improve on' before Wasps next weekend. Farrell commanded the game superbly, Brits’ dancing feet were a thing of pure beauty and Burger continued to tackle like a man possessed. Harlequins had a difficult day at the office as we all thought that they might do, however there were some positives to take away. Their 20 year old tighthead Kyle Sinckler delivered the game of his life and was highlighted by Conor O’Shea as a ‘one to watch’ and Luke Wallace put in a shift and a half in the back row however on the whole Quins were their own worst enemies. Harlequins must now regroup as a whole squad and sharpen their claws for yet another London Derby next weekend against London Irish. Saracens head to Adams Park in imperious form and if they continue to deliver at that level for the next 6 rounds they will be very, very hard to beat this year.

It was an emotional day at the Madjeski Stadium on Saturday afternoon as London Irish celebrated their annual St Patricks Day Party and said goodbye to their club captain Declan Danaher who retired after 17 years of playing for the club. Bath did not allow themselves to be engulfed in the emotion of the day and they expertly crashed the Irish party, although it did take them a little while to do so. London Irish fought hard, they played with good continuity and kept in touch with their opponents for the first forty minutes. In the second forty it was all about Bath and their blockbuster backs; Stringer, Rokoduguni, Watson, Eastmond and Abendanon together ignited the match and worked hard to secure the winning bonus point. Once again George Ford was outstanding... he scored 24 points and made 30 tackles to guide his team to victory. Reflecting on the match Irish will feel that they could and should have taken more away from it, Greg Garner’s ‘blocking’ decision certainly didn’t help however they need to park that and press on fast as they have a huge London Derby next weekend against Quins. Bath, well they really are a delight to watch and in Round 18 they are hosting the Sale Sharks underneath those very special Friday Night Lights at The Rec. 

At Welford Road the Leicester Tigers welcomed the Exeter Chiefs and despite a hearty Exeter performance the Tigers simply had too much to handle and out muscled their opponents. Niki Goneva provided us with another masterclass in rugby, Ben Youngs had an equally strong day at the office and Muilpola's all around game was outstanding. Exeter showed a lot of heart, they worked hard at the breakdown and never gave in. Henry Slade had an assured day although he will want to improve his kicking percentage from the tee and we all hope that Jack Nowell's shoulder injury isn't too serious. The Leicester Tigers are building exactly when it matters... at points during this season I often wondered if they could do it, but here we are with 6 rounds to go and they have a nice little 'points cushion' now in 4th. Exeter now need to step up and dominate against Gloucester next week to keep their Top 6 ambitions alive. 

Game Faces On – Aviva Premiership Round 17 Preview

Welcome back to the Aviva Premiership, after all of the RBS 6 Nations and LV Cup excitement of the past 3 weeks it is now the turn of the Aviva Premiership to provide more scintillating fixtures and nerve wracking finishes. It remains to be seen whether all of our England internationals will return to domestic action this week, I believe that some have been given the week off to recover however with or without them we are in for a rather large weekend of rugby. There are just 6 rounds left and from here on in the Aviva Premiership becomes extremely serious, a point or two either way can make or break a team and it is the time to stand up and be counted for. 

Round 17 starts with one of the most important games of the season for the Worcester Warriors, in spite of a number of spirited performances they yet to win a match and time is running out. The question is what do they need to do to win? Having reviewed their game against Quins the simple answer is; more of the same, excluding the needless penalties and including a touch more self-belief in order to close out a match. For their opponents, London Wasps, history seems to be repeating itself as once again they have found themselves having another ‘mid-season slump’ after losing their last three Aviva Premiership matches in a row. Dai Young’s side certainly need to be careful in this round, against Sale in Round 16 they kicked away a lot of possession and with the lethal Chris Pennell on the other side employing such a tactic again could be costly. It is time for the experienced Wasps players to step up and dictate the game and collectively they need to step up to ensure that they are not the first to be defeated by the hearty Warriors.

Wasps leaders must step up this week

The Sale Sharks have been steadily building for a number of rounds now and their performances have an air of assurance about them. Overall nothing too flash is going on under Steve Diamond’s watch, they are simply executing the basics extremely well, getting on with their business and recording results. Their opponents are the mighty Northampton Saints, they are massive in all respects and are the team that have most impressed me throughout the International period. Why? Well they have been playing as well, some may argue better, than they were with a full squad. The Saints’ strength in depth is superb, players that have been ‘filling in’ for their International counterparts have excelled, and a prime example is young Tom Stephenson. With all due respect to Sale’s outstanding form to date I think that it will be tough to topple the home side, with or without their International players; winning confidently is one thing, winning confidently against the Northampton Saints is something completely different thing and something that no Aviva Premiership team has managed to yet.

MC - Leading the Sharks Charge

It is a London Derby with a difference this weekend as Saracens and Harlequins head to Wembley Stadium to battle it out on the hallowed turf. Saracens will have their sights set firmly on a strong ‘home’ win, their LV Semi Final loss to Saints won’t bother them in the slightest and instead they’ll remember their dominance against Bath and press on from there. Harlequins will be extremely happy that the RBS 6 Nations are over however they might have to wait another week to have their full International contingent back as I believe that a few individuals are being rested. There is no doubt that if this is the case it will have been a difficult decision to make but absolutely the right one to avoid burn out. The atmosphere in Wembley will be electric and Quins will certainly have their work cut out pacifying Saracens. Last time Saracens played on the hallowed turf they tasted defeat and I expect this not to be the case in Round 17 of the Aviva Premiership. 

It is time for Derby Day at Wembley

Gloucester certainly haven't enjoyed the 2013/14 season so far, turning up and being truly counted for week in week out just hasn’t happened and I’m sure that they will want to get this year out of the way in a flash so that their reinforcements can arrive. During this short break in proceedings there was a change at the top and Trevor Woodman was appointed Scrum Coach with immediate effect; Trevor brings a wealth of experience and he will need to use it to quickly remove the biggest thorn from Gloucester side. Newcastle also haven’t had the best of times this year, winning has been a huge luxury and one that they haven’t enjoyed since last October. Their last Aviva Premiership performance was gutsy and promising, they scored tries and worked their socks off for 80 minutes however they still lost by a good 30 points... which is never ideal!! Both sides haven’t enjoyed the 2013/14 season so far and personally I can see this one being a close fought battle at Kingsholm.

Time to step up for Gloucester

Another rather large fixture this weekend is the St Patrick's Day match at London Irish… it is the time of the year when the Madjeski Stadium opens all of its stands and The Fields of Athenry can be heard back in Sunbury. This year’s fixture has an added spice to it given the fact that the visitors are Bath, a team that contains so many ex-Irish gents in its ranks, both on and off the pitch. Rugby wise it should be a formality for Bath to sweep their hosts aside however the atmosphere will pick up Brian Smith’s team and make it a strong contest. Once again the battle of the powerful back rows will be an intriguing watch… Bath’s back row are a formidable hunting pack and the prospect of Garvey, Louw and Houston going at Low, Cowen and Treviranus is an exciting one. Overall Brian Smith’s men will need all the luck of the Irish to come away with a win whereas Mike Ford’s men need to go back to basics, play themselves into the match and remind everyone just why they have had the words ‘playoff contenders’ written all over them throughout the season.

Will the Paddies Day party continue at The Madjeski? Image @CharlieChipp89

The final fixture of the weekend is at Welford Road between the Leicester Tigers and the Exeter Chiefs. Welford Road remains a stronghold for Cockers’ men despite some of their more ‘interesting’ performances this season however Exeter will arrive absolutely bursting with confidence after their LV Cup Title win this weekend. With both Niki Goneva and Fetu'u Vainikolo on the pitch expect some blistering runs and game changing breaks. Exeter will wish to match the Tigers up front and plough on from there whilst the Tigers will wish to nullify their visitors early on and stamp out that title winning confidence. Prior to Round 16 both teams looked out of sorts in the Aviva Premiership however now that they both have enjoyed some time to regroup and refresh expect a huge clash on Sunday in front of a packed crowd at Welford Road.

It is Tigers time for Exeter Chiefs

The Red Rose Is Blooming - England Rugby Review

It is fair to say that the Red Rose of England is positively blooming under the green fingers of Stuart Lancaster and his esteemed team… this year’s RBS 6 Nations was by far the most impressive display that we have seen from an England side in a number of years. The Championship and fairy-tale ending belonged to the Irish and the noble Brian O’Driscoll however that does not matter one bit for this spirited and exciting England side. Over the course of 400 minutes of rugby England overcame huge obstacles, they did things that they have never been able to do before and played at an intensity that we have never seen before.

In front of our very own eyes we have seen this England mature, we have witnessed them take their game to another level and it really couldn’t have happened at a more appropriate time. Before the RBS 6 Nations started the prospect of a Summer Tour to New Zealand was spoken about with trepidation and fear… the words ‘Tour From Hell’ were whispered by some… however now the prospect is a very different one.

I thought about picking out individuals for this review… and then as I started to write I realised that every single member of the 23 man squad could warrant a paragraph filled with praise and compliments. It is like trying to pick between your favourite chocolate bar or I’d even go so far as to say trying to pick which of your children you like best, not that I have any experience of the latter, however I’m sure that you understand what I am trying to say with these two analogies. If you have followed Out On The Full throughout the tournament then you will know that I do think that Mike Brown particularly stood out however then I start thinking of others that were hugely influential; Lawes, Launchbury, Wood, Robshaw, Care and as you can see the waters become muddied!

England are now playing like a World Class team, from an outsider looking in it is clear that the penny has dropped and something has clicked… the last time I truly felt like that was in the build up to a certain outstanding year just over 10 years ago. The speed in defence is coupled with an extremely high tackle completion rate, the breakdown is now almost always owned by England, the lineout is in the best shape of its life and in attack the threats now come from all over the park not just from one individual. England dealt with a huge amount of emotional pressure and physical tests throughout this tournament, they made a team full of Lions look average at best, they made the eventual Championship winners shake, they dismissed the two potential hick ups and if it wasn’t for a short loss of concentration early on in Paris the trophy would have been theirs.

Stuart Lancaster’s system of ‘blooding in’ players over the past 18 months has worked a treat, promising players (Lawes, Vunipola Launchbury and Brown) are now classed as ‘world beaters’ and that will happen for others over the next year. England also have a wealth of talent that will be returning from injury, the esteemed list includes Ben Foden, Geoff Parling, Tom Croft, Christian Wade, Marland Yarde and Alex Corbisiero and their return to fitness will only strengthen this squad. Before injury struck many were first choice squad members, now they will have to fight tooth and nail to be considered for selection… Ben Foden recently joked that he wanted to change positions due to the strength of Mike Brown however we all know that will not happen and that having such competition will only take this team to even greater heights.

Finally England’s secret, intangible weapon is back, their pride in their jersey and their collective team spirit; you can see that this squad will do absolutely anything to ensure that they win together, they will put their bodies on the line until they can physically do no more to secure a result and that is a huge, huge asset. Chris Robshaw revealed that in Rome on Saturday evening the squad made a vow to each other that next year would be their year. This England squad are hugely aware of the pressure that is heaped upon their shoulders, however they have the talent, spirit and support to achieve great things, things that we haven’t seen in quite a long time and that is why heading out to New Zealand in June is in fact  hugely exciting prospect and the next step towards greatness for this powerful England squad.

The Italian Job - England versus Italy

It is not often that England win a game by 52 points to 11 and still come in for criticism… yes we all know the reason why because in the context of the 2014 RBS 6 Nations points mean prizes, however I believe that winning this year’s RBS 6 Nations Championship is not the be all and end all for this England side and that is why the criticism is unfounded. Stuart Lancaster and his men are focused and are building… they are building towards something that is much bigger therefore the focus should not be so narrow. Instead the spotlight should be firmly fixed on the progression of this side, it should be fixed on individuals’ personal development and it should be focused on the way in this England squad they overcame each challenge that they were presented with.

At the Stadio Olimipco England were worthy winners, historically Rome has been a difficult place to go, wins by 3 or 4 points have been the norm, so on face value putting 30 or 40 past them seemed challenging to say the least! However England were confident and efficient, they stuck with their game plan and after a scrappy first twenty minutes ran Parisse’s side ragged.

England worked extremely hard and they kept their cool, collectively they were strong and they showed all of the characteristics that we now expect to see from Stuart Lancaster's side; confidence, a huge work rate and an outstanding physical intensity. On an individual basis Courtney Lawes caused the Italian’s all manner of problems at the lineout and Owen Farrell ran the game with a huge amount of proficiency and expertise. Outside of them our two wingers had differing days at the office, a confident Jack Nowell went over for his first try whilst Jonny May didn’t quite find his feet and seemed to be quite lateral throughout. Mike Brown thoroughly deserved his MOM and Luther Burrell was hard done by to be taken off to make way for the Wrecking Ball that is Mr Manu Tuilagi, but you really couldn’t leave him on the bench for too long! 

On the whole the match really was all about England, yes Italy found consolation in spoiling the points difference party due to their intercepted try, however apart from that they never really looked as if they could compete with the men in White. Stuart Lancaster will no doubt come in for criticism for utilising the whole of his bench, however before you agree with those words let me ask you what the alternative was!? Players need to be given game time, they need to be given a chance to shine and this squad will be stronger for it; George Ford looked hugely exciting when he came on and was instrumental in setting up Chris Robshaw's try, Dave Attwood made a sublime break. It is important that England have a 23 man squad that has huge strength in depth... and that strength can only be developed through gaining test match game time.

Whatever happens at 5.30pm in Paris this evening it should not take away from that fact that England put in the most assured and confident performance that they have done in Rome for a number of years. They were cool, calm and collected and made a hearty Italian side look extremely average. England do not need to have their name engraved on the RBS 6 Nations trophy to be classed as winners… they are already due to their development and performances throughout the tournament. For now I hope that they are enjoying a celebratory drink in the Italian sunshine and have found a screen or two just in case they want to watch Brian O'Driscoll's last game live.

Look out for the next Out On The Full Feature which will be a complete review of England's RBS 6 Nations and focus on what is to come for Stuart Lancaster's side.

Time To Focus - England versus Italy Preview

Here it is, the final weekend of the RBS 6 Nations, it all comes down to 240 minutes of rugby to decide which team will take home the Championship and whilst a Grand Slam is out of the question for any side there is still an intriguing level of uncertainly as to which team will end the tournament in first place. 

During the past week there has been a lot of debate regarding the staggered kick off times and whilst some find it frustrating and unfair for certain teams looking at it from a viewer perspective it does make for a cracking afternoon of rugby. England have the honour of starting this three match RBS 6 Nations' marathon when they take on Jacques Brunel’s men at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Over the past month we have watched Stuart Lancaster’s squad mature, as one individual aptly put it we have not only seen them come of age, but we have seen them pack their bags and move out of home. Pleasingly Stuart has not tinkered with the squad; having listened to him first hand at the recent press conferences, it was clear that he was never going to shake things up for this fixture. There is only one personnel change and at this point in time I'm sure that you are all well aware of the fact that Manu Tuilagi is back. Now, let’s be very clear on this, Manu is not there simply due to his reputation, he is there on merit; Graham Rowntree stated during the week that Manu has ‘been exceptional’ since coming into camp and that his performance in training means that he absolutely cannot be ignored. Manu is the ultimate impact player, imagine having to deal with him after 50 or 60 minutes when you are feeling a little tired and he is fresh as a daisy!! 

The Italian’s have never beaten England, and once again they find themselves running away from the Wooden Spoon. Do they deserve to be in that position?? Based on their performances alone probably not, they are building and playing more expansive rugby, however it just goes to show that a strong performance counts for nothing unless you end up on the correct side of the score sheet. The return of Sergio Parisse will be critical, he is the ultimate leader, he is a world class Number 8 and the heartbeat of the Italian squad. Parisse instils confidence into his squad, they looked more assured with him and his presence in Rome on Saturday will be vital. Elsewhere Luke McLean needs to continue to have the tournament of his life to spark some back line excitement and to put it simply the men in blue collectively must have the game of their tournament.

England, well they need to focus, Italy is a challenging place to go and play rugby; England's last 3 visits to Rome have all ended victorious however each by only 5 points or less. In terms of this year's 2014 RBS 6 Nations Championship points will ultimately mean prizes however it is critical that England concentrate on what is within their control and that is executing their own game plan for 80 minutes against a proud Italian side. At this point in the Championship I'm not going to analyse or look at individuals, we all know what our England players can do instead the spotlight should be on their collective output. This squad must build on their last match, they must deliver a performance that is world class and they must show that no matter where they play the result will still be the same; a dominant England win.