Round three of the Aviva Premiership saw victories for Bath, Saracens, Exeter Chiefs, Harlequins, Northampton Saints and Sale Sharks. Here are my top five talking points after the third week.
Five Talking Points After Week Three of Aviva Premiership
1: Poor Refereeing
It has taken until week three of the Aviva Premiership for a controversial refereeing decision to trigger real debate. Step up Matthew Carley for his appalling decision to sin bin Gloucester flanker Matt Kvesic for a “dangerous” tackle on Exeter Chiefs’ Thomas Waldrom.
The decision drew criticism from many in the rugby family including World Cup winner Will Greenwood, who took to twitter to vent his frustration:
“Kvesic yellow card last night for Gloucester – are you kidding me! come on refs – get together and sort it out. Never a yellow card.”
To be fair the standard of refereeing so far this season has been better but the decision to bin Kvesic was a poor one and it has to be highlighted.
2: Bath Take Tigers To The Cleaners
Bath’s 100% start to the season continued with an annihilation of great rivals Leicester at The Rec on Saturday. Mike Ford’s side scored five tries in a game where they eased past their opponents from start to finish.
This was Bath’s first major test of the season and there is no question that they put down a marker for the rest of the Premiership with this performance. They were outstanding in every facet of the game and will go into this weekend’s away trip to Northampton Saints brimming with confidence.
George Ford’s exquisite display will have reminded the England Coaches of his supreme form ahead of the Autumn Internationals. The 45-0 win is the biggest victory that Bath have ever recorded over the Tigers and will live long in the memory of their fans.
3: Give Young English Players a Chance To Hone Their Craft
Every season there is an unmerciful amount of talk from fans and media to cram as many young players into the English squad on the back of good early season form. This is a redundant exercise this season because Stuart Lancaster’s squad is in as good a shape as any English side has been a year from the World Cup.
The idea to introduce young players to freshen up a squad has its merits but it can prove counterproductive. It will take an unbelievable run of form for any player to burst into Lancaster’s plans at this late stage.
One area where England do lack depth is at centre. Luther Burrell and Billy Twelvetrees struggled in the Summer and this could open the door the likes of Henry Slade and Sam Hill of Exeter. In saying that, there is more of a chance of Kyle Eastmond or soon to be union player Sam Burgess making an impact in Lancaster’s mind.
There is no doubt that young, exciting, quality players like Slade, Hill and many others have massive potential, but these are players who are very early in their career. In my view, they are a long way off International standard at this moment.
4: Falcons and Welsh Look Set For Relegation Dogfight
Newcastle Falcons and London Welsh have now played three games each and only have one point each to show from these games. The Falcons came close against London Irish but couldn’t finish the job in Week 2. They are now in the midst of an awful run of losses, 18 on the bounce to be precise.
London Welsh are in an even worse position. They have a -115 points difference and look nowhere near up to the standard required for the Aviva Premiership. Their bonus came from scoring four tries in a 27 point defeat away to Bath.
I know it is very early in the season to be talking about a relegation decider, but on 11th October in Week 6 these sides will meet at the Kassam Stadium. Whoever wins this fixture will more than likely stay up but at this stage both teams look confined to the dreaded relegation dogfight.
5: England Out Half Watch Week Three
Freddie Burns, Danny Cipriani, George Ford and Owen Farrell all started for their clubs over the weekend, while Stephen Myler was not in action for Northampton Saints.
It was George Ford who stole the show this week with a simply sensational display against his England rival Freddie Burns. To be fair to Burns, he played well for a well defeated Tigers side but Ford ran the show from start to finish against his former team.
He kicked 20 points in the game, although it was his all-round game that must have made Stuart Lancaster sit up and take notice. Ford is the form 10 in the Aviva Premiership, make no mistake about that.
Cipriani notched 11 points in Sale’s easy win over London Welsh. Farrell matched this amount in Saracens hard fought win at London Irish.
My ranking at this early stage of the England Out Half debate would be as follows: (1) George Ford, (2) Owen Farrell, (3) Freddie Burns, (4) Danny Cipriani and (5) Stephen Myler. Looking at these five players, England have serious depth at out half and there is a major battle ahead for the starting position.
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