The top of the table got tighter after Round 6, writes Felix McCabe…
A change on the tide could be about to happen as wayward sons, Sale, showed some promise this weekend. They may have still lost (a sixth in a row) to Leicester, but there was definitely something better about this Sharks’ performance. Disorganisation in defence and a quick throw-in saw the ball in Mark Cueto’s hands, he sent it out wide for Rob Miller and the fullback crossed in the corner. Leicester struggled to get any momentum in the first half and saw Vereniki Goneva sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on. An unfortunate knock-on saw a try disallowed before the half; the ref being spot-on but checking with the TMO anyway. The Tigers started a recovery in the second half; Ben Youngs crossing the try line. Nothing flashy, but it didn’t have to be. George Ford added two penalties which saw the visiters take the victory. Despite the loss, the Sharks showed some promise. There’s still a lot to work on, but hopefully the new forwards coach will ignite a revival.
Bath travelled to Kinsholm to prove that they could win without the kicking prowess of Olly Barkley. Big shoes for World Cup winner, Stephen Donald, to fill. He must have been feeling the expectation as he broke free and executed a precise dissection of the Gloucester defence which ended in his touching down in under a minute of play! Bath would almost go two tries up minutes later when Kyle Eastmond seemed to have gotten an offload off to Nick Abendanon, but a quick check with the TMO saw that Eastmond was in touch when he threw the pass. Irishman, Shane Monahan burst to life and was denied a try for what seemed to be a second movement on the line. He continued to be a workhorse, putting in a match-winning performance for the Cherry & Whites. James Simpson-Daniel used an excellent two on one situation to feed, fullback, Rob Cook for Gloucester’s only try but it was Freddie Burns’ drop-goal that sealed the win for Gloucester on home soil.
The Chiefs would hope to continue their form this weekend when they met Harlequins at Sandy Park. They got off to a great start when Luke Arscott broke the gain line which resulted in a wide ball to prop, Brett Sturgess, who ran in and put it under the sticks. Nick Evans kicked some early beauts for the visitors before crossing the whitewash himself to give Quins a fighting chance. But it wasn’t until Ugo Moyne scored and Evans converted that the visitors, and champions, took the lead. Three minutes into the second half Exeter regained the lead through blindside flanker, Ben White. The second half went on that way; scores exchanged and both sides very much involved in the contest. Sireli Naqelevuki was last to score when he touched down two minutes before time. A victory for the Chiefs sees them in good shape before their Heineken Cup match with Leinster next week; whilst a second defeat for Quins will not be good enough for Conor O’Shea.
The rest of the games this weekend saw London Irish beat Northampton 39-17. Tries from Joseph, Paice, Ojo and Gibson giving Irish the much-needed bonus point victory. Jonathan Joseph’s performance was the highlight of the game; linking up well wingers, Topsy Ojo and Marland Yarde on numerous occasions. Elsewhere, London Welsh finally got to play Gavin Henson, after his pre-season injury had seen him miss the first five weeks of action. An early yellow card for the homeside never stopped them as they scored within three minutes of going a man down. As commendable as that was, it was no match for Charlie Hodgson and Sarries. The fly-half scored all of Saracens points including a try, conversion and seven penalties. Henson’s debut spoilt by an Englishman, but at least he was good from the boot with five successive kicks to his tallie.
In the weekend’s final game, Wasps saw out the Warriors, but just barely. Simon McIntyre crossed the line early for the Wasps giving them the upperhand. Stephen Jones slotted a penalty and brought the half-time score to 10-0. Worcester managed two scores from the boot of Andy Goode, but the Wasps hung on to claim victory. There was no control or momentum or phase play from either team. A nice chip over the top to Christian Wade; who couldn’t control and knocks on was the best chance of the second half. Not exciting rugby, but it can’t all be free-flowing and champagne-esque. We take a break now whilst the Heineken kicks off next week but I’ll see you soon for more Premiership action.
Results
Sale Sharks 8-20 Leicester Tigers
Gloucester Rugby 16-10 Bath Rugby
Exeter Chiefs 42-28 Harlequins
London Irish 39-17 Northampton Saints
London Welsh 23-28 Saracens
London Wasps 10-6 Worcester Warriors
NEXT ROUND
Friday, 26 October 2012
Worcester v Sale, 20:00
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Bath v Exeter, 14:30
Northampton v Saracens, 15:00
Gloucester v Leicester, 16:45
Sunday, 28 October 2012
London Irish v Harlequins, 14:15
Wasps v London Welsh, 15:00
Felix (@lightningrust): Blogger, eternal student of business & law, sunshine rugby player with a passion for music and fitness. Coffee is essential. Leinster fan and Irish proud.
