Gallagher Premiership XV of the Week - Round 11
Round 11 marked the final weekend of Gallagher Premiership action of 2018 and it’s fair to say that the competition signed off in style for the calendar year.
Northampton Saints got the ball rolling by beating table-topping Exeter Chiefs, 31-28, at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night, before 82,000 packed out Twickenham to see Harlequins down former local boys Wasps, 20-13. Sale Sharks picked up an invaluable bonus point win on the road, too, beating Gloucester, 30-15, at Kingsholm.
We have rounded up the top performers from the weekend’s action below.
(* denotes RugbyPass Index score)
- Mike Brown, Harlequins (66)
Another robust performance from Brown, who is clearly channelling his inner-Samson, as the full-back owned the skies and diffused the bombs that Wasps put up to test him. He challenged the defence with his own counter-attacks and regularly showed the awareness and handling skills to bring teammates into play, something which seems to remain an outdated criticism of the England international.
Bristol Bears’ Charles Piutau was another full-back to shine this weekend.
- Luke Morahan, Bristol Bears (52)
Worcester’s Bryce Heem really pushed Morahan here, but the Australian just shades it based on what was a pivotal impact in Bristol’s invaluable win over Newcastle Falcons. He consistently made hay on the right wing and was duly rewarded with a try in the second half. The wing keeps stepping up to the plate in big home games at Ashton Gate and his tries are going a long way to securing Bristol’s Premiership status.
- Fraser Dingwall, Northampton Saints (62)
Dingwall was an early replacement for the injured Piers Francis and maintained the recent form which has seen him become a semi-regular starter for Saints this season. His defensive work was as impressive as usual, including an important try-saving tackle in the first half, as he shut down any width that Exeter tried to get. He got a deserved try for his efforts just before half time and showed up with his running lines and solid passing game.
- James O’Connor, Sale Sharks (70)
The Australian mixed it up nicely outside of Rob du Preez and was frequently Sale’s attacking spark plug at Kingsholm. His support-running and incisive passing was summed up well by his work in the build-up to Faf de Klerk’s try late in the first half. His chemistry with Sam James had Sale looking like a potent offensive force, despite Gloucester having the lion’s share of possession.
- Jonny May, Leicester Tigers (75)
Made an immediate impact at the Rec, scoring a try after just two minutes, and though Bath controlled much of the possession during the game, May was in ominously dangerous form any time he got his hands on the ball. He hurt Bath as a counter-attacker and kept phases alive with some neat inside passes and offloads.
- Dan Biggar, Northampton Saints (75)
Despite not being given a mass of possession – or even territory – to work with, Biggar controlled the game well for Northampton and helped create the attacking opportunities that Saints thrived on, displaying a clinical edge that they will hope they can replicate over the coming weeks. The Welshman manipulated the space around him expertly and frequently put players through holes, as well as contributing 16 points with the boot.
- Cobus Reinach, Northampton Saints (69)
Two big nods to de Klerk and Francois Hougaard, in what is rapidly becoming the year of the South African scrum-half in the Premiership, but Reinach snaps up this spot for the second week in a row with an excellent all-round showing against Exeter. The nine picked up another intercept try, but it was his busy, swift service from the base and eye for a gap that really shone in Saints’ energetic showing on home soil.
https://twitter.com/premrugby/status/1078969114008473600
- Ben Moon, Exeter Chiefs (89)
Exeter may have been on the losing side at Franklin’s Gardens but that didn’t stop their forward pack from having one of the more dominant performances in the Premiership this season. Moon ripped into Paul Hill and had Northampton backpedalling for much of the game and even popped up with a try shortly after half time.
- George McGuigan, Newcastle Falcons (62)
The hooker gave Newcastle a strong and efficient platform from the lineout, as well as stepping up as his side’s most willing carrier from rucks and as a first receiver. He flourished in both of those areas, whilst his ability to quickly hook the ball at the scrum gave Newcastle another method for attacking the Bristol defence.
- Harry Williams, Exeter Chiefs (87)
A similar story to one of Moon this weekend, with Williams enjoying a very profitable afternoon at the set-piece. Alex Waller was consistently being pinged at the scrum and struggled to live with the power that Williams was bringing to bear. Northampton’s high-tempo, keep phases alive style was too much for Exeter, but both props distinguished themselves in the one battle Exeter won emphatically.
- Will Skelton, Saracens (86)
On a day when Saracens looked slightly short of their usual power-heavy forward play, Skelton stepped up with multiple impactful carries that kept his side moving forward and allowed them to claw back the early two-score deficit they coughed up. With Maro Itoje absent through injury, Skelton picked up the attacking and ball-carrying slack, whilst George Kruis impressed on the defensive side of the ball.
- Courtney Lawes, Northampton Saints (72)
Although Northampton were struggling at the scrum on Friday night, they were excelling at the lineout and that was in no small part due to the work of Lawes. The lock was a reliable target in attack, but it was in defence where he really shone, regularly disrupting and stealing ball from the usually ultra-reliable Exeter set-piece. Unsurprisingly, his solo tackling was also in fine shape at the Gardens, making a number of momentum-shifting – and legal – hits on Exeter carriers.
- Alex Dombrandt, Harlequins (63)
A clever lineout move and good handling skills brought Dombrandt a try just a minute into the game, before the flanker exerted his power with ball in hand during the rest of the first half. As Wasps began to take control of the flow of the game in the second half, it was his ability to prevent Wasps’ carriers getting over the gain line that singled him out as one of the weekend’s top performers.
- Sam Underhill, Bath (65)
The flanker really imposed his will on Leicester at the breakdown, denying them any consistent source of ball-security at the contact area. He added to that with a textbook rip on Matt Toomua in the first half, whilst his powerful punches as a carrier helped keep Bath moving forward despite losing Nathan Catt and Matt Garvey early. He complemented Francois Louw at number eight well, but unfortunately had to leave the field in the 47th minute with an ankle injury.
- Ben Earl, Saracens (84)
Earl saw off stiff competition from Matt Kvesic and Ben Morgan, as he helped Saracens survive an uncharacteristic slow start to the game. His work at the breakdown and as a carrier was key in first denying Worcester scoring opportunities in the Saracens 22, before helping launch attacks that brought his side a key 10-point revival towards the end of the half. His efficiency at the contact area, with Saracens very rarely flooding the breakdown with numbers, was critical in their comeback against a spirited Worcester side.
Watch: Exceptional Stories – Henry Fraser.
Comments on RugbyPass
Hold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
39 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
1 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
5 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
39 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
39 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
4 Go to commentsBut here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.
39 Go to commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
39 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to commentsSinckler is a really big loss for English rugby.
2 Go to commentsThanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause
39 Go to comments