Classic Sharks performance is too good for Gloucester
Sale Sharks 27 vs 10 Gloucester
The Prem season kicked off on a Thursday night this year, in order to give space to the World Cup Final - something that some other competitions should have done. The game itself was a strange one. Sale never looked in real danger despite being 10-5 down at the break. The consistent theme of the game was Sale constantly building pressure without managing to make it count. Eventually George Ford's brilliance put Sale through and Jibulu scored in the 56th minute. Sale turned things up a notch in the last 10 minutes, and scored twice to earn a winning bonus point. Sale will walk away having won all 5 points that were possible whilst Gloucester will need to reset for next week. This game showed some of the differences between the top teams in the Prem and those who are stuck in the mid-table region.
Revived Saracens dampen Newcastle's big day
Newcastle Red Bulls 17 vs 39 Saracens
Newcastle Red Bulls ran out in front of their first sell-out crowd in years and started perfectly through an Alex Hearle try. The winger ran a perfect line to put his team ahead before Saracens could even get a foothold in the game. Newcastle dominated the first 15 minutes but were brought back down to Earth by a Jackson try in the 18th minute that got Saracens back into the game. From there, the away team put their foot down at went into the break with a 5-point lead. Nick Tompkins crossed over in the 57th minute for his first of 2 tries. That effort was quickly followed by an impressive score by Noah Caluori which practically ended the game before an hour was played. Caluori is 19-years-old and 6ft4 inches, as well as being absolutely rapid which was shown by his try in this game. Freddie Clarke pulled one back on his Newcastle debut but Saracens quickly responded and took away any hope that the home team still had.
This was a big result for Saracens. Last year, they lost this fixture but that was far from the case this time. The return of Owen Farrell looks to be a real boost for this team and Saracens are now a legitimate threat to the likes of Bath as a result. For Newcastle, this was obviously a disappointing result. However, they'll improve as their new signings have more time to gel together and grow as a team. They are clearly an improved outfit and that will show against teams that aren't as stacked as Saracens.
Bath run rampant without big stars
Harlequins 31 vs 47 Bath
This game was set up for Bath to struggle. Harlequins are exactly the type of team that will turn up on a random day and pull off a massive upset. Bath were missing several key players and went into the game without any of their 3 recognised fly-halves. That feeling only grew when Will Evans scored twice in the first 8 minutes. He then added his 3rd after a Tom Dunn riposte had shrunk the gap. Young prop, Sela then added a 2nd try for Bath to make the score 17-14 to the home side at the break. The second half was very different. It was brutal; Bath scored 6 tries and ran a riot over a porous Quins defence. Henry Arundell scored twice, as well as showing off his skills with a chip-and-catch to mark an impressive debut. Kenningham and Green scored in response, but the game was already over by that point. Max Ojomoh also deserves a mention. The centre stepped into the 10 shirt in the absence of Russell, Donoghue and Carreras and stepped up massively. He did his job throughout the game and made a highlight pass 5-metres-out to get an assist as Bath took hold of proceedings.
As well as the 3 players I mentioned, Bath were without: WIll Muir, Will Stuart and Thomas du Toit. Stuart and du Toit are the first-choice tighthead props but, Sela and Griffin both scored in their absence which shows the depth that Bath have in key positions. Harlequins, meanwhile, are clearly still adjusting to the loss of their head coach. However, the usual issues around physicality in the pack still remain. I predicted that Harlequins would finish 8th and this game did nothing to change my mind.
A game of two halves
Northampton Saints 33 vs 33 Exeter Chiefs
Never before has the phrase " a game of two halves" been more relevant. After a Feyi-Waboso try in the 3rd minute, Northampton scored 33, unanswered points. Coles, Pearson and Litchfield all scored, but it was the performance of Todaro that will catch the attention of most people. Todaro is an 18-year-old winger from Italy who has been highly touted by many within the game as one for the future. Based on today's performance, he could be a star for the present as well. He will have to compete with Northampton's returning Lions and England players in a couple of weeks, but performances like that will earn him game-time regardless.
The second half was the complete opposite. It was complete chaos and Northampton could not, or would not, get things under control. Exeter used their dynamic wingers to break through Northampton's defensive line from just about everywhere on the pitch with Feyi-Waboso and Brown-Bampoe combining for a hat-trick. Ross Vintcent also added a couple of tries to level proceedings with 10 minutes to go. Somehow, in a game in which 66-points was scored, no one could add a single point when it mattered most. Northampton looked to be in position to score in the final seconds, but a knock-on ended any hope of earning a home win in their first game of the season.
This was a badly managed game for Northampton, who clearly missed their senior players in the second half. For Exeter, this is just confirmation that they have dangerous athletes which is something that we already knew. One potential concern for Rob Baxter was the scene of Feyi-Waboso limping off after clearly hurting himself whilst running in his 2nd try of the game.
A costly win for Bristol
Bristol Bears 42 vs 24 Leicester Tigers
An opening round win at Ashton Gate against the Leicester Tigers is the perfect way to start a season. Bristol earned all 5 points that were on offer and would have gone home delighted had they not lost 3 star players. AJ MacGinty was the first to go - he has apparently injured his achilles which will likely cause him to miss the rest of the season. Harry Randall and Gabriel Ibitoye both injured their hamstrings and could be back a bit sooner. However, they are still serious injuries to key players that could really cost Bristol in the early months of this season when they should be at their strongest.
As for Leicester, Geoff Parling made it very clear that the first few games would be used to evaluate his new squad. I'm not sure many impressed him on Sunday. One player who did was Adam Radwan. The former Falcon scored twice in the first half to keep the visitors in the game until half time. After an even first half, Bristol took the game away from Leicester which will be another point of concern for Leicester. I don't expect the Tigers to make the playoffs this season, but fans should wait until Christmas to give a proper judgement about where this side is.
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