Aviva Premiership 2014/15 Round 1 Review

Northampton set the ball rolling against the transfer kings, Gloucester, with the other 'top' teams following suit later that weekend. Predictable wins across the board, if the last seasons Premiership was anything to go by, but it was the abundance of points that was the real eye opener in Round 1!

On Friday Night Aviva Premiership Rugby kicked off with an almighty showcase from the current Champions as the Northampton Saints brushed aside Gloucester Rugby with ease. The Cherry and Whites arrived at Franklin’s Gardens full of heart and ambition and were eager to show what they could do however the home side never allowed them into the match. Saints’ proved that a settled team can indeed be a great one as their knowledge of each other shone through and from one to twenty three they delivered expert performances. The most assured were from George North and Stephen Myler; North’s natural ability and pure strength is something to behold and his three tries were well deserved whilst Myler played a mature and classy game at fly half to orchestrate everything in attack. In defence the Saints crushed Gloucester and didn’t allow them to have any form of front foot ball with Afoa and Hibbard being squeezed up front by Hartley and Corbisiero. On a small positive note James Hook’s quality shone through however overall it was a tough, tough night for Cherry and Whites. Their Director of Rugby David Humphreys gave an eloquent and poised interview following the game stating ‘there was always the potential for this to happen, we worked for and hoped that it wouldn’t but it did. We have a lot to work on, not just this week but over the coming months’. Jim Mallinder naturally was delighted with his side, he admitted to ‘waking up with the nerves’ on Friday morning however he will have gone to bed a happy man after such an impressive display. Final Score Northampton Saints 53 Gloucester Rugby 6

Saracens and Wasps had the honour of opening the 2014 London Double Header and they did so in dramatic fashion. For the opening forty Saracens showcased exactly why they were the Aviva Premiership and Heineken Cup Finalists last season, their line speed was phenomenal and they stifled Wasps from the word go. After signing brilliantly over the summer Wasps didn’t fill any of their potential in half one, they gave away penalty after penalty and couldn’t finish anything off. It is fair to say that Dai Young must have read the riot act at during the interval because after the break the match turned on its head. One try from Nathan Hughes followed by two from Christian Wade, who looked sharper than ever out wide, swung the momentum in Wasps’ favour. Their fight back was gallant and impressive and at 28-27 it looked like for once it was to be their day. However Saracens kept cool and this time the final minute TMO decision went their way and when their own winger, David Strettle, was rewarded with 5 points for the third time in one day. Following the match Mark McCall admitted that his side ‘weren’t at their best’ but wasn’t overly concerned about that fact. Naturally Dai Young was frustrated and spoke frankly saying that ‘he was getting a little tired of saying the same things over and over again’ to his side. Both teams must raise their games before Round 2 as Saracens face Harlequins at The Stoop on Friday night, whilst Wasps host the Northampton Saints at Adams Park on Sunday.  Final Score Saracens 34 Wasps 28

The second match at Twickenham was between Harlequins and London Irish, and it is fair to say that it didn’t quite have as much spice as the first. In the first forty minutes Harlequins, like Saracens and the Northampton Saints, looked like a settled club, a side confident in their own abilities and fresh after a summer of intense conditioning. In contrast London Irish were struggling to find their feet slightly and after ten minutes received a bitter blow as Tom Homer limped off the field injured. Brian Smith later confirmed that his full back had damaged ligaments in his knee and Homer’s presence will be missed whilst he, once again, battles to regain his fitness. For Harlequins’ Danny Care and Mike Brown were as sharp as ever whilst Ugo Moyne reminded us how well he can finish a try, before leaving the field due to a groin strain. The break freshened London Irish and after they held much of the possession however they struggled to really penetrate through the gain line and in the end their only source of points was from the boot of Shane Geraghty’s. Once the final whistle had blown neither Director of Rugby was wholly satisfied however as Conor O’Shea rightly pointed out; ‘there aren’t any trophies awarded after Round 1, it is simply the start of a marathon’. Final Score Harlequins 20 London Irish 15

At the AJ Bell Stadium the rugby season kicked off in dramatic fashion however for Sale Sharks fans it wasn’t the ending that they would have penned. Sale have been quietly going about their pre-season campaign and were set on causing an upset in Round 1 however they conceded a try after just 60 seconds following a pin point cross field kick from George Ford to winger Anthony Watson. Ford’s boot kept Bath’s score board ticking over and Sale’s opening three points eventually arrived after Dominic Day flattened Danny Cipriani in a tackle that earned him ten minutes in the sin bin. In the second forty the Sharks showed their resilience and took a single point lead with 15 minutes to go however Ford once again proved to be the difference setting up Semesa Rokodunugi’s try, slotting the conversion and adding a further penalty. His master-class performance was sure to be noted by Stuart Lancaster who was sat in the crowd and in Steve Diamond’s eyes he was the difference. It was an annoying loss for the home side compounded by injuries to their captain Dan Braid and winger Mark Cueto whilst Bath’s over-riding emotion will be one of relief after their Head Coach described them as being a little ‘rusty’. Now it is onwards and upwards for both sides as Bath host London Welsh at The Rec whilst Sale made the trip down to David Humprehys’ Gloucester at Kingsholm. Final Score Sale Sharks 20 Bath Rugby 29 

Welford Road was treated to a rugby spectacle by their Fijian treasure Vereniki Goneva, he is a quiet and humble man off the pitch but on it he is the loudest of men. Goneva’s hat trick of tries sealed the deal on what was a fairly but not altogether satisfying afternoon for the Tigers as Richard Cockerill explained; "It was the perfect start from the result point of view but a pretty scrappy start. It was a potential banana skin and we'll take it.” The Falcons arrived bright eyed and seemingly unafraid of the daunting task ahead of them and for eighty minutes they put in a strong performance. Sinoti Sinoti continued where he left off last season carrying well and tries from Richard Mayhew and Andy Saull epitomised their never say die attitude. For the home side Freddie Burns started off his Tigers career with an assured performance and with no less than thirteen players unavailable for selection due to injury Leicester proved that their depth is stronger than ever. Job done and five points for the Leicester Tigers whilst for the Falcons it was an encouraging start to their Aviva Premiership campaign. Final Score Leicester Tigers 36 Newcastle Falcons 17 

The final match of the weekend was at the Kassam Stadium where London Welsh hosted Rob Baxter’s Exeter Chiefs. It was a rude awakening for London Welsh as Exeter scored eight tries and Welsh were found lacking. Much had been discussed before kickoff regarding the new half back pairing of Weepu and Barkley however neither really got into their stride during the time that they were on the pitch. For the first 10 minutes Justin Burnell’s side looked fresh and exciting, they enjoyed a decent share of possession and were encroaching on the first score of the game. However Exeter had other ideas and their score from a turnover deep in their own half took all of the wind out of Welsh’s sails and from there on in it was one way traffic. Welsh’s defensive structure was in disarray for much of the game whilst Exeter were rampant. Thomas Waldrom almost joined the elite hat trick club of the weekend with two tries of his own and the young centre partnership of Sam Hill and Henry Slade were phenomenal. It was the dream start for Exeter and a nightmare for Welsh. Final Score London Welsh 0 Exeter Chiefs 52