Tom Curry staked a claim for this summer’s Lions tour with a powerful carrying and try-scoring display in Sale’s impressive 43-29 bonus-point win against Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop.
Harlequins defied the absence of their England stars to stun Saracens 23-12 after coming alive in the second half of their Gallagher Premiership clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Harlequins saw their Investec Champions Cup campaign drift worryingly close to the rocks courtesy of a 33 - 14 defeat at the hands of Toulon.
Ollie Sleightholme, last season’s leading try scorer in the Gallagher Premiership, got off the mark for the season by scoring twice in Northampton’s comeback 33-29 victory over Harlequins.
It may have been an off-season with more star departures than arrivals in the Premiership but it never fails to entertain and it’s a big name off the field that’s going to provide the biggest shake-up.
Danny Care was fortunate to escape a red card as Harlequins claimed a controversial 41-32 win over Northampton in the Big Summer Kick-Off at Twickenham.
Arron Reed celebrated a century of appearances with a double as an entertaining Sale side outwitted Harlequins to win a 10-try thriller 37-31.
Two traditionally free-wheeling attacking sides have built huge victories on their set-piece excellence.
Marcus Smith provided the magic as Harlequins emerged from a second-half collapse to edge into the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals with a 28-24 victory over Glasgow Warriors.