The Aviva Premiership is now five rounds in and the early matches have certainly thrown up plenty of exciting rugby and many shocks. There has been some predictably strong performances from the pre-season favourites and some predictably poor performances from the relegation candidates, however there has certainly been some teams who will not have expected the results from their first five games.
Undoubtedly the stars of the season so far have been Bath; having had huge investment in the club over the last few years it looks like they have finally realised their potential. Having left Welford Road in 2013, some of George Ford’s performances so far will have brought heartbreak to Leicester Tigers fans, especially when he orchestrated a humiliation over his old team at the Rec when Bath succumbed the Tigers to their heaviest ever defeat, 45-0. Fortunes and performances for the two sides since that game could not be more contrasting with Leicester losing three straight matches for the first time in five seasons and Bath finishing week five by beating Saracens and achieving second spot in the table.
Saracens have been their typical consistent selves with four wins from five; their most resounding victory was the battering of Harlequins on their own patch in week two. Also showing good form are Northampton Saints who have won four and are currently top of the league. Among the mid-table pack, Gloucester and Harlequins have produced performances that have been both sublime and ridiculous, Sale began with two defeats before two wins from three, while London Wasps and London Irish have had decent starts with wins over big boys Northampton and Leicester respectively.
Wasps were the big newsmakers this week, announcing a controversial move to the Ricoh Arena in December (a ground over 80miles from their current home, Adams park). As many people predicted, London Welsh have really struggled. They have been especially weak defensively, having leaked almost 250 points so far. Newcastle have only been slightly better, securing just one win so far.
Stuart Lancaster will be concerned with the form of scrum-halves Danny Care and Ben Youngs and also with injuries to some key players including Manu Tuilagi and Alex Corbisiero. On the other hand, Lancaster will be delighted with the form of all five English fly-halves. George Ford will probably lead the challenge on Owen Farrell’s no.10 shirt in the autumn internationals, but the form of Stephen Myler, Freddie Burns and Danny Cipriani has also caught the eye of the international rugby world.
Within the next few weeks we will see the emergence of European rugby once more and there will be tests for all of the English teams as they attempt to overcome the French and Irish domination of the event in the last few years.
After that, the eyes will turn to the international stage as the home nations challenge the Southern Hemisphere giants for the last time before the 2015 World Cup.
Chris Chadburn
Image courtesy of www.bbcrugby