Toulon’s nightmare speaks to French woes, Saracens are miles ahead of the pack and Freddie Burns had a weekend to forgetIt seemed as if all talking points would have to revolve around the 52-3 destruction on Friday night of the former multiple champions Wasps by Leinster – or the Ireland team plus James Lowe, which means the Ireland team in a couple of years’ time. But then Freddie Burns came along. Immediately all talking points became other examples of the flagrant squandering of tries. There are plenty but it is hard to think of any at such a crucial juncture of a game, to cost a team a match and coming so soon after the same player had missed a...
Joe Cokanasiga will bring bulk to England’s backline and Billy Vunipola does the game a good turnAlready it seems likely Joe Cokanasiga will win his first England cap this autumn and the smart money would be on him doing so against Japan in the third match of the series. He has impressed since his move to Bath and Eddie Jones has been eager to add size to his backline for a while now, taking Cokanasiga on the 2017 summer tour of Argentina. Against Exeter on Friday, Cokanasiga showed how devastating he can be when finishing a second‑half try, albeit ruled out, but the 20-year-old’s inexperience was also exposed by Exeter, particularly for Don Armand’s try. England do not want for...
Kiwi coaches deliver a very British contest, Joe Marler left to count his blessings, and the amazing jet-set Willie le RouxTwo New Zealand coaches presided over an old-school British game in which the set pieces shaped the outcome. Todd Blackadder is in his third season in charge at Bath while Chris Boyd moved to Northampton in the summer. Bath’s supremacy up front plus their lineout mastery gave them the platform for victory. Boyd noted how the scrum, a means of launching attacks in New Zealand, is more a means of establishing control in England. Blackadder said he could detect subtle changes in Northampton’s style under Boyd, but after slipping to 10th in the table the basics will be the Saints’...
The dismissal of Will Spencer against Wasps for a challenge without malice exposed the need for a lighter sanctionWe will come to the rights and wrongs shortly but imagine for a moment you are a rugby player in a packed defensive line. The opposition are moving the ball at pace towards your side of the field and you have to make a split-second judgment. Is the ball destined to reach the individual you are marking or will it disappear out the back to someone else? You are a forward, paid to tackle hard for a living. Missing is unthinkable. You wait … and then launch yourself. Uh, oh. The ball has gone and your target’s head has slightly dipped. Damn...
Exeter’s strength in depth shines through, Northampton loves Taqele Naiyaravoro, and Aled Brew ‘won’t be doing that again’ Related: Controversial Leicester red card spoils eight-try classic as Wasps prevail Related: Freddie Burns insists that Todd Blackadder rumours are nonsense Team of the week Continue reading...