It’s early doors and things are starting to take shape in the Premiership! With round four over and done with, its important to get a good look and understanding of how the table is shaping up.
Leading the pack are the boys in red and black, the Saracens. With the ‘Ice-man’ Owen Farrell kicking accurately and playing some of the best attacking rugby anyone has seen him play to date, it’s not hard to see why they have 19 points from 4 games and sit at the top of the table. Farrell has returned from the Lions tour to Australia with a new found game management and understanding (something he may have picked up from one, Johnny Sexton).
Last year Saracens, with Farrell in the driving seat, played a much more South African style of rugby (kick, chases, pressure) but this year they have found an amazing balance of aggressive defence pared perfectly with razor sharp attack. With their result in round 4 proving very telling for this season (a win against Quins at the Stoop, 12-22), it looks like there will be few teams this year that will be able to keep up with them.
Elsewhere in the Aviva, Wasps ended their worst losing streak for 12 years (11 on the trot) with a bonus point victory over a struggling Worcester Warriors side (who have only managed to pick up a losing bonus point so far this session). Wasps, however, are still missing something to their game. Current injuries to Tom Varndell, Hugo Southwell, James Bailey, James Haskell, Phil Swainston and now Andrea Masi, it’s easy to see where the holes in the team are.
If Wasps are going to build on this win they are going to need to rely on the likes of Joe Lunchbaury whose performance on the weekend was truly outstanding and worthy of note in any and all match reviews. Wasps also have Sam Jones and Elliot Daly, two young stingers making serious clams to a starting jersey.
Things are heating in the battle for 2nd place with Northampton fending of fierce challenges from Leicester and Bath. With all 3 teams taking up the top 4 spots (Saracens rooted at 1) the battle for 2nd is beginning to heat up. Each team has only lost one, with Leicester losing to Bath, Bath losing to leaders Saracens, and finally Northampton being bettered by the cherry and reds, Gloucester (The ref playing a heavy part due to poor officiating). Next week the Tigers welcome Northampton, which could lead to a telling tail, as this fixtures result could define both teams’ rest of the season.
Worcester, London Irish and Newcastle have all found themselves at the bottom of the table. All teams are going to struggle this year with most of their star player’s leaving the club during the summer. London Irish losing a handful of players to bath, Worcester being stung by Wasps and most notably for Newcastle the absence of Jimmy Gopperth, who took a move to Leinster to replace the French-bound Sexton. All three team have brought in a handful of replacements. This season will be tough for all three teams with losing bonus points playing a large part in who will be sent to last place.
Week 4 results:
Northampton 33-14 Sale
Bath 33-18 London Irish
Wasps 32-16 Worcester
Harlequins 12-12 Saracens
Exeter 9-21 Leicester
Newcastle 16-22 Gloucester
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