Sale still living on the edge
It was another close game in Salford on Friday night. The Sharks won once again to make it two home wins in two home games to start the season, following a 12-11 win over Harlequins on the opening weekend. The two wins sandwiched a heavy defeat at the hands of Saracens but this will still be considered a relatively positive start to the season. Given the early injury crisis the Sharks are having to contend with, this start is probably as good as could have been expected. Gloucester kept it close and there are genuine reasons to believe that this team has a much better chance of being competitive with the top 8 than last year's edition.
Saints still marching
Harlequins performed valiantly on Friday night, leading 22-14 at the break. However, that lead wouldn't last long as Northampton came marching back early in the second half. A dominant display by the pack and some typical Sleightholme finishing (punctuated by the occasional handling error) were enough to earn a 33-29 win at Franklins' Gardens. Harlequins were not helped by injuries to many backs leading to Marcus Smith playing at fullback where he scored two tries but was also largely responsible for one. Quins will be hoping to have the likes of Tyrone Green back as soon as possible but I'm not sure that would have made much of a difference given that what gave the Saints their way back into the game was their pack. Their physicality was simply too much for Harlequins and it proved to be the deciding factor in the game.
Bears maul their rivals
On Saturday, the Bears made a statement. Going into the game, Bath were massive favourites and had not suffered a home defeat for well over a year. The score was 26-7 at half-time. The one bright spot for the hosts was a fantastic individual try from young fullback Sam Harris who otherwise struggled in this game. The Bears were dominant in the first half and were resilient in their efforts to halt Bath's attempted come-back- even when they were unable to keep 15 men on the field. Argentinian flanker Grondona was impressive on his long-awaited debut scoring two tries before being sin-binned in the second half. Gabriel Oghre was another standout at hooker having missed out on England's training squad for the autumn nations squad. In a massive west country derby, Bristol put the rest of the league on notice.
Falcons falter from beginning
In this fixture last season, it took Leicester past 80 minutes to secure a win over the Falcons. This year it took about 30 minutes for the game to be all but over. Their first half problems were summed up well by the director of rugby Steve Diamond who told TNT Sports that his side weren't in the fight in the first half. Despite early signs of hope, this did not change in the second half. Perhaps the most notable part of this game was the extended half time due to a groom-to-be being tackled by his best man on a stag-do and being stretchered off the pitch then taken to hospital where he was thankfully found to be fine. Other than that moment, the game went to script with Leicester showing their class and Newcastle scrapping hard but ultimately being ineffective.
Saracens still going full steam ahead
One of the most consequential rivalries in recent English rugby histroy resumed in North London on Sunday. The two teams are now in very different places but the rivalry still persists. Exeter are struggling with many key internationals afflicted by injury, Saracens still have plenty at their disposal and that was obvious to anyone watching the game. Steve Borthwick will have some tough calls to make in the back row this autumn. Ben Earl was Exceptional which comes as no surprise, but a player who will be on England's radar is Tom Willis who produced a dominant display and offers the ability to be a more traditional No.8. England are spoiled for options in the back row but Tom Willis has surely got to get game time in an England shirt this year. Alex Lozowski has also been a crucial part of this team at outside centre and has taken over the kicking duties from new fly-half Reece Burke who has made an impressive start to his Saracens career. He is eligible for both England and Scotland; is another tug of war brewing? One player who knows his international allegiance is Alex Lozowski who looks like he may earn a recall to the England squad with Henry Slade out injured.
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