Derby scuffle, Gloucester surge and Christian Wade ties Ashton — Premiership talking points
Leicester Tigers and Northampton staged a heated East Midlands derby at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in round four of the Premiership this weekend, featuring a half-time scuffle and a second-half forwards onslaught from Leicester.
Across the five Premiership fixtures this weekend there were only 21 tries, a marked drop from the high-scoring matches earlier in the season — two weeks ago there were 18 tries in the Northampton against Bath game alone — and the abominable weather altered the complexion of round four while drama remained plentiful.
Leicester’s second-half display was built on a powerful set-piece and forward platform that, in the match account, was said to have shaken the Crumbie Stand and evoked the ABC Club era; the game was played on the edge in front of a febrile sell-out crowd.
A major scuffle broke out on the stroke of half-time with England team-mates Henry Pollock and Ollie Chessum heavily involved, but thirteen of those involved in the derby met up for dinner in the England camp on Sunday. "This fixture always has some heat behind it, and we know it means a lot to each other and to the fans," Leicester and England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet explained to BBC Radio 5 Live. "We just try and put all our heart on to the pitch. Sometimes it boils over into a little scuffle, but we will go and have a beer with them now. That's what rugby is about. You play fierce with each other and then enjoy each other's company."
Northampton remain the reigning champions and are still regarded as the team to beat, but the Tigers have taught the Saints a lesson twice in six months at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. Saints supporters may take comfort from the title being decided in May and June, yet Phil Dowson will want his side to be as effective in the wet as they are in the dry.
Gloucester have accumulated bullish results this month, following an opening-round win at Exeter, a heavy victory over Harlequins and a Champions Cup draw with Bordeaux by adding a Friday-night win over Bath at Kingsholm. The Cherry and Whites were praised for being tough up front and lively out wide, with centre Will Joseph rewarded with an England recall and Jac Morgan described as the signing of the season so far; "If you don't believe after these two weeks how good we could be then I don't know what you can do to get any more belief," said Glos boss George Skivington. Gloucester’s defence steadied them against a Bath first-half onslaught and they sit top of the Premiership after the opening four games.
Christian Wade scored for Newcastle Red Bulls in their victory over Sale to draw level with Chris Ashton's all-time Premiership record of 101 scores, and the 35-year-old's route to that mark included spells with five different teams and three different sports since leaving Wasps in 2018. Newcastle are progressing more quickly this term, having secured a win by the end of October unlike last season when their first success did not come until round nine and the new year.
A few weeks ago Harlequins looked in crisis after a chastening 48-0 defeat at Gloucester, but they have since pushed Sale close, easily beaten French side Vannes and dispatched London rivals Saracens, with Marcus Smith prominent on his 200th appearance. Sale have followed an impressive win at Sarries with a series of poor performances, and Sale's next fixture sees the Sharks travel to Bath, who themselves are described as stuttering after three defeats in a row.
After just four rounds the table is already fractured: Gloucester occupy the top spot while Harlequins sit bottom, and results around the league have formed a loop — Gloucester beat Bath, who beat Exeter, who beat Newcastle, who beat Sale, who beat Saracens, who beat Leicester, who beat Northampton, who beat Bath but lost to Bristol, who lost to Saracens, who lost to Quins — a pattern that, by the report's final note, suggests "it looks like it will be one of those seasons."