Northampton Saints continued their form as Gallagher PREM Rugby returned following the near-two month break for the Guinness Men’s Six Nations.
Northampton Saints continued their form as Gallagher PREM Rugby returned following the near-two month break for the Guinness Men’s Six Nations.
Teams were determined to return with a bang after so long in hibernation without their leading players, none more so than reigning champions Bath who returned in style against one of the pretenders to their throne.
There was a big clash at the bottom too, when Harlequins hosted Gloucester, on a weekend when some of the Six Nations heroes returned to the field, while others enjoyed the chance to get away from the sport and enjoy some R&R.
Here’s how ATR saw the action…
Bath 62 – 15 Saracens
The pre-match attention was on Alfie Barbeary, who will leave Bath in the summer and head up the M4 to Saracens. He showed what the Londoners want with a try, but it is someone who made the opposite move who caught the eye more.
Ben Spencer moved to The Rec in 2019 and was back having started England’s last two Guinness Men’s Six Nations matches. He scored a try against his old employers and kept the tempo consistently high, something he is accused of not doing to the same extent in an England shirt. We saw him do it against France, and regularly for Bath, so we should now cross that criticism of him off the list.
Theo Dan would love to have the chance to show what he can do for England, but as the third choice hooker he didn’t feature for a minute in the Six Nations, which seems odd considering Steve Borthwick didn’t appear to trust Luke Cowan-Dickie. He responded in the best way, leading carrying with 14, and making eight tackles. He also helped the pack to a 100 percent scrum record, and 94 percent lineout success. If he continues this way he should be rewarded in the Rugby Nations Championship with some well-merited international minutes.
Harlequins 19-26 Gloucester
Gloucester head coach George Skivington was a relieved man after Gloucester headed home from west London with five points for a four-try win, points that mean the cherry and whites are now five points above Harlequins, who are looking over their shoulder at Newcastle Red Bull’s improvement.
There was plenty to like – most notably the way his team swept into action when Quins winger Rodrigo Isgro dropped the ball just inside his half to set Ben Renshaw away for a try. There were also moments when brains slipped a little. One such was when Charlie Atkinson crossed for his first try and was nearly snaffled by Quins fullback Tyrone Green after he took his showboating on a beat too long.
Amid the Quins gloom, Marcus Smith reminded us all that he is a fairly handy flyhalf, with a well-taken try and two conversions. He is certainly behind Fin Smith and George Ford in England’s colours, but like Theo Dan, will the Rugby Nations Championship schedule and venues open up a window where he can show his abilities at 10?
Northampton Saints 28-27 Newcastle Red Bulls
Northampton Saint’s line-up lacked their Six Nations players but did have one who has seen two players tried in his position without convincing. This time last year George Furbank had just about settled discussions about England’s fullback, but since then injuries have ruled him out. Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith have been used, without overly stating their cases.
Furbank went off early on after a bloody clash of heads with Sammy Arnold, who certainly came off second best, but soon returned and showed his desire to be involved, carrying nine times, and playing a part in Archie McParland’s opening try.
Newcastle fared well for a first showing under Stephen Jones and they showed progress by knocking 59 points off their losing margin from last season to grab two bonus points. As much as a former Lions flyhalf will know about lineouts, he will know that they need to be better than 80 percent if they are to get to where they want.
Exeter Chiefs 26-14 Sale Sharks
A chance for those who missed the Six Nations to present their case. Stephen Varney was first up, after less than a half for Italy due to injury, and he stated his argument loudly with a strong run in support of Italian teammate (and another to miss out with injury) Ross Vintcent. He later set up Paul Brown-Bampoe for Exeter’s fourth.
Henry Slade is firmly down the list of outside centres, with Ollie Lawrence and Tommy Freeman ahead of him, but he is still loved beyond measure in England’s southwest. The 33-year-old converted three of the tries, and his powerful left boot got his side out of trouble more times to mention. He is also providing a fine foil for flyhalf Harvey Skinner, who can concentrate on controlling proceedings from flyhalf.
Defeat continues a miserable time for Sale, with Dan du Preez’s departure the latest bad news with rumours of their eviction from Salford Community Stadium doing the rounds. The number eight showed what the Sharks will miss when he up sticks for Bath, with a try, a monster 21 carries, and six tackles.
Leicester Tigers 33-19 Bristol Bears
A big win for the Tigers who leapfrogged the Bears into third place in the table as Geoff Parling’s influence continues to be felt. Scotland and Lions international Hamish Watson made his Leicester debut on the flank after he joined on loan from Edinburgh. He didn’t hold back and led tackling with 17 and also made six carries. Bringing him in was a smart move from Parling, with his experience and quality a boost as they aim to make the season as long as possible.
Freddie Steward is another who needed a strong showing and that is what Leicester got, with the fullback carrying 10 times. He even showed the world that there is more to his game than diffusing high balls and a big boot. With the clock in the red, he picked out Billy Searle on the wing with a delicate crosskick. It allowed Searle time to pop the ball to the on-rushing Gabriel Hamer-Webb, who raced away for the Tigers’ fifth try and cap a fine afternoon of work.
Bristol captain Fitz Harding was someone who was in discussions for an England place, especially after his showings as England A captain in November. He is still uncapped, but with a showing that featured two tries, 13 carries and 11 tackles, you wonder how much longer that will be the case.