Red Bulls missing Diamond

Sale Sharks 57 vs 5 Newcastle Red Bulls

Derby weekend kicked off with a game that was a bit of a did, to be honest. Things started badly for the away team as they conceded 3 tries in the first 16 minutes of the game. Things didn't improve and the score was 31-0 at half-time. The second half was slightly better,  but all that Newcastle could offer was a singular try from Obatoyinbo. Even that was surrounded by yet more Sale tries in a game that was never really a contest. This Newcastle team were never going to be even an average team this season, but at least Steve Diamond would have given them some fight. As it is, Sale were able to walk over this team without even breaking a sweat. 

As for Sale, they sit 4th after 3 games having won 2 and lost to Bath last week. Gloucester and Newcastle are both team's that Sanderson's men would expect to beat but the key thing is that, unlike last season, they were able to secure potentially crucial bonus points. They also have a true contender for signing of the season in Nathan Jibulu. The former Harlequin started the opening 2 games in the absence of Cowan-DIckie, and came off the bench on Friday night. He is a physical specimen and, if he can be more consistent with his line-out, he is a test-level player.

Bears battle past Chiefs

Bristol Bears 18 vs 14 Exeter Chiefs

Given the style of these 2 teams, this game is the one that I thought would be the best watch if you put aside the rivalries and focused purely on the rugby. I was wrong. This was an ugly, attritional game in which Bristol showed their metal to come out on top. Exeter had invested a lot in their pack but came up short in a game that should've suited them perfectly. That advantage was added to by a red card to Tom Jordan in the 32nd minute which helped Exeter to lead 14-8 at half-time. 

The second half was when Bristol truly stepped up. Young Joe Worsley, who struggled when he played last season, stepped in well and managed the game competently. The Bears managed the latter stages well and stayed on top in the physical contest through the likes of the try-scoring Mata and rampaging Oghre. The game was wrapped up in the 80th minute with a Worsley penalty to seal an impressive victory. The style of victory for Bristol is particularly significant. They have lost several key stars across the back line and are now without Tom Jordan which means that their pack will have to step up in their absence. If Saturday was any indication, the Bears can manage in the meantime..

Returning Lions make the difference

Northampton Saints 32 vs 26 Leicester Tigers

This was the game of the weekend. Leicester came into this game on the back of a huge comeback victory over Harlequins whilst Northampton were hoping that their returning Lions could help them to put together 2 consecutive halves of good rugby. Ironically, enough it was a couple of back-up fly-halves that ran the game. Anthony Belleau has been an outstanding addition so far this season and Billy Searle stepped in well after being given his first start of the season.

The only negatives for Northampton were more injuries which will be added to an already long injury list. George Hendy was the first to depart after landing awkwardly on his knee. He was then followed off the pitch by Tommy Freeman, who tried to continue into the second half after picking up an injury in the first. Unfortunately he had to relent and left the pitch to be replaced by Anthony Belleau on the wing. Somehow, that change won Northampton the game. He scored 2 tries, both of which were scores that any winger would be proud of. One was a powerful finish in the left corner, during which he had to evade the sideline and 3 defenders to cross the line in time. The second was a chip over the top which he then caught to go over the line. Fin Smith is obviously the starter in Belleau's normal position, but Belleau could be forcing his way into the starting line-up regardless. Edoardo Todaro scored again as well to give Northampton some more surprising options in the back line. The Saints have an entire XV-worth of quality players currently unavailable and waiting to come back into the game. The Saints are already 2nd without them so imagine what they could do with everyone healthy.

Leicester, on the other hand, remain inconsistent. Searle looked good and kicked 13 points before being replaced by O'Connor in the second half. O'Connor also impressed but was unable to truly turn the tide of the game. Their line-up looks strong, but defensive lapses continue to hold them back. That should be fixed with more familiarity, but they'll need to fix it soon in order to avoid running out of time.

Bath continue dominance against West Country rivals

Bath 38 vs 17 Gloucester

Before this game kicked off, I looked at these team-sheets and was very concerned for Gloucester. Their defeat was inevitable, but they did manage to maintain some parity in the second half. Unfortunately, that was irrelevant after a first half that ended 28-7 to the hosts.

Finn Russell had a mixed day on his return to action. He made a couple of uncharacteristic errors and was sin-binned in the 50th minute. That allowed Gloucester to come back into the game with 2 tries in the time that Bath were down a man. One man who did help himself, was Ewan Richards. The 23-year-old impressed in limited opportunities last season which mainly came during the Prem Cup. However, due to Bath's lack of depth at his position, he has already been given some more opportunities this season. He scored twice in this game and looks set for more chances now that Bath are without Roux, Ewels and Hill. He has been long-touted as an exciting prospect so England will have their eyes on his progress.

For Gloucester, this was their 3rd consecutive defeat to start the season and only 1 of those games has even been close. To add to their misery, Seb Atkinson looked to suffer a serious injury. George Skivington did say that the injury may not be as bad as it was feared to be so that could be the silver lining to come out of this game. Ross Byrne had yet another unconvincing game and will need to improve quickly if Gloucester are to turn things around this season. If things don't get better, Charlie Atkinson could start in his place.

Harlequins show up big once again in the London derby

Harlequins 20 vs 14 Saracens

The weekend finished on Sunday afternoon in West London where Harlequins took on Saracens. Harlequins beat Saracens twice last season despite having a disappointing season overall. However, Quins lost both of their first 2 games and Saracens had opened the season with 2 impressive victories. 

The injections of Marcus Smith and Guido Petti to the starting line-up made a huge difference to the home side. Smith transformed the kicking game for his side and actually drew some big mistakes from Owen Farrell. Petti brought some much-needed edge to the Harlequins pack. His international quality was on full show on Sunday which matched up well against a duo of Tizard and Isiekwe. His addition also allowed for Cunningham-South to move to no.8. He fared much better in that spot and was able to get much more involved in proceedings. Smith was the star of this game and put 15 points on the board for his to win them the game.

Saracens, on the other hand, were second best in every facet of the game. They were never really in the game and will have to regroup in order to recover their form for next week. They are still 3rd in the league so there will be no panic in the team, even though this was an incredibly frustrating day for those in North London.