Week 3: Roundup
Tight Five Team of the Week Round 3
Bristol Bears 25 - 20 Bath Rugby
MOTM: Kyle Sinckler
Top Performers Bristol: Sinckler, Kerr, Luatua
Top Performers Bath: Ojomoh, Muir, Bayliss
Summary
The West-Country derby at Ashton Gate did not live up to its usual high-scoring thrilling display. Instead, the rivals continued their sluggish start to the season with only some mild improvements. Bath were hard-done as they played the majority of the rugby and, despite a vast improvement from last week, left a number of points on the field from unnecessary mistakes.
Bristol, despite another undertone display, opened their W column for 2021-22. That is one of the only positives as Lam’s side looked lethargic at the ruck and stale in attack. Their lack of go-forward has been a problem in the opening rounds and they almost paid the price once again had it not been for Kerr’s incisive runs in the second half.
Bristol
Bristol’s entertaining style of Rugby has been unable to flourish early on in 2021-22. A combination of lacking go-forward, poor ruck retention and too many unforced errors plagued the Bears’ attack once again. Bath’s defence was far from exceptional. Bath had an 83% tackle success rate and yet Bristol were very lateral. Unable to capitalize on the line breaks that they did create 15 clean breaks and 15 Red Zone entries for a meagre 1.27 RZ efficiency.
Defensively Bristol did just enough. They dominated 32% of their collisions and managed to scramble very effectively on most of Bath’s attacking incisions. Jake Heenan was a standout performer making 16 tackles along with 14 carries. However, they also allowed 14 clean breaks, had 23 defenders beaten and could not use their defence as their first point of attack - a former strength of theirs last season. On a positive note, they conceded 8 defensive penalties and were 100% from the scrum, giving Bath very few easy opportunities, something that could not be said in Bristol’s last two outings.
Bath
Bath were much improved this week, but still far too imprecise to capitalise on their opportunities. Bath’s attack has shown glimpses of how dangerous it can be when firing on all cylinders - the Muir try showing just how talented a number of Bath players are at playing instinctive rugby. However, they still have the tendency of making an extra pass and at times just lack the accuracy in key moments - the Charlie Ewels knock-on butchering an almost certain try and well-worked move letting Bristol off the hook.
Defensively Bath must improve. They have the worst tackle success rate of any team this season at just 71% over 3 games. Only their scramble defence was effective on a number of occasions. Too often their defensive structure is out of shape. They allowed 15 clean breaks and completed 83% of their tackles. In particular, their defence off the lineout is sub-par and their set-piece has not been consistent enough to trouble teams for 80 minutes. With a 50% scrum success, and giving away 20 penalties, it is surprising that they kept the game this close.
Bath’s saving grace defensively is having one of the best players in World Rugby, in Sam Underhill, and their team despite their defensive flaws managed to win 9 turnovers and their attack on the counter, when precise, is very dangerous.
Northampton Saints 23 - 21 London Irish
MOTM:
Top Performers Northampton: Alex Coles, Dan Biggar, Fraser Dingwall
Top Performers London Irish: Agustin Creevy, Adam Coleman
Summary
The Saints came back pompous to the ‘Gardens’ having taken a significant scalp at Sandy Park last week. They started this game against Irish with all of that energy and came flying out of the blocks playing enterprising rugby that the Exiles just could not handle. As the game wore on, Northampton's discipline gave the Exiles a route back into the game, which Irish squandered by wasting Red Zone opportunities with errors and turnovers, proving costly.
Northampton
Northampton’s attack was excellent in the first half. Their tempo was excellent thanks to many ball-carriers relentlessly turning the corner at pace. Mitchell had hard running options with support always nearby and the ball-carriers really made a point of splitting defenders.
Off the back of the momentum that Northampton’s pack generated, Biggar was class. His ability to sell the out the back option keeps the outside defender guessing and this gives him and his teammates so much time on the ball. The kicking battle was also well-executed with Biggar varying between short jabs, aerial bombs and deep space finders, not to mention going 5/5 from the boot. Furbank also continued his hot-form to start the season with a polished display including a try assist grubber from the top drawer in terms of vision and execution.
Defensively the Saints set the tone with their kick-chase defence. Dingwall and Ludlam were excellent and led from the front. The Saints were solid up-front during phase play, constantly getting off the line and hitting London Irish’s forward pods backwards. The Saints tackled at 89% which is very high considering that they only had 38% of possession and had to make 130 tackles. Their collision dominance assisted in winning 7 crucial turnovers which stuttered Irish’s attack. However, their lineout maul was only as good in the first half as it was bad in the second half and they still must improve their set-piece as they were targeted at both scrum and lineout time (86% and 79% success respectively). Their poor discipline was also a large reason as to why Irish managed to keep this one close, 13 defensive penalties and 17 total penalties is far too many.
London Irish
London Irish once again struggled to get out the blocks and paid the price of their lethargy at the ruck. Their attacking ruck retention was a real problem as they conceded 7 of their 9 attacking penalties from Northampton jackals. Alongside their ill-discipline, their attacking variety was far too one-dimensional. Despite the weather, they had to be more pungent in attack, especially for a side with such skillful outside backs. They took 61% of their attacks off 9 and this sterile playmaking variation unsurprisingly resulted in a low Red Zone efficiency.
Defensively the Exiles struggled to slow down the ruck, turn the corner and subsequently were constantly on the back-foot. Despite their inability to attack the breakdown, their tackle success was excellent at 94% (assisted by the fact they had 62% possession). Their maul defence was also very solid throughout and their set-piece has been outstanding throughout the opening 3 rounds and was no different against Saints. Nonetheless, the real blemish on this performance was the ill-discipline, 17 penalties in total and a total brain-fade by Albert Tuisue gave Northampton the match in what had been a hard-graft performance by the Exiles.
Leicester Tigers 13 - 12 Saracens
MOTM: Hanro Liebenberg
Top Performers Leicester: Martin, Reffell,
Top Performers Saracens: Isiekwe, B Vunipola, Malins
Summary
Welford Road hosted what looked like a retro match from 2005. It was not pretty but Leicester squeezed out a win that’s worth its weight in gold. The Tigers did not play their best rugby in the wet conditions, but they did defend valiantly and through sheer desire edged their way to victory in the last 20. Despite Leicester’s brave efforts, Saracens lost this game after executing another Mark McCall masterclass for 79 minutes. Had it not been for a controversial late call we could be writing a very differently toned analysis of this game.
Leicester
This game could not be characterised in attack and defence and so we will discuss it as one. Brett Deacon (Forwards and Breakdown Coach) summed it up perfectly when he summarized this as “A game where you don’t want the ball”. Leicester’s new defence coach Kevin Sinfield has been rightly receiving high praise for the way they have defended in recent weeks and this victory against Saracens was a real testament to the sides’ resilience. Although they defended well and were relatively disciplined for the conditions, their ‘attacking’ game plan did not function properly. The Tigers’ kicking game was outmatched by Saracens and although they tried to mix it up with incredible playmaking variety which helped them achieve gainline success on 49% of occasions, they played in the wrong areas of the field for far too much of this game. In fact, Leicester were probably graced from defeat by a few rare Farrell penalty misses. Nonetheless, they did come away with the result and that is what counts. Leicester are back and they are back to their roots, and the Premiership is better for it.
Saracens
It is rare for Saracens to lose in an arm-wrestle, especially one where they controlled proceedings for about 70 minutes. Their kicking game was excellent, defensively they dominated 27% collision dominance and they kept the scoreboard ticking throughout the game. They kicked 77% of possession away but had an astounding 91% tackle success rate. Yet with about 20 minutes to go, slowly momentum swung and Saracens began conceding penalties which amassed to 20 in total, far too many chances given to their opposition. Despite the disappointment of losing a close match that they should have won, there are a lot of positives that this Saracens side can take into next week and the rest of the season. They are, after just 2 games, undoubtedly their old selves and their youngsters are embodying the Saracens style.
Newcastle Falcons 18 - 14 Wasps Rugby
MOTM:
Top Performers Newcastle: Carl Fearns, Callum Chick, McGuigan
Top Performers Wasps: Dan Robson, Gabe Oghre
Summary
Kingston Park hosted a real spectacle in the rain. Falcons played almost perfectly until a red-card flipped the script and all hope seemed despair for back-to-back victories for Newcastle, until a Callum Chick thriller try involving almost every player on the park clinched the result, deservedly, for the 14-men Falcons.
Newcastle Falcons
The Falcons' attack is simple, direct and effective. They know their skill sets and play accordingly. Whilst their 61% of ball off 9 may be one-dimensional, the intent and variety in their patterns of play make them hard to stop. Inside forward runners and lots of tip passes moving the Wasps defence around characterised the first stanza, culminating in a Carl Fearns try. Falcons got over the gainline 54% of the time and beat 15 defenders, however where they still struggle is to convert their attacking opportunities into points. Too often they play great rugby only to get turned over in the opposition 22 or run out of ideas. Louis Schreuder’s kicking game is really shrewd as he got an early 50/22 and put up contestable box kicks that bothered Wasps throughout the match. Despite the attacking opportunities, they only registered 9 visits to Wasps’ 22 for just 13 phases. Not only did they struggle to create try scoring opportunities, but youngster Will Haydon-Wood also failed to convert 2 kicks at goal.
Defensively Newcastle really took the sting out of Wasps’ attack. They won 8 turnovers but also had 18 defenders beaten along with Wasps managing gainline success a staggering 64% of the time in 108 carries. For a side that defends so well, they must dominate collisions better and stop momentum. To make matters more complicated, their discipline was below par, with Penny receiving a red card for a very unnecessary retaliation on Gopperth. They also conceded 15 penalties, which although it is a high number, given the context of the match was acceptable. To round out their defensive display, Newcastle were typically effective at the set-piece and their defence in the 22 was outstanding, holding Wasps to just 14 points in 21 visits, 7 points coming from an unfortunate and slow reaction from Will Welch that gifted Tom Willis his late go-ahead try.
Wasps
Wasps’ forwards really spearheaded a strong power game that was testified by their gainline success. The pack’s carries around the ruck were dynamic and purposeful. Wasps were not able to utilise the go forward to unleash their backs as Jacob Umaga had a tough day at the office. However, most of the attack (60%) comes off of Dan Robson who is in stellar form and has the ability to dart himself, pick the right man or dab a kick in behind. He is a large part as to why Wasps’ forwards got such great go-forward.
Defensively Wasps did not have to deal with a complex attack and managed to dominate 22% of their collisions progressively getting better as the game went on. Yet they did struggle to defend Newcastle’s structured play early on. They were unable to slow down Newcastle’s ruck ball and thus succumbed to the back foot but were simultaneously exceptional in their scramble defence, especially in saving the Callum Chick intercept runaway. As the game wore on, they turned defence into attack and most of their success came directly or indirectly from their 7 turnovers won, however they were heavily assisted playing with an extra man for the final 25 minutes of the contest.
Worcester Warriors 23 - 31 Gloucester
MOTM: Adam Hastings
Top Performers Worcester: Justin Clegg, Ollie Lawrence, Kyle Hatherell
Top Performers Gloucester: Adam Hastings, Andrew Davidson, Jack Singleton, Ruan Ackermann
Summary
This game was the first time Gloucester’s attack clicked all season. With Hastings running the show, the Cherry and Whites finally demonstrated the attacking prowess we knew they were capable of. With Gloucester on song, the number of unforced errors from the Warriors along with their questionable maul defence meant that they were behind the 8 ball for the entire game.
Worcester Warriors
Worcester played with a real emphasis on moving the ball in attack. Their touchline to touchline with lots of out the backs was focused on tiring the Gloucester defence, but they did not get the chance to string many phases together because of their errors. They weren’t able to string together attacking passages of play as they did against London Irish in round 1, because of their handling errors. In the last 10 minutes, the Warriors showed that with composure in the 22 they have the ability to score. Losing Owen Williams early on proved crucial as he has been a really effective operator for Worcester in just two games.
Defensively Worcester were sub-par. They really struggled with their Maul Defence in particular. The Warriors’ ill discipline around their own goal line continued to fuel the fire which was Gloucester’s maul, it ended up costing them with Ben Morgan and Chris Harris’ tries stemming from their inability to quash the Gloucester maul. As well as the maul, the aerial battle continued to put pressure on Worcester’s defence. Hasting’s kicking game, particularly the high ‘bomb’ kicks, troubled the Warriors all game. The compounding of these errors continued to put Worcester under defensive pressure all afternoon.
Gloucester
Gloucester started firing on all cylinders with their new international recruit, Adam Hastings, in the driver’s seat. The Scotsman’s man of the match performance included a deft kicking game and the ability to make the most of the strike weapons that Gloucester have. This win came off the back of patient phase play in the Red Zone. Recycling the ball well and not forcing it throughout the game led Gloucester to mount the pressure on Worcester throughout. Their patience was rewarded through their potent rolling maul which was unstoppable.
Defensively Gloucester were excellent. They won the collisions and drove Worcester back. Their 91% tackle success rate tells the story. The Cherry & White’s lock pairing and back-row made an astonishing 74 tackles between them, with Andrew Davidson the standout with 20.
Sale Sharks 15 - 25 Exeter Chiefs
MOTM: Will Witty
Top Performers Sale: JP Du Preez
Top Performers Exeter: Ewers, Capstick, Hogg, Slade
Summary
Rob Baxter’s men broke their duck to record their first win of the season. Whilst it was a tight affair in the first 40, the Chiefs were a class above in the second half and able to take advantage of Rohan Janse Van Rensberg’s red card. Some excellent attacking sets were put together to propel the Chiefs to victory, including an early try of the season contender from Will Witty!
Sale Sharks
Sale’s attack started off the game exactly how they would have wanted, for the first 20 minutes of the contest they were able to take advantage of penalties and pieced together some lovely passages of play. The Sharks were able to exploit Exeter’s poor individual defence in the wide channels and capitalize on their early scrum dominance. The Ross Harrison try was testament to their attacking composure in the early stages of the game. However, after the opening quarter of the game it felt as if they were made to defend the rest of the way. Exeter’s ball retention forced the Sharks into long periods of defence for the remainder of the first half and after the red card in the second half, Exeter were able to control the ball and not give Sale many chances to attack.
The Sale defence was excellent for the first 35 minutes of the game, whilst they weren’t able to win turnovers, they continued to shunt Exeter backwards for long phases of play. The Sharks kept everything in front of them, refused to bite in on dummy runners and were driving Exeter back in the collision. However, this brutal level of defence was one that Sale weren’t able to maintain. The cracks started to reveal themselves in the last 5 minutes of the half, the broken play leading to Slade’s first try had the Sale forwards out on their feet. In the second half those excellent periods of defence were not there anymore, and then once the Sharks fell down to 14 men, Exeter surgically picked the defence apart.
Exeter Chiefs
Rob Baxter would have been absolutely thrilled with the Exeter attack. Whilst there were still some issues with pass accuracy, the constant retention of the ball without errors or turnovers was seriously impressive. The Chiefs forced the Sale forwards into constantly having to defend in the first half, and because they didn’t turn the ball over cheaply, they reaped the rewards of broken play in the second half. Once the Sale forwards weren’t able to maintain their defensive line speed and collision dominance, Exeter (with Hogg and Slade leading the way) took full advantage of broken play opportunities. We saw some excellent exploitation of gaps in the defence leading to a number of quality tries.
For the majority of this contest Exeter were on the attack, this was no doubt the plan from Rob Baxter in order to take some of the pressure of their defence, which has struggled to open the season. One big improvement we did see this week defensively was against the Sharks’ rolling maul. The Chiefs repressed Sale’s maul to full effect, they were alway able to get men working their way through the middle of it to force slow ball and turnovers. We still saw individual defensive mistakes leading to line breaks early on, but overall this was a much improved defensive performance from Rob Baxter’s side.
Tight Five Highlighted Player of Round 3 - Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)