The
beauty of the Aviva Premiership is that on the day any team can win
no matter what position they hold in the league; and this weekend, in
round 12, we saw some brave and exquisite rugby being played across
the board and in my opinion, some of the teams that excited and
shone, could be described as the underdogs.
Looking
at the fixture list on Friday, on recent form, I had an idea of which
teams I thought could win, or come close and well, it just wasn't
that straightforward. Even Saracens beating London Irish 22-6 this
round, after their last encounter, would we have been surprised if it
had gone the other way? In fact I was delighted to see several of
the Premiership sides play with the intensity, gumption and resolve
that they did, with a specific mention to London Welsh who ended the
weekend on an incredible high. Even though they lost to the
Harlequins 24-13, the sheer grit and determination they've continued
to play with and even more so this weekend, as they injected another
new lease of life into their play, was remarkable. I am full of
admiration for you.
And
the same could be said for the Cherry and Whites, who stole a crucial
win at Exeter from under the Chiefs’ noses, 25-26. The confidence
with which these sides are playing is almost tangibly growing and
certainly giving fans what they come for. With twists and turns set
to continue this season, you just can't call it and it was a weekend
I thoroughly enjoyed.
Especially
on Friday night, as the feisty Falcons threatened Northampton Saints
all over the Gardens. It really went down to the wire with nine
tries run in and seventy points racked up in total, 39-31. With
academy players demonstrating their worth in the first team,
especially for Newcastle Falcons, Dean Richards wasn't shy about
sharing his enthusiasm for the development of his squad and the team
in general, who seemed to have turned a corner. I look forward to
seeing them develop further.
I
was also pleased to see Wasps move up into fourth place after their
bonus point 41-16 victory over the Sharks at the Ricoh Arena, where
they've got their feet firmly under the table extremely quickly. If
their new stadium hasn't impressed you enough, then surely their
current form has? They've been collectively firing on all cylinders
recently and this weekend’s performance proved no different. In
contrast, I was surprised at the weaker performance from Sale Sharks
and I'd kind of expected some sparks to fly. They were tactically
cornered early on by Wasps, with little possession or room to
manoeuvre from an attacking perspective. Job well done Wasps - happy
in your new nest then?
Like
Sale, it was a shaky Sunday for Bath too and I was really hoping for
a lot more from the West-Country pack but they really came up against
it at Welford Road. Mike Ford clearly said before the game, “If we
play well, we should win” but unfortunately Tigers allowed them no
platform to get into their stride and they just couldn't break
through a tight Tigers defence.
Was
it a wise move playing Sam Burgess in the centre after his run of
A-league matches at 6? Well possibly, if he's got any chance of
heading into the Six Nations next month. But credit to Leicester, as
they stormed to a 17-8 win, leaving Northampton top of the table and
Tigers in fifth position. It's been a tough first half of the season
for Leicester, with several players of international experience out
with injury but they looked dogged and resistant this weekend - the
boys are back in town!
The
standard of rugby played in round 12 was exceptional and hats off to
those who put their necks on the line for their teams; it really
showed. Teams seem to be evaluating and regrouping week on week;
pulling out the stops and something extra out of the bag; the upshot
being that we are being treated to surprises and some teams treated
to a shock.
You
have to be fairly resilient to claw back into a game and this weekend
our Premiership teams showed creativity, capability and promise ...
lots of it!
A
thoroughly enjoyable weekend of rugby all round, it’s all to play
for ... until next time.