Gallagher Premiership Review: Round 4
Duncan Weir produced an excellent display as Worcester edged past Leicester Tigers in a thriller
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The drama keeps on coming. A remarkable game at Leicester, Bristol continue to impress and concern at Sale were all taking points in Round Four of the Gallagher Premiership and Joe Harvey reviews the action for TRU.
Friday
Newcastle Falcons 17 – 24 Exeter Chiefs
The Friday night lights offered up another superb display of rugby when Exeter Chiefs visited Kingston Park to play a Falcons side who had ground out their first win of the season at Worcester the previous week.
It was the hosts that started the brighter as late call-up Zach Kibirige was put through by Johnny Williams to score a try; the young winger looking sharp on his first start of the season. Toby Flood added the extras, but the lead didn’t last for long.
Sam Simmonds then got onto the scoresheet twice before the half was out. The number eight bundled over the line for his first try, allowing his younger brother to get his first two points of the night.
Perhaps overshadowed by the omission of Danny Cipriani, people may have not noticed that Sam Simmonds was left out of the England squad as well. The back-row scored his second try off the back of a driving maul, with Joe Simmonds adding two again.
Falcons ended the half with a penalty from the ever-reliable Toby Flood. Joe Simmonds started the second half with a penalty to keep Chiefs ahead. Williams then scored a try after Tom Arscott put the ball back inside to the former London Irish man.
Flood added the two points, but the veteran fly-half was sin-binned with under 20 minutes to go. During this time, Matt Kvesic benefitted from another driving maul that allowed Gareth Steenson to put the game beyond doubt.
Saturday
Bath Rugby 17 – 15 Northampton Saints
On what was a very, very wet afternoon at the Rec, Cobus Reinach scored the first try of the afternoon after he kicked through a loose ball to beat the Bath defence and put Saints in front. Dan Biggar kicked the extra points.
Freddie Burns then opened Bath’s scoring with an intercept from a Reinach pass. The England international sprinted for 70 meters, continuously impressing in his run as the starting fly-half. Burns converted his own try and was the first player on the scoresheet in the second half with a penalty.
Bath extended their lead when Joe Cokanasiga got on the end of an Elliott Stooke looping pass that allowed the young winger to score his third try in two games. Burns converted the score, but Saints were hot on the heels of Bath with a Biggar penalty.
Saints came close to equalising the score in the 78th when Tom Collins burst through on the blindside to evade the Bath defence. Biggar missed the kick that could have drawn the scores level, cannoning the ball off the post.
Bristol Bears 20 – 13 Harlequins
Well, this perhaps wasn’t the best display of rugby, but Bristol are back to winning ways after this performance at Ashton Gate. Quins started much the brighter. Danny Care continued to look sharp after his summer off England duty, running through the gap left by Ian Madigan.
Scottish international James Lang carried on his good form for Quins, converting Care’s try and slotting a penalty seven minutes later. Madigan then started the fight back for Bristol with a 19th minute penalty.
Piers O’Connor brought the scores even closer after the full-back got over the line following Andy Uren’s impressive long pass from the base of the ruck. The first half ended with a Madigan penalty, giving the Bears a one-point advantage at the start of the second period.
The second 40 was just a series of penalties. Harlequins had Ben Tapuai, Joe Marler and Paul Lasike in the sin bin at some point in the game, suggesting that Quins may need to work on their discipline. Madigan scored three penalties to give Bristol their second win of the season.
Sale Sharks 13 – 31 Wasps
Sale came right out of the blocks in this game as Jono Ross went over the line after just 83 seconds following a yellow-card shown to Nathan Hughes for an infringement close to the try-line.
AJ MacGinty converted his captain’s try before trading penalties with Lima Sopoaga. Wasps started to grow into the game more and more. Nizaam Carr latched onto a Dan Robson offload to score, allowing Sopoaga to bag an extra two points.
Winger Josh Bassett then gave Wasps the lead following Michael Le Bourgeois' pass that gave Bassett enough space to power over in the corner. Sopoaga duly converted bringing in half-time. MacGinty started the scoring in the second half with a 45th minute penalty, ending Sale’s scoring that afternoon.
Young tighthead prop Will Stuart then leaped over the line to extend Wasps’ lead in Manchester with his score coming moments after Ben Curry’s yellow card.
And it was Hughes that finished the scoring as he redeemed his previous errors with a 77th minute try that would be converted, charging through the Sharks defence.
Leicester Tigers 37 – 44 Worcester Warriors
What a game this was. Warriors flew out of the blocks with Scottish international Duncan Weir scoring three quickfire tries before the 10-minute mark, converting each of his efforts in what was a brilliant day for Worcester at Welford Road.
George Ford put Tigers on the scoreboard with two penalties, just prior to Weir’s two kicks from the tee. Jack Singleton then scored a try when the hooker was stood out on the wing, allowing Weir to earn another two points.
Leicester started to get more of a foothold in the game with a Guy Thompson try off the back of a driving maul, that Ford was unable to convert. Warriors legend Chris Pennell then went over in the corner, but Weir couldn’t add the extras.
Worcester started the second half on top yet again. Ted Hill smashed his way over the line with ease, giving Pennell a conversion to score. Jonny May then started the Leicester fightback with another try, just minutes before scores from David Denton and Sione Kalamafoni that reduced the deficit.
The scores were made even after Ford converted his own try with five minutes left on the clock. However, Worcester did come out victorious as Hill scored his second try of the game as a replacement, giving Warriors the victory. Weir converted the score to secure the win.
Saracens 38 – 15 Gloucester Rugby
This was probably a game to forget for the Gloucester faithful. Playing at Allianz Park was always going to be a tough afternoon for the Cherry and Whites. Owen Farrell landed a penalty early on, just moments before David Strettle scored yet another try and allowed Farrell two more points.
Sarries were dominant throughout. Maro Itoje scored two tries that were converted by Farrell. Itoje’s efforts came either side of a Billy Twelvetree’s penalty. Sarries would be unanswered until the 70th minute.
Scoring through Scotland international Sean Maitland and the really impressive Alex Lozowski, Farrell converted his teammate’s efforts to extend Sarries’ lead to 38-3. Sarries seemed to take their foot off the pedal with 10 minutes to go and Gloucester responded.
Mark Atkinson and Charlie Sharples went over to make the scoreline look more respectable and Twelvetrees added another two points from the tee on a difficult afternoon for Johan Ackermann’s side.
