Rugby union: Premiership talking points from the weekend’s action


Bath should give England’s Eddie Jones food for thought, Northampton respond after being labelled soft and Newcastle command attention

The Premiership is an unforgiving place for teams who start slowly. Bottom-placed Worcester have lost their opening two games and injuries are already beginning to bite. Losing their strongest scrummager, Nick Schonert, to a suspected broken ankle is a major blow and the Warriors are down to two fit fly-halves with the league season barely a fortnight old. To compound matters, England’s Ben Te’o has an ongoing arm problem which has forced him off prematurely in both his team’s games to date. “He’s got a plate in it and it’s sore,” said Gary Gold, Worcester’s director of rugby. “Every time he gets a bang on it, it’s a bit more sore. He probably is in quite a bit of pain so he deserves a huge amount of credit for the character he put up before he came off. He showed he’s a world-class player.” Wasps’ Dai Young, meanwhile, is happy enough to be on top of the table but says his team still have plenty to improve on after their 27-10 victory over the Warriors. “I don’t think it was a two-score victory, if I am honest. It wasn’t a great performance from us.” Robert Kitson

Related: Marcus Watson dazzles as Wasps ride their luck to see off battling Worcester

Continue reading...