Gallagher PREM Review – Week 6

It was all change at the top of the Gallagher PREM Rugby after a month of international action, with the reigning champions Bath laying down a marker by going top.

Exeter Chiefs are their nearest challenges, after an impressive victory on the road, while Northampton Saints drop from top to third. Their East Midlands rivals Leicester Tigers are breathing down their necks in fourth place, but it was a bad weekend for London’s teams.

At the bottom, nothing changed and Newcastle Red Bulls are still without a point. Unfortunately for them, Gloucester claimed their maiden win and now sit eight points ahead.

Here’s how ATR saw the action…

Newcastle Red Bulls 17-39 Leicester Tigers

Another night of woe, just when the Red Bulls would have been hoping for some sign of light as winter sets in in northeast England. It doesn’t help that they again found themselves behind early on, this time 10-0 down before the 20-minute mark.

Yes, they were within a score at halftime, but it didn’t take them long to fold once the Tigers raised the intensity. There was little organisation, little shape, and a porous defence. Christian Wade is soon to join, but they desperately need quality inside because at the moment their attack is toothless.

Leicester took time to get going, but when they did, they looked like they could challenge further up the table.

Tommy Reffell showed why his omission from the Wales squad raised more than a few eyebrows. Surely a team struggling so much could do with a player of his quality, especially with Jac Morgan ruled out for a few months after he dislocated his shoulder. If a try, 17 tackles, and two turnovers can’t persuade Steve Tandy, you wonder what would.

Sale Sharks 26-27 Exeter Chiefs

Another player who would have caught Tandy’s attention was Daffyd Jenkins, who had a stellar performance as Exeter fought back from a 20-point deficit to record a memorable win on the road.

Jenkins played all three of the Wales internationals he was eligible for and he continued his all-action form in Salford. The second row made 18 tackles and two linebreaks, one of which helped set up Olly Woodburn for a spectacular finish in the corner. Quite why the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) decided they would organise a test when he was ineligible, let alone against the back to back world champions makes the mind boggle.

In the midst of the comeback, Sale Sharks Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson withdrew George Ford, who like Jenkins, had picked up where he left off at international level. As has happened in the past, Rob du Preez stepped into the breach, but he couldn’t provide the same steady presence as Ford did. After his exertions for England, might it have been prudent to leave Ford out altogether?

Gloucester 26-15 Harlequins

Deep breaths all round at Kingsholm as Gloucester finally got off the mark in a topsy turvy affair against Harlequins. A key difference was an 80-minute performance from Lewis Ludlam, his first of the season after only managing 19 minutes against Sale Sharks.

The flanker may have handed the captaincy to Tomos Williams this season, but you could see his importance to the team by his face appearing on every bit of pre-match social media. He responded on the pitch with seven carries, 11 tackles, and more importantly the try that helped give Gloucester a halftime lead.

Ludlow will struggle to score an easier try after Rodrigo Isgro’s decision to dribble across the face of his posts, rather than kick or run. Harlequins tried Marcus Smith and Jarrod Evans in a creative 10-12 axis, but it highlighted their lack of punch in midfield, which even the efforts of Alex Dombrandt couldn’t compensate for. Best chalk them both down to experience and move on.

Bristol Bears 46-12 Northampton Saints

Hands up who saw this one coming? There’s fast starts, and then there’s Bristol Bears taking advantage of Edoardo Todaro’s early 20-minute red card, to run wild in 40 minutes.

Scrumhalf Kieran Marmion grabbed two tries, and his performance was vital in ensuring that the Bears played with the high tempo in Harry Randall’s absence. Tom Jordan also impressed at fullback, grabbing Bristol’s second with a sharp finish to remind Gregor Townsend that he may be worth more than six minutes against teams of the calibre of New Zealand and Argentina.

Northampton Saints were missing Alex Mitchell, Alex Coles, Tom Pearson, Henry Pollock, and Fraser Dingwall, and it showed as their young guns failed to live with Bristol’s tempo early on. With a match away to Pau next in the Investec Champions Cup next up, Director of Rugby Phil Dowson will be disappointed how easily Bristol mauled over for their late try. Expect a less callow side in France’s southwest next time out.

Saracens 29-36 Bath

It has been a few months since Finn Russell and Owen Farrell lined up together for the Lions and watching them run out opposite one another in north London was like two old gun slingers encountering each other in the wild west.

They ran out their bag of tricks from Russell’s fizzed passes to Farrell’s long-range drop goal. In truth though, the eye was drawn to others. Harry Arundell showed what he could offer England during Tom Roebuck’s convalescence, while his opposite number Max Malins matched him with a brace of his own and is someone you suspect better fits England coach Steve Borthwick’s gameplan.

Then there was Max Ojomoh, who continued his dynamic form from England’s win over Argentina. This time he brought his dynamism to the outside centre berth, and he looked just as dangerous as he had in the England 12 jersey a week ago. Arundell’s second and match-winning try, came from Ojomoh’s brilliant pick up from Russell’s atypical pass, and he timed his pass wonderfully.

He isn’t yet among Bath’s top level stars, but where he starts next week when they open their Investec Champions Cup campaign against Munster, will show where he sits among Bath’s Galacticos.