TRU's Rugby Stock Watch - Week 3

Another jam-packed weekend of domestic rugby has given international coaches Stuart Lancaster, Warren Gatland, Joe Schmidt and Vern Cotter plenty to think about.

A resounding 45-0 victory for Bath against Leicester in the Aviva Premiership was certainly illuminating, as was Connacht’s resilient 10-9 victory over Leinster at The Sportsground. Scottish onlookers will have been pleased with a number of their potential internationals during Glasgow’s dominant 33-13 win at Rodney Parade against the Newport Gwent Dragons, whilst Gatland will have been frustrated by the form of some Cardiff Blues, who fell to their second successive home defeat, beaten 26-9 by Ulster.

Stock Rising

Dave Attwood, Bath and England

The dynamic lock was on top form in Bath’s rout of Leicester, displaying his non-stop engine with 15 tackles and leading all forwards in metres carried at The Rec. His opposite number, Geoff Parling, was one of the few Leicester players able to hold his head high after the game, but there can be no disputing that Attwood comprehensively outplayed the veteran. A few more performances of this calibre and Attwood will not only have locked up an England bench spot, he’ll also be pushing for first XV recognition.

Henry Slade, Exeter Chiefs and England

An immensely talented fly-half, Slade has demonstrated his impressive versatility so far this season, excelling at outside centre for the in-form Chiefs. Slade has plenty of experience playing inside of Sam Hill during his time with Exeter and England U20s, but the comfort and quality of his performances outside of his teammate have been extremely noteworthy. Though his future may be back at fly-half, Slade’s prospects are extremely bright, especially after signing a new long-term deal with the Chiefs last week.

Kieran Marmion, Connacht and Ireland

Displacing Conor Murray as Ireland’s first-choice scrum-half is an unenviable task but Marmion’s excellent showing against Leinster on Friday has done his prospects no harm at all. The lively scrum-half was a constant threat to Leinster’s defence, whilst his second half try, thanks to Jack Carty’s subsequent conversion, proved to be game-winning. At just 22 years of age, Marmion is already one of the better all-round players at his position in the northern hemisphere and could have just edged himself into pole position to back up Murray this autumn. 

Gareth Anscombe, Auckland and Wales (or New Zealand)

The Cardiff-bound back looked a step above his competition in Auckland’s 32-7 ITM Cup victory over North Harbour and will have both Gatland and Mark Hammett rubbing their hands in glee. Admittedly, Anscombe was helped by the presence of fellow Super Rugby regulars Lolagi Visinia and George Moala in his back line on Saturday, but it was his composure and distribution that allowed them cut the North Harbour defence to shreds.

Josh Strauss, Glasgow and Scotland (or South Africa)

With a limited word count to work with, this slot was almost a coin flip between Alex Dunbar and Strauss, but the marauding back row forward won out – just. So much of what Glasgow did well last season began with the work of Strauss, and the South African has certainly started this season as if the last one never ended. Strauss was pivotal in Glasgow’s opening win against Leinster, whilst he has since gone on to play instrumental roles in wins over both the Blues and the Dragons. Scotland and Cotter must be counting the days till Strauss qualifies for the national team on residency, lest South Africa turn a covetous eye towards one of their spurned sons.

Other Risers – George Moala, Kyle Eastmond, Semesa Rokoduguni, Simon Zebo, Alex Dunbar, Dave Ewers, Alex Lewington.

Stock Falling

Freddie Burns, Leicester Tigers and England

This is no criticism of Burns, who performed admirably against Bath with his team collapsing all around him, but a simple case of if you’re not taking a step forwards, you may as well be taking one back. George Ford looked the real deal for Bath, Danny Cipriani was the catalyst behind Sale’s comprehensive rout of London Welsh and Owen Farrell was solid for Saracens in his first start of the 2014/15 campaign. It’s been a positive start to the season for Burns, so this should not dent his prospects too heavily, but if Leicester continue to struggle on-field and with injuries, it could have an impact.

Moray Low, Exeter Chiefs and Scotland

The tighthead prop may have only been on the field for 30 minutes, but he was given a torrid time in the scrum by Gloucester. Although not in direct opposition to John Afoa, the Kiwi’s influence on the Gloucester front row, specifically their lower scrummaging height, was a real problem for Low, as he gave away successive scrum penalties. Low’s introduction coincided with a Gloucester resurgence and it was only thanks to a missed penalty from Greig Laidlaw at one of Low’s infringements, which meant Exeter escaped Kingsholm with a victory.      

Richard Hibbard, Gloucester and Wales

It was a tough night for Hibbard on Friday as he struggled to make his usual domineering impact in the loose. The Chiefs did a good job of shackling Hibbard on the gain line, whilst a number of missed tackles also contributed to an outing that falls well below the hooker’s usually high standards.

Fergus McFadden, Leinster and Ireland

McFadden has struggled to make an impact in a Leinster back line that has looked bereft of creativity this season. It’s hard to critique McFadden given that he has rarely received the ball in space this season, but with Simon Zebo soaring and coming off the back of a hat-trick against Zebre this weekend, McFadden’s international prospects could well be taking a hammering. 

Other Fallers – Greig Laidlaw, Adam Jones, Kieran Brookes.