Best of the Weekend: Ospreys maintain perfect start, Tigers finally win

Bath Get Yellow (Card) Fever, Welsh remain winless

It was another sparkling and varied weekend of Premiership action but one of the most eye-catching games was a gritty and ugly affair on the Friday night under the Welford Road lights. Leicester avoided a fourth straight defeat for the first time in a decade with a win against Harlequins that involved stripping their display back to basics – there was nothing flash, but the pack won the collisions for the first time since the opening weekend against Newcastle and they played a superior kicking game, meaning that they were largely on top in the territory and possession stakes. An early try from Blaine Scully put the hosts ahead and there they stayed, with strong performances from Jamie Gibson, Graham Kitchener and Ben Youngs, although Quins briefly threatened a comeback with a sniping score from Karl Dickson. The score remained in Leicester’s favour though – it’s a start, although it was certainly one for the purists.

Although Tigers vs Quins had a surprisingly ‘mid-table’ feel about it, there was little doubt that that the game at the Kassam stadium was already a relegation eight-pointer. London Welsh simply had to win – if they can’t beat fellow strugglers Newcastle at home, then it’s hard to see where they will pick up points – but unfortunately they were on the end of another straightforward victory. The plus side for the hosts was that they avoided conceding more than 40 for the first time this season, and they did have opportunities to score – but they couldn’t finish a Sunday roast in attack. The Falcons, on the other hand, crossed for three, and after 21 games without a win, they now have two in two…and daylight between themselves and the relegation spots.

Elsewhere, there was drama at Adams park, but this time it occurred on the field as Wasps held off a late Bath fightback after the West Country side had been reduced to 12 men at one point. With both sides creating plenty in attack in an entertaining display, it was Wasps who were in control via Andy Goode’s boot even before Leroy Houston saw yellow for a dangerous clearout on Joe Simpson, before Dave Wilson was sent from the pitch for a trip and Mickey Young was sent to the bin for a cynical early tackle on Christian Wade, conceding a penalty try in the process. A score from Salosi Tagicakibau took Wasps to 29 – 0, but unanswered scores from Jonathan Joseph, Mickey Young and Dave Sisi ensured a nervy finish, with the final score settling at 29 – 22.

In the other games there was an ominously straightforward win for Northampton at home against Sale, with the hosts looking every bit like the reigning champions and the home crowd being treated to a Samu Manoa hat-trick, whilst Exeter enjoyed similar dominance at home against a London Irish side who were expected to put up more of a fight. Saracens picked up a win at home as well, although they were made to work hard for it by a Gloucester side that has finally found its mojo.

Premiership Star Man: Samu Manoa

Ospreys win Welsh derby to maintain 100% record

It was another convincing display by one of the Welsh regions at the weekend, with the Ospreys defeating the Blues 26 – 15 at the Liberty Stadium in a result which perhaps didn’t do justice to the hosts’ dominance. The men in black dominated territory and possession throughout, forcing their visitors onto the backfoot and earning plenty of penalties for the reliable Dan Biggar to stroke over. Lions captain Sam Warburton also saw yellow as a result of the pressure, and Ospreys full back Dan Evans was able to take advantage to cross for a score, giving the hosts a 19 – 3 lead at the break. Rhys Webb rubber-stamped the victory with a try that needed referring to the TMO, but the Blues scored two late consolation to tries through Lloyd Williams and Kristian Dacey to add a misleading respectability to the result.

Elsewhere, fellow pace-setters Glasgow were finally downed in style as Ulster thumped them 29 – 9 at Ravenhill, with Ian Humphreys booting 19 points to compliment tries from Tommy Bowe and Craig Gilroy. There were also wins for the other Irish provinces – although none featured highly in the entertainment stakes – with Leinster scuffing their way to a 20 – 3 win in Zebre, Connacht scrapping to a dour 9 – 3 win in Treviso and Munster stuttering to a 17 – 6 win over the Scarlets at home. In the other match up of the weekend, Edinburgh halted their run of disappointing results with a morale boosting 24 – 10 win over the Dragons at Murrayfield.

Guiness Pro12 Star Man: Rhys Webb

Controversy overshadows Paris derby

Stade Francais continued to raise eyebrows this weekend with another win over one of the ‘big boys’ – this time Racing Metro. In a tight affair the hosts came out 23 – 19 on top despite being outscored three tries to one, with Alexandre Dumoulin, Johan Goosen and Benjamin Dambielle crossing for Racing. Stade’s first half score from Julien Arias proved to be crucial, but unfortunately, it should never have been given. Upon referring the incident to the TMO, replays showed Arias held up marginally short and bundled into touch – the video referee even seemed to indicate as much – before referee Jacob Van Heerden awarded the try nonetheless. It was enough to throw Racing coach Laurent Labit into a classic case of Gallic rage, labelling the refereeing performance as a ‘parody’.

There’s been precious little for Toulouse fans to laugh at this year, as a series of woeful displays left the French giants almost at the bottom of the heap, but an impressive win over champions Toulon at home would have helped eased the pressure on the side. The hosts scored twice through Gael Fickou and Yoann Huget, with Bryan Habana responding for the visitors, to claim a deserved win – but Toulon at least had the good news that Leigh Halfpenny came through his debut game without too much trouble.

Elsewhere, there were convincing home wins for Bordeaux (their second huge home win over a top four side from last season in succession), Clermont and Montpellier, with Lyon and Grenoble winning slightly more tense affairs – with the latter edging Brive by just one point, thanks largely to a missed conversion by a cramp-ridden Gaetan Germain three minutes from time. As it was, it was seven home wins out of seven once again in the French league.

Top 14 Star Man: Metuisela Talebulamaijaina

Hero of the Week: It probably goes without saying that it’s the hat-trick man, Samu Manoa. The number eight was in an indomitable mood for the Saints, but the tries only told half the story of the American’s game – he was superb in both attack and defence.

Villain of the Week: You could make a strong case for any Bath’s yellow carders, but really we have to side with Laurent Labit and point the finger at Jacob Van Heerden. I don’t think we’ll cry ‘conspiracy’ like the Racing coach, but what’s the point in having a TMO if you won’t listen to him?

Try of the Week: In a game where they were well and truly second best, Sale Sharks could at least brag to have scored the try of the game through Mark Jennings, with the centre finishing off a sweeping move that owed a lot to the perfect timing of the passes. Skip to 1.34 in the video below to see it.

Video credit: Premiership Rugby

By Mike Cooper (@RuckedOver)

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images