Round Sixteen of the Aviva Premiership saw victories for Leicester Tigers, Northampton Saints, Exeter Chiefs, London Irish, Wasps and Saracens. Here are my Top 5 Talking Points after Round 16.
1: Bath Struggling Without Internationals
A couple of weeks ago one of my talking points was who needs international players? Included in that assessment was Bath and their ability to cope well. I was clearly wrong. Judging by the games played in the Aviva Premiership since the start of the Six Nations it is quite clear that Bath need their international players, badly.
Three losses in a row without points tells its own story. Bath are struggling and have slipped from second place in the table to fifth. You could argue that they are a victim of their own success with so many key players getting international recognition but they need to find a way of winning again quickly.
Signing players like Rhys Priestland and Nikola Matawalu for next season suggest that Bath are well aware that they are short in backup and are trying to remedy the situation. They welcome Sale Sharks to the Rec at the weekend in which is now a must win game for Mike Ford’s side.
2: Falcons on the Rise
Newcastle Falcons nearly caused a major shock at Allianz Park last weekend and anyone who has seen them play recently will not be surprised. They have improved tenfold since Christmas and Saracens nearly bore the brunt of their new found confidence.
The Falcons scored three tries in the game with Alesana Tuilagi’s barnstorming effort the highlight. Andy Saul and Falcons captain Will Welch crossed for the other scores. In one sense these two were more impressive as they came from mauls. A rarity against a Saracens team who rarely give up tries from set piece play.
Players like Sinoti Sinoti, Tom Catterick, Will Welch and Josh Furno who is currently with Italy at the Six Nations have inspired the turnaround in performance. Newcastle still lie in 11th place in the table and have no fear of relegation but have to be applauded for the kind of rugby they are trying to play.
3: London Irish Complete Coaching Staff
Incoming London Irish coach Tom Coventry has completed his coaching staff for next season. Grant Doorey comes in as defensive coach and leaves his post as assistant coach at Auckland Blues in New Zealand and has previously worked with Italy, Japan and the Barbarians.
Clark Laidlaw is coming from the Hurricanes as attack coach and is the son of former British and Irish Lion Roy Laidlaw. He played for Borders and Scotland 7s before starting his coaching career and is the first cousin of current Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw.
Laidlaw is regarded as having a huge coaching career ahead of him while Doorey has massive experience already to his name, working closely with John Kirwan for many years. It looks like exciting times may be coming back to the Exiles if this coaching team clicks and gets the best out of an under performing Irish squad .
4: Chiefs Get Monkey off Their Bath
Exeter Chiefs finally got their first Aviva Premiership win against Bath on a scoreline of 16-6. A crowd of over 12,500 people saw Will Chudley score the games only try after 72 minutes. Rob Baxter was delighted after the game as his side now move to 3rd in the table.
The Chiefs have been a breath of fresh air since they were promoted into the Premiership in 2009. Sandy Park is becoming one of the hardest places to visit in the league and Exeter clearly are a team on the rise.
They have already announced three major signings for next season in Geoff Parling from Leicester Tigers, Italian international Michele Campagnaro and Olly Woodburn from Bath. Add that to their outstanding home-grown talent, club captain Dean Mumm and Thomas Waldrom, the Chiefs are building a squad capable of challenging for the title in the next few seasons.
5: Games of The Weekend: Gloucester v Northampton Saints, Wasps v Saracens, Newcastle Falcons v Leicester Tigers.
I couldn’t pick one game this week so the above three have been picked as the games of the weekend. Gloucester v Northampton has the potential to be a shock with Gloucester always being difficult to beat at Kingsholm but the Saints are on such a role, it is hard to see them being beaten.
Wasps v Saracens: Wasps look like they can beat anyone at the Ricoh and are getting very good crowds since their move to Coventry from High Wycombe. Saracens are always hard to beat but have an awful record away from home this season. Wasps should keep their good form going.
Newcastle Falcons v Leicester Tigers: Falcons v Tigers has the potential to be either a cracker of a game or a very dour game. The Falcons have improved since Christmas and are trying to play a very good brand of rugby while the Tigers are showing signs of returning to their former dominant selves, albeit in bursts rather than any consistent form. A win for either side is too hard to call.
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