MORE MATCH REPORTS...

 

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SALE SHARKS 6 - 10 EXETER CHIEFS

AJ Bell Stadium - Friday 27 October 2017
KO: 19:45 HT: 3-3

SHARKS: 15 WILL ADDISON (C) 14 Denny Solomona 13 Sam James 12 Mark Jennings 11 Byron McGuigan 10 James O’Connor 9 Faf de Klerk 8 Josh Strauss 7 Tom Curry 6 Jono Ross 5 Andrei Ostrikov 4 Bryn Evans 3 WillGriff John 2 Rob Webber 1 Ross Harrison BENCH: 16 Marc Jones 17 James Flynn 18 Halani Aulika 19 George Nott 20 TJ Ioane 21 Cameron Neild 22 Will Cliff 23 Mike Haley

SCORERS P: de Klerk (2)

CHIEFS: 15 Phil Dollman 14 Lachie Turner 13 Henry Slade 12 Ian Whitten 11 James Short 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Nic White 8 Thomas Waldrom 7 Sam Simmonds 6 Don Armand 5 Ollie Atkins 4 Mitch Lees 3 Harry Williams 2 JACK YEANDLE (C) 1 Carl Rimmer BENCH: 16 Elvis Taione 17 Alec Hepburn 18 Tomas Francis 19 Jonny Hill 20 Sam Skinner 21 Stuart Townsend 22 Tom Hendrickson 23 Tom O’Flaherty

SCORERS T: Turner C: Steenson P: Steenson Townsend

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys

 

HARLEQUINS 41 - 35 WORCESTER WARRIORS

The Twickenham Stoop - Saturday 28 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 17-18

HARLEQUINS: 15 Mike Brown 14 Charlie Walker 13 Alofa Alofa 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Tim Visser 10 Marcus Smith 9 Danny Care 8 Mat Luamanu 7 Chris Robshaw 6 James Chisholm 5 JAMES HORWILL (C) 4 Ben Glynn 3 Will Collier 2 Elia Elia 1 Mark Lambert
 BENCH: 16 Charlie Piper 17 Lewis Boyce 18 Josh McNulty 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Dino Lamb 21 Charlie Mulchrone 22 Tim Swiel 23 Harry Sloan

SCORERS T: Smith, Luamanu, Care, Roberts, Walker C: Smith (5) P: Smith, Swiel

WARRIORS: 15 Josh Adams 14 Perry Humphreys 13 Wynand Olivier 12 Jackson Willison 11 Tom Howe 10 Jono Lance 9 Jonny Arr 8 David Denton 7 Sam Lewis 6 Alafoti Fa'osiliva 5 Will Spencer 4 DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN (C) 3 Gareth Milasinovich 2 Joe Taufete’e 1 Ethan Waller BENCH: 16 Jack Singleton 17 Ryan Bower 18 Biyi Alo 19 Pierce Phillips 20 Huw Taylor 21 Michael Dowsett 22 Tom Heathcote 23 Dean Hammond

SCORERS T: Denton, Humphreys, Adams, Hammond (2), Singleton C: Heathcote P: Lance

Referee: JP Doyle

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 22 - 38 WASPS

Franklin's Gardens - Saturday 28 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 11-16

SAINTS: 15 Ahsee Tuala 14 Ben Foden 13 Nafi Tuitavake 12 Luther Burrell 11 Tom Collins 10 Piers Francis 9 Nic Groom 8 Teimana Harrison 7 Tom Wood 6 Jamie Gibson 5 Api Ratuniyarawa 4 Courtney Lawes 3 Kieran Brookes 2 DYLAN HARTLEY (C) 1 Alex Waller BENCH: 16 Mikey Haywood 17 Francois van Wyk 18 Paul Hill 19 Christian Day 20 Michael Paterson 21 Cobus Reinach 22 Harry Mallinder 23 Ken Pisi

SCORERS T: Tuala, Mallinder P: Francis (4) Foden

WASPS: 15 Willie Le Roux 14 Christian Wade 13 Elliot Daly 12 Juan de Jongh 11 Josh Bassett 10 Jimmy Gopperth 9 Dan Robson 8 Guy Thompson 7 Thomas Young 6 James Haskell 5 Will Rowlands 4 JOE LAUNCHBURY (C) 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley 2 Ashley Johnson 1 Matt Mullan BENCH: 16 Antonio (TJ) Harris 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Marty Moore 19 James Gaskell 20 Jack Willis 21 Matt Symons 22 Joe Simpson 23 Rob Miller

SCORERS T: Wade, Johnson, Bassett, de Jongh C: Wade, Gopperth (2) P: Gopperth (3), Mullan

Referee: Luke Pearce

 

SARACENS 44 - 13 LONDON IRISH

Allianz Park - Saturday 28 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 13-6

SARACENS: 15 Alex Goode 14 Liam Williams 13 Nick Tompkins 12 BRAD BARRITT (C) 11 Chris Wyles 10 Owen Farrell 9 Ben Spencer 8 Jackson Wray 7 Schalk Burger 6 Calum Clark 5 George Kruis 4 Nick Isiekwe 3 Vincent Koch 2 Jamie George 1 Mako Vunipola BENCH: 16 Christopher Tolofua 17 Richard Barrington 18 Juan Figallo 19 Will Skelton 20 Ben Earl 21 Richard Wigglesworth 22 Alex Lozowski 23 Nathan Earle

SCORERS T: Vunipola, Farrell, Williams, Wyles, Earle C: Farrell (4) P: Farrell (2)

IRISH: 15 Tommy Bell 14 Joe Cokanasiga 13 Tom Fowlie 12 Fergus Mulchrone 11 Alex Lewington 10 James Marshall 9 Ben Meehan 8 Ofisa Treviranus 7 Blair Cowan 6 Josh McNally 5 Filo Paulo 4 Franco van der Merwe 3 Petrus Du Plessis 2 DAVID PAICE (C) 1 Ben Franks BENCH: 16 Tom Woolstencroft 17 Harry Elrington 18 Oliver Hoskins 19 Jake Schatz 20 Max Northcote-Green 21 Scott Steele 22 Theo Brophy Clews 23 Topsy Ojo

SCORERS T: Paice C: Bell P: Bell (2) Paulo

Referee: Andrew Jackson

 

BATH RUGBY vs GLOUCESTER RUGBY

The Rec - Sunday 29 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: tbc

BATH: 15 Anthony Watson 14 Semesa Rokoduguni 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Max Clark 11 Matt Banahan 10 Rhys Priestland 9 Kahn Fotuali’i Taulupe Faletau 7 Sam Underhill 6 Zach Mercer 5 CHARLIE EWELS (C) 4 Luke Charteris 3 Anthony Perenise 2 Tom Dunn 1 Nathan Catt BENCH: 16 Jack Walker 17 Beno Obano 18 Scott Andrews 19 Elliott Stooke 20 Matt Garvey 21 Darren Allinson 22 Josh Lewis 23 Aled Brew

GLOUCESTER: 15 Billy Burns 14 Henry Purdy 13 Henry Trinder 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 David Halaifonua 10 Owen Williams 9 WILLI HEINZ (C) 8 Ben Morgan 7 Lewis Ludlow 6 Ruan Ackermann 5 Ed Slater; 4 Tom Savage 3 John Afoa 2 Richard Hibbard 1 Josh Hohneck BENCH: 16 Motu Matu'u 17 Val Rapava Ruskin 18 Gareth Denman 19 Jeremy Thrush 20 Jacob Rowan 21 Ben Vellacott 22 Andy Symons 23 Ollie Thorley

Referee: Tom Foley

 

NEWCASTLE FALCONS vs LEICESTER TIGERS

Kingston Park - Sunday 29 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: tbc

FALCONS: 15 Alex Tait 14 Vereniki Goneva 13 Chris Harris 12 Juan Pablo Socino 11 Sinoti Sinoti 10 Toby Flood 9 Sonatane Takulua 8 Nili Latu 7 WILL WELCH (C) 6 Mark Wilson 5 Sean Robinson 4 Calum Green 3 Jon Welsh 2 Kyle Cooper 1 Rob Vickers BENCH: 16 Scott Lawson 17 Sami Mavinga 18 Trevor Davison 19 Will Witty 20 Ally Hogg 21 Michael Young 22 Joel Hodgson 23 Maxime Mermoz

TIGERS: 15 Telusa Veainu 14 Nick Malouf 13 Matt Smith 12 Mathew Tait 11 Jonny May 10 George Ford 9 Ben Youngs 8 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Brendon O’Connor 6 Valentino Mapapalangi 5 Graham Kitchener 4 Dom Barrow 3 Dan Cole 2 TOM YOUNGS (C) 1 Ellis Genge BENCH: 16 Harry Thacker 17 Greg Bateman 18 Pat Cilliers 19 Harry Wells 20 Luke Hamilton 21 Sam Harrison 22 Joe Ford 23 Adam Thompstone

Referee: Wayne Barnes

 

 

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HARLEQUINS 42 - 26 SALE SHARKS

The Twickenham Stoop - Friday 06 October 2017
KO: 19:45 HT: 27-7

HARLEQUINS: 15 Aaron Morris 14 Marland Yarde 13 Joe Marchant 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Tim Visser 10 Marcus Smith 9 Danny Care 8 Mat Luamanu 7 Jack Clifford 6 Chris Robshaw 5 Charlie Matthews 4 George Merrick 3 Will Collier 2 DAVE WARD (C) 1 Joe Marler BENCH: 16 Elia Elia 17 Mark Lambert 18 Phil Swainston 19 Dino Lamb 20 Archie White 21 Dave Lewis 22 Tim Swiel 23 Alofa Alofa

SCORERS T: Visser (2), Marler, Marchant, Yarde C: Smith (4) P: Smith (3) Swiel

SHARKS: 15 Mike Haley 14 Denny Solomona 13 Sam James 12 Mark Jennings 11 Byron McGuigan 10 AJ MacGinty 9 Faf de Klerk 8 Josh Strauss 7 Ben Curry 6 JONO ROSS (C) 5 Josh Beaumont 4 Bryn Evans 3 Alex Tarus 2 Marc Jones 1 Ross Harrison BENCH: 16 Rob Webber 17 James Flynn 18 Halani 'Aulika 19 Andre Ostrikov 20 TJ Ioane 21 Cameron Neild 22 Will Cliff 23 James O’Connor

SCORERS T: Haley, 'Aulika, James, Harrison C: MacGinty, de Klerk (2) McGuigan

Referee: Matt Carley

 

BATH RUGBY 29 - 13 WORCESTER WARRIORS

The Rec - Saturday 07 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 19-8

BATH: 15 Anthony Watson 14 Semesa Rokoduguni 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Ben Tapuai 11 Aled Brew 10 Freddie Burns 9 Chris Cook 8 Taulupe Faletau 7 Sam Underhill 6 Zach Mercer 5 Elliott Stooke 4 CHARLIE EWELS (C) 3 Anthony Perenise 2 Jack Walker 1 Beno Obano BENCH: 16 Tom Dunn 17 Nick Auterac 18 Henry Thomas 19 James Phillips 20 Levi Douglas 21 Kahn Fotuali’i 22 Josh Lewis 23 Max Clark

SCORERS T: Joseph, Brew (2), Tapuai C: Burns (3) P: Lewis Burns

WARRIORS: 15 Chris Pennell 14 Josh Adams 13 Jackson Willison 12 Ben Te’o 11 Dean Hammond 10 Jamie Shillcock 9 Jonny Arr 8 GJ van Velze 7 Sam Lewis 6 David Denton 5 Will Spencer 4 DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN (C) 3 Biyi Alo 2 Jack Singleton 1 Ryan Bower BENCH: 16 Joe Taufete’e 17 Ethan Waller 18 Gareth Milasinovich 19 Christian Scotland-Williamson 20 Alafoti Fa'osiliva 21 Peter Stringer 22 Jono Lance 23 Wynand Olivier

SCORERS T: Hammond, Shillcock P: Shillcock

Referee: Luke Pearce

 

EXETER CHIEFS 34 - 24 NEWCASTLE FALCONS

Sandy Park - Saturday 07 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 24-10

CHIEFS: 15 Lachie Turner 14 Jack Nowell 13 Henry Slade 12 Ian Whitten 11 Olly Woodburn 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Nic White 8 Sam Simmonds 7 Don Armand 6 Sam Skinner 5 Jonny Hill 4 Mitch Lees 3 Harry Williams 2 JACK YEANDLE (C) 1 Carl Rimmer BENCH: 16 Elvis Taione 17 Ben Moon 18 Tomas Francis 19 Ollie Atkins 20 Julian Salvi 21 Stu Townsend 22 Tom Hendrickson 23 Phil Dollman

SCORERS T: White, Turner, Simmonds. PT C: Steenson (3) P: Steenson (2)

FALCONS: 15 Alex Tait 14 DTH van der Merwe 13 Chris Harris 12 Juan Pablo Socino 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 Craig Willis 9 Sonatane Takulua 8 Nili Latu 7 WILL WELCH (C) 6 Mark Wilson 5 Will Witty 4 Calum Green 3 Jon Welsh 2 Santiago Socino 1 Trevor Davison BENCH: 16 Kyle Cooper 17 Rob Vickers 18 Jake Ilnicki 19 Sean Robinson 20 Ally Hogg 21 Sam Stuart 22 Toby Flood 23 Josh Matavesi

SCORERS T: Welch, JP Socino, Tait, Goneva C: Flood (2) JP Socino, van der Merwe

Referee: Andrew Jackson

 

GLOUCESTER 29 - 24 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

Kingsholm - Saturday 07 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 10-7

 

GLOUCESTER: 15 Jason Woodward 14 Henry Purdy 13 Henry Trinder 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 David Halaifonua 10 Owen Williams 9 WILLI HEINZ (C) 8 Ruan Ackermann 7 Jacob Rowan 6 Lewis Ludlow 5 Jeremy Thrush 4 Tom Savage 3 John Afoa; 2 Richard Hibbard 1 Val Rapava Ruskin BENCH: 16 Motu Matu’u 17 Josh Hohneck 18 Gareth Denman 19 Jake Polledri 20 Freddie Clarke 21 Ben Vellacott 22 Billy Burns 23 Tom Hudson

SCORERS T: Trinder (2) , Woodward, Twelvetrees, Heinz C: Williams (2)

SAINTS: 15 Ahsee Tuala 14 George North 13 Luther Burrell 12 Piers Francis 11 Tom Collins 10 Harry Mallinder 9 Cobus Reinach 8 Sam Dickinson 7 Teimana Harrison 6 Jamie Gibson 5 David Ribbans 4 Michael Paterson 3 Kieran Brookes 2 DYLAN HARTLEY (C) 1 Alex Waller BENCH: 16 Mikey Haywood 17 Francois van Wyk 18 Jamal Ford-Robinson 19 Api Ratuniyarawa 20 Courtney Lawes 21 Alex Mitchell 22 Stephen Myler 23 Ben Foden

SCORERS T: Gibson, Mallinder, Haywood C: Mallinder (2), Myler P: Mallinder

Referee: Wayne Barnes

 

LONDON IRISH 27 - 28 LEICESTER TIGERS

Madejski Stadium - Saturday 07 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 3-14

 

IRISH: 15 Tommy Bell 14 Alex Lewington 13 Aseli Tikoirotuma 12 Greig Tonks 11 Topsy Ojo 10 James Marshall 9 Ben Meehan 8 Jake Schatz 7 Blair Cowan 6 Josh McNally 5 Sebastian de Chaves 4 Franco van der Merwe 3 Petrus Du Plessis 2 DAVID PAICE (C) 1 Ben Franks BENCH: 16 Todd Gleave 17 Harry Elrington 18 Ollie Hoskins 19 Filo Paulo 20 Lasha Lomidze 21 Scott Steele 22 Theo Brophy Clews 23 Tom Fowlie

SCORERS T: Cowan, Paice, Lewington C: Bell (3) P: Bell (2)

TIGERS: 15 Mathew Tait 14 Nick Malouf 13 Gareth Owen 12 Matt Toomua 11 Jonny May 10 GEORGE FORD (C) 9 Sam Harrison 8 Valentino Mapapalangi 7 Will Evans 6 Sione Kalamafoni 5 Dom Barrow 4 Dan Tuohy 3 Dan Cole 2 George McGuigan 1 Greg Bateman BENCH: 16 Tom Youngs 17 Ellis Genge 18 Patrick Cilliers 19 Harry Wells 20 Luke Hamilton 21 Ben White 22 Joe Ford 23 Matt Smith

SCORERS T: Malouf, Evans, May C: George Ford (2) P: George Ford (3) Gareth Owen

Referee: JP Doyle

 

SARACENS 38 - 19 WASPS

Allianz Park - Sunday 08 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 18-7

 

SARACENS: 15 Alex Goode 14 Liam Williams 13 Marcelo Bosch 12 BRAD BARRITT (C) 11 Chris Wyles 10 Alex Lozowski 9 Richard Wigglesworth 8 Jackson Wray 7 Calum Clark 6 Maro Itoje 5 George Kruis 4 Nick Isiekwe 3 Juan Figallo 2 Jamie George 1 Mako Vunipola BENCH: 16 Christopher Tolofua 17 Hayden Thompson-Stringer 18 Vincent Koch 19 Dominic Day 20 Joel Conlon 21 Ben Spencer 22 Max Malins 23 Duncan Taylor

SCORERS T: Wyles, George (3) C: Lozowski (3) P: Lozowski (4)

WASPS: 15 Willie Le Roux 14 Marcus Watson 13 Elliot Daly 12 Brendan Macken 11 Josh Bassett 10 Rob Miller 9 Joe Simpson 8 Thomas Young 7 Jack Willis 6 James Haskell 5 Will Rowlands 4 Marcus Garratt 3 Marty Moore 2 Ashley Johnson 1 MATT MULLAN (C) BENCH: 16 Tom Cruse 17 Ben Harris 18 Jake Cooper-Woolley 19 James Gaskell 20 Tom Willis 21 Dan Robson 22 Juan De Jongh 23 Christian Wade

SCORERS T: Moore, Jack Willis, Bassett C: Miller (2)

Referee: Ian Tempest

 

 

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TWO Vereniki Goneva scores helped Newcastle Falcons surge towards the top of the Aviva Premiership Rugby table, as London Irish were blown away 24-3 by half-time at Kingston Park. First Santiago Socino made a searing break to dot down before the Fijian crossed twice in an eight-minute blitz that put the Falcons out of sight, and Will Welch’s powerful finish after the interval secured the try-bonus point that sent Dean Richards’ men to the top of the pile at the start of the weekend. The Exiles fought back in the second half with tries from Conor Gilsenan and Tom Fowlie, but it was too little too late.

SARACENS secured their third win in a row on Friday night as they recorded a 25-3 win over Worcester Warriors at Sixways. Chris Wyles and Alex Goode touched down for Saracens either side of half-time with Alex Lozowski knocking over eight points with the boot. Saracens’ replacement Owen Farrell then found Wyles with a wonderful crossfield late on to add further gloss to the victory. Jamie Shillcock mustered the Warriors only points of the evening as they failed to reproduce the heroics of their 24-18 win over the European Champions back in February.

BYRON McGuigan’s hat-trick paved the way for an emphatic display as Sale Sharks turned on the style against Gloucester Rugby. McGuigan scored twice in the first half while completing his trio after the break, all after Denny Solomona scored the first of his two scores after just 55 seconds. Francois de Klerk secured a bonus point early in the second period while James O’Connor and Sam James also got on the scoresheet in a night the AJ Bell Stadium fans will not forget in a hurry. The Cherry & Whites could only muster a solitary score though John Afoa which barely dented the Sharks eight-try-fest.

JONNY May made it five tries in five Premiership games for his new club Leicester Tigers as they downed the defending champions Exeter Chiefs at Welford Road. In an attritional clash in poor weather, Matt O’Connor’s side went in at the break 10-3 to the good thanks to Nick Malouf’s try and the boot of George Ford who was flawless from the tee all day. The game looked to have turned just before the hour mark however when Telusa Veainu saw yellow and the Chiefs were awarded a penalty try for a deliberate knock on with Lachie Turner waiting to go over in the corner. But at 13-10, May came to the party with a fine solo score in the left corner after some quick thinking from Ben Youngs. Ford drilled the extras and while the Chiefs did claim a losing bonus point late on thanks to Gareth Steenson’s penalty, the Tigers could celebrate a morale-boosting win – their third on the spin in the league.

NORTHAMPTON Saints moved themselves to the Premiership summit despite Harlequins making them work hard for a 30-22 triumph. The hosts shaded a topsy-turvy first half 19-15, with George North, Tom Collins and Mike Haywood all going over at Franklin’s Gardens. Aaron Morris and Jamie Roberts had kept Quins alive in the first period, but after Ahsee Tuala wrapped up Saints’ third try-bonus point on the bounce just after half-time, Dave Ward’s try had the home fans biting their nails until the final whistle.

SEMESA Rokoduguni dotted down late on as Bath Rugby moved up to fifth after overpowering Wasps. Both sides had experienced indifferent starts to their campaign, but the hosts started brightly and Jimmy Gopperth’s 40-yard penalty saw them open up an early lead. Rhys Priestland landed a similarly lengthy effort to level proceedings; however, Bath were penalised for blocking immediately after the restart, and Gopperth slotted another three points. But Priestland was also in fine form with the boot, levelling from the tee and coolly slotting home a drop goal just before the half-hour mark. The ever-reliable Gopperth hit back once more with a third penalty of his own as both sides tried to find fluency, the sides level on 9-all going into the break. It was a similar story in the opening stages of the second period, with Priestland kicking a routine three-pointer in front of the posts after Wasps were penalised at the breakdown. The Welshman departed the action soon after following an Ashley Johnson tackle but replacement Freddie Burns immediately settled into the action, sending a fifth Bath penalty sailing between the posts. Burns missed a kick after the hosts were penalised at the scrum, and this was matched by the usually meteorite boot of Elliot Daly who could not find his mark with a long-rang effort. Wasps searched for a way back into the game, but Bath’s defence held firm, and Burns added another penalty ten minutes from time to make it 18-9. And they rubbed salt into Wasps’ wounds five minutes from time when Jonathan Joseph delightfully kicked through towards Rokoduguni, who was fastest to the loose ball. Burns kicked the penalty to make it 25-9, and secured Bath’s first Premiership win at the Ricoh Arena and inflict a second successive home defeat on the hosts.

RESULTS

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 29 - 17 LONDON IRISH

Kingston Park - Friday 29 September 2017
KO: 19:45 HT: 24-3

FALCONS: 15 Alex Tait 14 DTH van der Merwe 13 Chris Harris 12 Juan Pablo Socino 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 Craig Willis 9 Sonatane Takulua 8 Nili Latu 7 WILL WELCH (C) 6 Mark Wilson 5 Will Witty 4 Calum Green 3 Jon Welsh 2 Santiago Socino 1 Rob Vickers BENCH: 16 Scott Lawson 17 Sami Mavinga 18 Trevor Davison 19 Sean Robinson 20 Ally Hogg 21 Sam Stuart 22 Joel Hodgson 23 Josh Matavesi

SCORERS T: JP Socino, Goneva (2), Welch C: Takulua (3) P: Takulua

IRISH: 15 Tommy Bell 14 Alex Lewington 13 Aseli Tikoirotuma 12 Johnny Williams 11 Napolioni Nalaga 10 James Marshall 9 Scott Steele 8 Ofisa Treviranus 7 Blair Cowan 6 Josh McNally 5 Sebastian De Chaves 4 Franco van der Merwe 3 Petrus Du Plessis 2 DAVID PAICE (C) 1 Ben Franks BENCH: 16 Saia Fainga’a 17 Harry Elrington 18 Ollie Hoskins 19 Filo Paulo 20 Conor Gilsenan 21 Ben Meehan 22 Greig Tonks 23 Tom Fowlie

SCORERS T: Gilsenan, Fowlie C: Bell (2) P: Bell

Referee: Ian Tempest

 

WORCESTER WARRIORS 3 - 25 SARACENS

Sixways - Friday 29 September 2017
KO: 19:45 HT: 3-13

WARRIORS: 15 Chris Pennell 14 Perry Humphreys 13 Jackson Willison 12 Ben Te’o 11 Josh Adams 10 Jamie Shillcock 9 Jonny Arr 8 GJ van Velze 7 Alafoti Fa'osiliva 6 David Denton 5 Will Spencer 4 DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN (C) 3 Biyi Alo 2 Jack Singleton 1 Ryan Bower BENCH: 16 Joe Taufete’e 17 Ethan Waller 18 Gareth Milasinovich 19 Pierce Phillips 20 Christian Scotland-Williamson 21 Jono Kitto 22 Sam Olver 23 Dean Hammond

SCORERS P: Shillcock

SARACENS: 15 Alex Goode 14 Sean Maitland 13 Duncan Taylor 12 BRAD BARRITT (C) 11 Chris Wyles 10 Alex Lozowski 9 Ben Spencer 8 Jackson Wray 7 Calum Clark 6 Maro Itoje 5 George Kruis 4 Dominic Day 3 Vincent Koch 2 Jamie George 1 Hayden Thompson-Stringer BENCH: 16 Scott Spurling 17 Mako Vunipola 18 Juan Figallo 19 Nick Isiekwe 20 Ben Earl 21 Richard Wigglesworth 22 Owen Farrell 23 Nick Tompkins

SCORERS T: Wyles (2), Goode C: Lozowski, Farrell P: Lozowski (2)

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys

 

SALE SHARKS 57 - 10 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

AJ Bell Stadium - Friday 29 September 2017
KO: 20:00 HT: 22-3

 

SHARKS: 15 Mike Haley 14 Denny Solomona 13 Sam James 12 Mark Jennings11 Byron McGuigan 10 AJ MacGinty 9 Faf de Klerk 8 Josh Strauss 7 Ben Curry 6 JONO ROSS (C) 5 Josh Beaumont 4 Bryn Evans 3 Alex Tarus 2 Rob Webber 1 Ross Harrison BENCH: 16 Marc Jones 17 James Flynn 18 Halani Aulika 19 Andre Ostrikov 20 Tom Curry 21 Cameron Neild 22 Will Cliff 23 James O'Connor

SCORERS T: Solomona (2), McGuigan (3), de Klerk, O'Connor, James C: MacGinty (6), Cliff P: MacGinty

GLOUCESTER: 15 Jason Woodward 14 David Halaifonua 13 Henry Trinder 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 Henry Purdy 10 Billy Burns 9 WILLI HEINZ (C) 8 Ruan Ackermann 7 Lewis Ludlow 6 Freddie Clarke 5 Jeremy Thrush 4 Ed Slater 3 Gareth Denman; 2 Richard Hibbard 1 Val Rapava Ruskin BENCH: 16 Motu Matu'u 17 Josh Hohneck 18 John Afoa 19 Tom Savage 20 Jacob Rowan 21 Callum Braley 22 Owen Williams 23 Ben Vellacott

SCORERS T: Afoa C: Burns P: Burns Twelvetrees

Referee: JP Doyle

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 20 - 13 EXETER CHIEFS

Welford Road - Saturday 30 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 10-3

 

TIGERS: 15 Telusa Veainu 14 Nick Malouf 13 Matt Smith 12 Matt Toomua 11 Jonny May 10 George Ford 9 Ben Youngs 8 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Luke Hamilton 6 Mike Williams 5 Dom Barrow 4 Harry Wells 3 Dan Cole 2 TOM YOUNGS (C) 1 Greg Bateman BENCH: 16 George McGuigan 17 Kyle Traynor 18 Chris Baumann 19 Valentino Mapapalangi 20 Brendon O’Connor 21 Sam Harrison 22 Joe Ford 23 Mathew Tait

SCORERS T: Malouf, May C: George Ford (2) P: George Ford DG: George Ford Veainu

CHIEFS: 15 Phil Dollman 14 Lachie Turner 13 Henry Slade 12 Ian Whitten 11 Olly Woodburn 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Stuart Townsend 8 Don Armand 7 Julian Salvi 6 Dave Dennis 5 Jonny Hill 4 Mitch Lees 3 Tomas Francis 2 JACK YEANDLE (C) 1 Ben Moon BENCH: 16 Elvis Taione 17 Alec Hepburn 18 Harry Williams 19 Sam Skinner 20 Matt Kvesic 21 Will Chudley 22 Max Bodilly 23 Tom Hendrickson

SCORERS T: PT P: Steenson (2) Salvi

Referee: Tom Foley

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 30 - 22 HARLEQUINS

Franklin's Gardens - Saturday 30 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 19-15

 

SAINTS: 15 Ahsee Tuala 14 George North 13 Rob Horne 12 Luther Burrell 11 Tom Collins 10 Harry Mallinder 9 Nic Groom 8 Teimana Harrison 7 Jamie Gibson 6 COURTNEY LAWES (C) 5 David Ribbans 4 Michael Paterson 3 Kieran Brookes 2 Mikey Haywood 1 Alex Waller BENCH: 16 Reece Marshall 17 Francois van Wyk 18 Jamal Ford-Robinson 19 Api Ratuniyarawa 20 Sam Dickinson 21 Cobus Reinach 22 Stephen Myler 23 Ben Foden

SCORERS T: North, Collins, Haywood, Tuala C: Mallinder (2) P: Mallinder, Myler

HARLEQUINS: 15 Aaron Morris 14 Marland Yarde 13 Joe Marchant 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Tim Visser 10 Marcus Smith 9 Danny Care 8 Mat Luamanu 7 Jack Clifford 6 Ben Glynn 5 Charlie Matthews 4 George Merrick 3 Kyle Sinckler 2 DAVE WARD (C) 1 Mark Lambert BENCH: 16 Elia Elia 17 Cameron Holenstein 18 Phil Swainston 19 Dino Lamb 20 Archie White 21 Dave Lewis 22 Tim Swiel 23 Alofa Alofa

SCORERS T: Morris, Roberts, Ward C: Smith (2) P: Smith

Referee: Luke Pearce

 

WASPS 9 - 25 BATH RUGBY

Ricoh Arena - Sunday 01 October 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 9-9

 

WASPS: 15 Rob Miller 14 Christian Wade 13 Elliot Daly 12 Brendan Macken 11 Josh Bassett 10 Jimmy Gopperth 9 Joe Simpson 8 Nathan Hughes 7 Thomas Young 6 James Haskell 5 Will Rowlands 4 JOE LAUNCHBURY (C) 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley 2 Tom Cruse 1 Simon McIntyre BENCH: 16 Ashley Johnson 17 Ben Harris 18 Paul Doran Jones 19 Marcus Garratt 20 Jack Willis 21 Craig Hampson 22 Juan De Jongh 23 Marcus Watson

SCORERS  P: Gopperth (3)

BATH: 15 Anthony Watson 14 Semesa Rokoduguni 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Max Clark 11 Aled Brew 10 Rhys Priestland 9 Chris Cook 8 Taulupe Faletau 7 Sam Underhill 6 Zach Mercer 5 Luke Charteris 4 CHARLIE EWELS (C) 3 Henry Thomas 2 Jack Walker 1 Beno Obano BENCH: 16 Tom Dunn 17 Nick Auterac 18 Anthony Perenise 19 Elliott Stooke 20 James Phillips 21 Darren Allinson 22 Freddie Burns 23 Ben Tapuai

SCORERS T: Rokoduguni C: Burns P: Priestland (3), Burns (2) DG: Priestland

Referee: Matt Carley

 

 

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GLOUCESTER Rugby held on at the death to return to winning ways in Aviva Premiership Rugby with a 24-19 success over Worcester Warriors as Ollie Thorley scored two tries at Kingsholm. After beating champions Exeter Chiefs in Round One, Gloucester were soon in control with Thorley crossing twice inside the opening 20 minutes and Billy Twelvetrees adding a third soon after the break. But Perry Humphreys replied twice for the visitors who came close to snatching victory as Ryan Mills knocked over three penalties.

FIVE-try Newcastle Falcons resisted a second-half fightback to edge a thrilling 33-32 win over Bath Rugby at the Rec, their first win at the ground since October 2009. Dean Richards’ side stretched into a sizeable first-half lead with tries from Sonatane Takulua, Rob Vickers, and a first Newcastle try for DTH van der Merwe. Bath responded through Matt Banahan, Semesa Rokoduguni, Charlie Ewels and a blistering effort from Jonathan Joseph. But the Falcons flew back into the game with Chris Harris’ try, and Joel Hodgson’s conversion from Mark Wilson’s late score sealed Newcastle’s third win of the campaign.

LEICESTER Tigers picked up their second straight win as they beat Harlequins 31-28 in a breathless, high-quality affair at Twickenham Stoop. Tigers had a slender 11-9 lead at the interval, Telusa Veainu’s try the difference regardless of Marcus Smith outscoring mentor George Ford by three penalties to two. And despite tries for Danny Care, Mat Luamanu and Alofa Alofa in a furious second half, Jonny May and Greg Bateman also scored for Leicester – with two more Ford penalties sealing a narrow away triumph, Quins having to be content with a losing bonus point.

LIAM Williams crossed on his home debut and Ben Spencer bagged a double as Saracens used a fast start to cruise to a third victory of the season against Sale Sharks. Williams and Spencer both went over inside the first ten minutes for Sarries – who lost Billy Vunipola to a first-half injury which sees him off the field for at least four months following a knee operation; meanwhile Owen Farrell was flawless from the tee. Faf de Klerk -parachuted into the fly-half role after the late withdrawal of AJ MacGinty- pulled back a penalty for the Sharks but the defending European champions were 17-3 to the good at the break. And the hosts turned on the style in the second half of their first game of the season at Allianz Park, Spencer grabbing his second of the afternoon before Vincent Koch sealed the bonus-point win. Byron McGuigan grabbed two consolation scores for the Sharks but there was also time for replacement Nathan Earle to canter over for Sarries’ fifth in a dominant victory.

OLLY Woodburn paved the way for a superb Exeter Chiefs five-try victory over Wasps, with the champions prevailing 31-17 at Sandy Park. A repeat of last year’s final – which was only decided by Gareth Steenson’s extra-time penalty – this clash was far more convincing from the Chiefs, who claimed a try-bonus point after Woodburn scored twice and Dave Dennis, Don Armand and Shaun Malton all also crossed. The visitors managed a try either side of the break through Ashley Johnson and John Bassett, which Jimmy Gopperth converted while also adding a penalty. Steenson had not such a good day off the tee, achieving only 50% success rate, but this did not colour the magnificent win for the Chiefs.

ROB Horne stole the limelight with a pair of dazzling tries to put London Irish to the sword and continue Northampton Saints’ resurgence. Jim Mallinder’s side streaked into the lead in style, with tries from Nic Groom, Horne’s classy double, and one for Mikey Haywood. Alex Lewington lit up the second half with his scorching try but George North was able to saunter over to peg the hosts back once again. Tommy Bell retaliated to threaten a fightback, but Cobus Reinach’s late score was enough to secure Saints’ first Aviva Premiership away win in four attempts, despite Josh McNally’s consolation.

RESULTS

GLOUCESTER 24 - 19 WORCESTER WARRIORS

Kingsholm - Friday 22 September 2017
KO: 19:45 HT: 17-6

GLOUCESTER: 15 Jason Woodward 14 Charlie Sharples 13 Billy Twelvetrees 12 Mark Atkinson 11 Ollie Thorley 10 Billy Burns 9 WILLI HEINZ (C) 8 Ruan Ackermann 7 Jacob Rowan 6 Freddie Clarke 5 Jeremy Thrush 4 Ed Slater 3 John Afoa 2 Motu Matu’u 1 Val Rapava Ruskin BENCH: 16 Richard Hibbard 17 Josh Hohneck 18 Gareth Denman 19 Tom Savage 20 Lewis Ludlow 21 Ben Vellacott 22 Henry Trinder 23 David Halaifonua

SCORERS T: Thorley (2), Twelvetrees C: Burns (3) P: Burns

WARRIORS: 15 Josh Adams 14 Perry Humphreys 13 Jackson Willison 12 Ben Te’o 11 Bryce Heem 10 Ryan Mills 9 Peter Stringer 8 GJ van Velze 7 Sam Lewis 6 Alafoti Fa'osiliva 5 Pierce Phillips 4 DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN (C) 3 Biyi Alo 2 Jack Singleton 1 Ryan Bower BENCH: 16 Joe Taufete’e 17 Ethan Waller 18 Gareth Milasinovich 19 Christian Scotland-Williamson 20 David Denton 21 Jono Kitto 22 Jamie Shillcock 23 Dean Hammond

SCORERS T: Humphreys (2) P: Mills (3) O'Callaghan

Referee: Wayne Barnes

 

BATH RUGBY 32 - 33 NEWCASTLE FALCONS

The Rec - Saturday 23 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 10-19

BATH: 15 Matt Banahan 14 Semesa Rokoduguni 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Max Clark 11 Aled Brew 10 Rhys Priestland 9 Chris Cook 8 Paul Grant 7 FRANCOIS LOUW (C) 6 Charlie Ewels 5 Elliott Stooke 4 Luke Charteris 3 Anthony Perenise 2 Jack Walker 1 Nick Auterac BENCH: 16 Tom Dunn 17 Beno Obano 18 Scott Andrews 19 James Phillips 20 Zach Mercer 21 Darren Allinson 22 Ben Tapuai 23 Josh Lewis

SCORERS T: Banahan, Rokoduguni, Ewels, Joseph C: Priestland (3) P: Priestland (2)

FALCONS: 15 Simon Hammersley 14 Vereniki Goneva 13 Chris Harris 12 Juan Pablo Socino 11 DTH van der Merwe 10 Craig Willis 9 Sonatane Takulua 8 Nili Latu 7 WILL WELCH (C) 6 Mark Wilson 5 Will Witty 4 Calum Green 3 Jon Welsh 2 Santiago Socino 1 Rob Vickers BENCH: 16 Scott Lawson 17 Sami Mavinga 18 Trevor Davison 19 Sean Robinson 20 Ally Hogg 21 Sam Stuart 22 Joel Hodgson 23 Josh Matavesi

SCORERS T: Takulua, Vickers, van der Merwe, Harris, Wilson C: Takulua (2), Hodgson (2)

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys

 

HARLEQUINS 28 - 31 LEICESTER TIGERS

The Twickenham Stoop - Saturday 23 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 9-11

HARLEQUINS: 15 Mike Brown 14 Marland Yarde 13 Joe Marchant 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Charlie Walker 10 Marcus Smith 9 Danny Care 8 Mat Luamanu 7 Jack Clifford 6 Chris Robshaw 5 JAMES HORWILL (C) 4 George Merrick 3 Will Collier 2 Rob Buchanan 1 Mark Lambert BENCH: 16 Dave Ward 17 Lewis Boyce 18 Kyle Sinckler 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Ben Glynn 21 Dave Lewis 22 Tim Swiel 23 Alofa Alofa

SCORERS T: Care, Luamanu, Alofa C: Smith, Swiel P: Smith (3) Collier

TIGERS: 15 Telusa Veainu 14 Nick Malouf 13 Matt Smith 12 Matt Toomua 11 Jonny May 10 George Ford 9 Ben Youngs 8 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Dominic Ryan 6 Mike Williams 5 Dom Barrow 4 Harry Wells 3 Dan Cole 2 TOM YOUNGS (C) 1 Ellis Genge BENCH: 16 Harry Thacker 17 Greg Bateman 18 Logovi’i Mulipola 19 Luke Hamilton 20 Valentino Mapapalangi 21 Sam Harrison 22 Joe Ford 23 Mathew Tait

SCORERS T: Veainu, May, Bateman C: George Ford (2) P: George Ford (4) Genge

Referee: Ian Tempest

 

SARACENS 41 - 13 SALE SHARKS

Allianz Park - Saturday 23 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 17-3

SARACENS: 15 Alex Goode 14 Sean Maitland 13 Marcelo Bosch 12 Duncan Taylor 11 Liam Williams 10 OWEN FARRELL (C) 9 Ben Spencer 8 Billy Vunipola 7 Jackson Wray 6 Maro Itoje 5 George Kruis 4 Nick Isiekwe 3 Juan Figallo 2 Jamie George 1 Mako Vunipola BENCH: 16 Schalk Brits 17 Hayden Thompson-Stringer 18 Vincent Koch 19 Dominic Day 20 Calum Clark 21 Henry Taylor 22 Alex Lozowski 23 Nathan Earle

SCORERS T: Spencer (2), Williams, Koch, Earle C: Farrell (5) P: Farrell (2)

SHARKS: 15 Mike Haley 14 Denny Solomona 13 Sam James 12 Mark Jennings 11 Josh Charnley 10 Faf de Klerk 9 Will Cliff 8 Josh Strauss 7 Tom Curry 6 Jono Ross 5 Josh Beaumont 4 Bryn Evans 3 Alex Tarus 2 Rob Webber 1 Ross Harrison BENCH: 16 Cameron Neild 17 James Flynn 18 Halani Aulika 19 Andre Ostrikov 20 Ben Curry 21 TJ Ioane 22 Luke James 23 Byron McGuigan

SCORERS T: McGuigan (2) P: de Klerk

Referee: Thomas Foley

 

EXETER CHIEFS 31 - 17 WASPS

Sandy Park - Sunday 24 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 24-10

 

CHIEFS: 15 Lachie Turner 14 Jack Nowell 13 Henry Slade 12 Ian Whitten 11 Olly Woodburn 10 GARETH STEENSON (C) 9 Nic White 8 Sam Simmonds 7 Don Armand 6 Dave Dennis 5 Sam Skinner 4 Mitch Lees 3 Harry Williams 2 Elvis Taione 1 Carl Rimmer BENCH: 16 Shaun Malton 17 Ben Moon 18 Tomas Francis 19 Toby Salmon 20 Julian Salvi 21 Stuart Townsend 22 Tom Hendrickson 23 Max Bodilly

SCORERS T: Woodburn (2), Dennis, Armand, Malton C: Steenson (3)

WASPS: 15 Rob Miller 14 Christian Wade 13 Elliot Daly 12 Juan De Jongh 11 Josh Bassett 10 Jimmy Gopperth 9 Joe Simpson 8 Nathan Hughes 7 James Haskell 6 Ashley Johnson 5 Matt Symons 4 JOE LAUNCHBURY (C) 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley 2 Tom Cruse 1 Matt Mullan BENCH: 16 Jack Willis 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Marty Moore 19 Will Rowlands 20 Thomas Young 21 Craig Hampson 22 Brendan Macken 23 Marcus Watson

SCORERS T: Johnson, Bassett C: Gopperth (2) P: Gopperth

Referee: JP Doyle

 

LONDON IRISH 25 - 40 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

Madejski Stadium - Sunday 24 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 6-26

 

IRISH: 15 Tommy Bell 14 Alex Lewington 13 Aseli Tikoirotuma 12 Johnny Williams 11 Napolioni Nalaga 10 James Marshall 9 Brendan McKibbin 8 Blair Cowan 7 Conor Gilsenan 6 Josh McNally 5 Sebastian De Chaves 4 Franco van der Merwe 3 Petrus Du Plessis 2 Dave Porecki 1 BEN FRANKS (C) BENCH: 16 David Paice 17 Harry Elrington 18 Ollie Hoskins 19 Filo Paulo 20 Jake Schatz 21 Scott Steele 22 Greig Tonks 23 Topsy Ojo

SCORERS T: Lewington, Bell, McInally C: Bell, Tonks P: Bell (2)

SAINTS: 15 Ahsee Tuala 14 George North 13 Rob Horne 12 Luther Burrell 11 Tom Collins 10 Harry Mallinder 9 Nic Groom 8 Sam Dickinson 7 Jamie Gibson 6 COURTNEY LAWES (C) 5 David Ribbans 4 Michael Paterson 3 Paul Hill 2 Mikey Haywood 1 Alex Waller BENCH: 16 Reece Marshall 17 Campese Ma’afu 18 Kieran Brookes 19 Christian Day 20 Ben Nutley 21 Cobus Reinach 22 James Grayson 23 Ben Foden

SCORERS T: Groom, Horne (2), Haywood, North, Reinach C: Mallinder (4)

Referee: Luke Pearce

 

 

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NORTHAMPTON Saints followed up their East Midlands derby success with an impressive 24-6 over previously unbeaten Bath Rugby. Having begun their Aviva Premiership Rugby season with a thumping loss to Saracens, Saints have bounced back impressively with consecutive wins on home soil. David Ribbans was the unlikely hero in this encounter, as Saints scored three tries through their second rows. And it was left to George North to wrap up the bonus point when he crossed five minutes from time to complete a perfect night for Jim Mallinder’s side. Welsh fly half Rhys Priestland could only clock up two penalties for the visitors.

EXETER Chiefs might have fallen to defeat on the opening day of the season but they have put that behind them impressively earning a second successive bonus-point win as they beat Worcester Warriors 41-10. Dominant from the off, Chiefs crossed three times in the first half, first through Sam Simmonds, then Jack Nowell and Jonny Hill right on the stroke of half-time. Trailing 24-3 at the break, Warriors needed a response, and got one when Biyi Alo scored for the second straight week, with Sam Olver converting. But it was Exeter who proved the stronger and the secured the bonus point when Olly Woodburn went over just after the hour, before Simmonds completed his double to wrap up a convincing win.

A convincing Sale Sharks put in their best performance of the season to date to secure a bonus-point victory over London Irish, their first of the campaign. Steve Diamond’s side sparkled on a crisp night, running in five tries in a display to dazzle their home crowd under the Friday night lights, including a double for Denny Solomona. The contest began at a frenetic pace and, after AJ MacGinty had kicked an early penalty, Sale raced into a healthy lead. Sharks built a rolling maul too strong for the visiting defence, perfectly placed to allow prop Ross Harrison to bundle over for a rare try on 13 minutes, his first for the club. Five minutes later, a sharp passing combination between Faf de Klerk and Solomona sent the England international speedster under the posts to open up a 17-point advantage from which they were to never look back. And Solomona was not yet done,  capitalising on a passing error deep in opposition territory,  sweeping up and running the length of the field for a second score of the night. The Exiles, already 24-0 down, came out after half-time with intent but after Blair Cowan was sin-binned, Sale spread the play and Josh Charnley broke a tackle and touched down to bag a bonus point. Nick Kennedy’s outfit got off and running with a penalty try after a spell of incessant pressure, though were reduced to 14 men after Cowan was sent off. That allowed Jennings to get in on the act late on, scoring from a wide position after good work from replacement Mike Haley, with MacGinty profiting with 11 points from the boot.

LEICESTER Tigers produced a brilliant first-half display to see off Gloucester Rugby 24-10 and claim their first win of the season at Welford Road. Ben Youngs went over twice in the first quarter of an hour, with former Sevens star Nick Malouf then running in a fine third as Leicester led 21-0 at the break. Gloucester started the second half well, grabbing a try from Josh Hohneck, followed by a Billy Twelvetrees penalty. George Ford added a penalty for Tigers but they could not find their way over for the bonus-point score despite threatening late on.

USA Eagles star Chris Wyles fittingly opened the scoring in Philadelphia, but it was the boot of the returning Owen Farrell that proved the difference as Saracens thrashed out a 29-7 win over Newcastle Falcons in front of a pitiful crowd at the stateside Talen Energy Stadium in only the second Premiership Rugby clash ever to be played overseas. Home-grown hero Chris Wyles – who grew up a few states north east in Stamford, CT – notched the first score after just eight minutes. Farrell brilliantly struck the extras from out wide, and that was the early warning sign that the England fly-half’s radar was tuned in – another five penalties were to follow from the No.10, who was starting his first Premiership clash of the season. The Falcons performed some heroic defence to repel wave after wave of Saracens attacks, but with the Men in Black pressing for a second score, Falcons hit them on the counter. Mark Wilson showed superb awareness to snatch up a loose ball after Jamie George uncharacteristically spilled, starting off a length-of-the-field score by releasing Vereniki Goneva who finished well. But two Farrell penalties right in front of the posts before half-time saw Saracens go in 13-7 ahead. Farrell was metronomic from the tee after the break, adding three more penalties to put Saracens out of sight as Newcastle were forced to defend for long periods. Something had to give and on 73 minutes a lovely move off the back a scrum from the Wolfpack produced a penalty try with Goneva guilty of a deliberate knock-on, and the centre saw yellow as a result.

WASPS saw their long unbeaten home record end as they fell to a 24-21 defeat to Harlequins at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on Sunday afternoon. The hosts had won their last twenty Aviva Premiership Rugby home matches but were undone as Marland Yarde and Charlie Walker scored tries for Harlequins. Christian Wade and Tom Cruse touched down for the home side but Marcus Smith knocked over two late penalties to edge his side over the line. Smith kicked two penalties either side of Wade’s try as the winger completed a fine backs move involving Marcus Watson and Willie Le Roux. The second Smith penalty came after James Haskell was sent to the sin bin for an off-the-ball incident with Joe Marler, the former petulantly crying foul to the referee for the England prop spraying water in his face. Harlequins used of their extra man as Smith’s exquisite crossfield kick was knocked back by Mike Brown and Yarde put the visitors ahead 11-10. But Wasps, back up to 15, were back in front 13-11 before the break through a Cipriani penalty, as he took his points tally for the club beyond 500 points. Harlequins restored their advantage early in the second half as Joe Marchant broke down the short side before feeding Walker who dived over to make it 18-13. The scores were level after 55 minutes though as hooker Cruse was at the back of a successful driving maul for his first Premiership try after Kyle Sinckler had been shown a yellow card. Cipriani knocked over his third penalty of the afternoon but he then became the third man to be shown a yellow card after being adjudged to have deliberately knocked-on. Two penalties for Smith in the final moments gave Harlequins the well-deserved victory.

RESULTS

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 24 - 6 BATH RUGBY

Franklin's Gardens - Friday 15 September 2017
KO: 19:45 HT: 12-6

SAINTS: 15 Ahsee Tuala 14 George North 13 Rob Horne 12 Luther Burrell 11 Tom Collins 10 Harry Mallinder 9 Nic Groom 8 Teimana Harrison 7 Jamie Gibson 6 COURTNEY LAWES (C) 5 David Ribbans 4 Michael Paterson 3 Paul Hill 2 Mikey Haywood 1 Alex Waller BENCH: 16 Reece Marshall 17 Campese Ma’afu 18 Kieran Brookes 19 Christian Day 20 Lewis Ludlam 21 Cobus Reinach 22 James Grayson 23 Ben Foden

SCORERS T: Lawes, Ribbans (2), North C: Mallinder (2)

BATH: 15 Anthony Watson 14 Semesa Rokoduguni 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Ben Tapuai 11 Matt Banahan 10 Rhys Priestland 9 Kahn Fotuali’i 8 Taulupe Faletau 7 Sam Underhill 6 MATT GARVEY (C) 5 Elliott Stooke 4 Charlie Ewels 3 Anthony Perenise 2 Tom Dunn 1 Beno Obano BENCH: 16 Jack Walker 17 Nick Auterac 18 Scott Andrews 19 James Phillips 20 Paul Grant 21 Darren Allinson 22 Freddie Burns 23 Max Clark

SCORERS P: Priestland (2)

Referee: Thomas Foley

 

WORCESTER WARRIORS 10 - 41 EXETER CHIEFS

Sixways - Friday 15 September 2017
KO: 19:45 HT: 3-24

WARRIORS: 15 Josh Adams 14 Perry Humphreys 13 Jackson Willison 12 Ben Te’o 11 Bryce Heem 10 Tom Heathcote 9 Jonny Arr 8 GJ van Velze 7 Sam Lewis 6 Matt Cox 5 Pierce Phillips 4 DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN (C) 3 Biyi Alo 2 Jack Singleton 1 Ryan Bower BENCH: 16 Joe Taufete’e 17 Ethan Waller 18 Gareth Milasinovich 19 Christian Scotland-Williamson 20 Alafoti Fa'osiliva 21 Peter Stringer 22 Sam Olver 23 Jamie Shillcock

SCORERS T: Alo C: Olver P: Olver

CHIEFS: 15 Phil Dollman 14 Jack Nowell 13 Henry Slade 12 Ian Whitten 11 Olly Woodburn 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Nic White 8 Sam Simmonds 7 Don Armand 6 Dave Dennis 5 Jonny Hill 4 Mitch Lees 3 Tomas Francis 2 JACK YEANDLE (C) 1 Carl Rimmer BENCH: 16 Elvis Taione 17 Ben Moon 18 Harry Williams 19 Sam Skinner 20 Matt Kvesic 21 Stuart Townsend 22 Max Bodilly 23 Lachie Turner

SCORERS T: Simmonds (2), Nowell, Hill, Woodburn C: Steenson (5) P: Steenson (2) Townsend

Referee: Ian Tempest

 

SALE SHARKS 36 - 7 LONDON IRISH

AJ Bell Stadium - Friday 15 September 2017
KO: 20:00 HT: 24-0

SHARKS: 15 WILL ADDISON (C) 14 Denny Solomona 13 Sam James 12 Mark Jennings 11 Josh Charnley 10 AJ MacGinty 9 Faf de Klerk 8 Josh Strauss 7 BEN CURRY 6 ROSS (CC) 5 Josh Beaumont 4 Bryan Evans 3 Alex Tarus 2 Marc Jones 1 Ross Harrison BENCH: 16 Rob Webber 17 James Flynn 18 Halani 'Aulika 19 Andre Ostrikov 20 Tom Curry 21 TJ Ioane 22 Will Cliff 23 Mike Haley

SCORERS T: Harrison, Solomona (2), Charnley, Jennings C: MacGinty (4) P: MacGinty 'Aulika

IRISH: 15 Tommy Bell 14 Alex Lewington 13 Aseli Tikoirotuma 12 Luke McLean 11 Topsy Ojo 10 James Marshall 9 Brendan McKibbin 8 Ofisa Treviranus 7 Blair Cowan 6 Mike Coman 5 Sebastian De Chaves 4 Franco van der Merwe 3 BEN FRANKS (C) 2 Dave Porecki 1 Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi BENCH: 16 David Paice 17 Harry Elrington 18 Petrus Du Plessis 19 Josh McNally 20 Conor Gilsenan 21 Scott Steele 22 Greig Tonks 23 Napolioni Nalaga

SCORERS T: PT Cowan

Referee: Wayne Barnes

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 24 - 10 GLOUCESTER

Welford Road - Saturday 16 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 21-0

TIGERS: 15 Telusa Veainu 14 Nick Malouf 13 Matt Smith 12 Matt Toomua 11 Jonny May 10 George Ford 9 Ben Youngs 8 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Luke Hamilton 6 Mike Williams 5 Joe Maksymiw 4 Harry Wells 3 Dan Cole 2 TOM YOUNGS (C) 1 Ellis Genge BENCH: 16 Harry Thacker 17 Greg Bateman 18 Logovi’i Mulipola 19 Valentino Mapapalangi 20 Dominic Ryan 21 Sam Harrison 22 Joe Ford 23 Mathew Tait

SCORERS T: Ben Youngs (2), Malouf C: George Ford (3) P: George Ford

GLOUCESTER: 15 Jason Woodward 14 Charlie Sharples 13 Henry Trinder 12 Matt Scott 11 Ollie Thorley 10 Billy Twelvetrees 9 Willi Heinz 8 Ruan Ackermann 7 Jacob Rowan 6 Lewis Ludlow 5 Jeremy Thrush 4 Ed Slater 3 John Afoa 2 Motu Matu'u 1 Josh Hohneck BENCH: 16 Richard Hibbard 17 Val Rapava Ruskin 18 Gareth Denman 19 Tom Savage 20 Freddie Clarke 21 Ben Vellacott 22 Lloyd Evans 23 Henry Purdy

SCORERS T: Hohneck C: Twelvetrees P: Twelvetrees

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys

 

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 7 - 29 SARACENS

Talen Energy Stadium, Philadephia - Saturday 16 September 2017
KO: 17:00 [22:00 BST] HT: 7-13

 

FALCONS: 15 Simon Hammersley 14 Sinoti Sinoti 13 Chris Harris 12 Josh Matavesi 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 Joel Hodgson 9 Sonatane Takulua 8 Nili Latu 7 WILL WELCH (C) 6 Mark Wilson 5 Sean Robinson 4 Calum Green 3 Jon Welsh 2 Scott Lawson 1 Rob Vickers BENCH: 16 Santiago Socino 17 Sami Mavinga 18 Trevor Davison 19 Will Witty 20 Ally Hogg 21 Sam Stuart 22 Juan Pablo Socino 23 Belisario Agulla

SCORERS T: Goneva C: Hodgson Goneva

SARACENS: 15 Alex Goode 14 Liam Williams 13 Marcelo Bosch 12 BRAD BARRITT (C) 11 Chris Wyles 10 Owen Farrell 9 Ben Spencer 8 Billy Vunipola 7 Schalk Burger 6 Michael Rhodes 5 Maro Itoje 4 Nick Isiekwe 3 Juan Figallo 2 Jamie George 1 Mako Vunipola BENCH: 16 Christopher Tolofua 17 Hayden Thompson-Stringer 18 Kieran Longbottom 19 Dominic Day 20 Jackson Wray 21 Richard Wigglesworth 22 Nick Tompkins 23 Sean Maitland

SCORERS T: Wyles, PT C: Farrell P: Farrell (5)

Referee: JP Doyle

 

WASPS 21 - 24 HARLEQUINS

Ricoh Arena - Sunday 17 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 13-11

 

WASPS: 15 Willie Le Roux 14 Christian Wade 13 Elliot Daly 12 Gaby Lovobalavu 11 Marcus Watson 10 Danny Cipriani 9 Joe Simpson 8 Nathan Hughes 7 Guy Thompson 6 Alex Rieder 5 Will Rowlands 4 JOE LAUNCHBURY (C) 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley 2 Tom Cruse 1 Matt Mullan BENCH: 16 Ashley Johnson 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Marty Moore 19 Marcus Garratt 20 James Haskell 21 Craig Hampson 22 Rob Miller 23 Juan De Jongh

SCORERS T: Wade, Cruse C: Cipriani P: Cipriani (3) Haskell, Cipriani

HARLEQUINS: 15 Mike Brown 14 Marland Yarde 13 Joe Marchant 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Charlie Walker 10 Marcus Smith 9 Danny Care 8 Mat Luamanu 7 Jack Clifford 6 Chris Robshaw 5 JAMES HORWILL (C) 4 George Merrick 3 Kyle Sinckler 2 Dave Ward 1 Joe Marler BENCH: 16 Elia Elia 17 Mark Lambert 18 Will Collier 19 Ben Glynn 20 Archie White 21 Dave Lewis 22 Tim Swiel 23 Harry Sloan

SCORERS T: Yarde, Walker C: Smith P: Smith (4) Sinckler

Referee: Andrew Jackson

 

 

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SALE SHARKS 12 - 13 NEWCASTLE FALCONS

AJ Bell Stadium - Friday 08 September 2017
KO: 19:45 HT: 3-0

NEWCASTLE Falcons underlined their status as dark horses in Aviva Premiership Rugby this season as they came from behind to win 13-12 away against Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell Stadium. Trailing 12-6 to four AJ MacGinty penalties, Falcons managed a penalty try with six minutes remaining to sneak the win. Sale had the better of the first half, but had just three points from the boot of MacGinty to show for it. They could have led by more but Byron McGuigan had a try disallowed after a brilliant counter-attack as he knocked on when placing the ball over the line.

Falcons responded early in the second half, with Sonatane Takulua slotting a three-pointer soon after the break. However, they were not level for long, MacGinty adding his second of the evening on the next Sharks incursion into Falcons territory. The visitors levelled the score but MacGinty’s penalties had the homeside 12-6 ahead. The Sharks lineout failed them, not capitalising on any territorial dominance, while in the final ten minutes, Newcastle were in touching distance of the goal line and Sale pulled down a rolling maul, conceding the penalty try and hooker Marc Jones sent to the bin. The Falcons then lost Alex Tait to a yellow card for an intentional knock-on, but were able to hold on in the final stages despite plenty of Sale pressure.

SHARKS: 15 Mike Haley 14 Denny Solomona 13 WILL ADDISON (C) 12 Mark Jennings 11 Byron McGuigan 10 AJ MacGinty 9 Faf de Klerk 8 Josh Strauss 7 Tom Curry 6 Jono Ross 5 Andre Ostrikov 4 Josh Beaumont 3 Alex Tarus 2 Cameron Neild 1 Ross Harrison BENCH: 16 Marc Jones 17 James Flynn 18 WillGriff John 19 George Nott 20 Ben Curry 21 TJ Ioane 22 Will Cliff 23 Sam James

SCORERS  P: MacGinty (4) Jones

FALCONS: 15 Simon Hammersley 14 Alex Tait 13 Chris Harris 12 Josh Matavesi 11 Belisario Agulla 10 Joel Hodgson 9 Sonatane Takulua 8 Callum Chick 7 WILL WELCH (C) 6 Mark Wilson 5 Will Witty 4 Calum Green 3 Jon Welsh 2 Scott Lawson 1 Rob Vickers BENCH: 16 Santiago Socino 17 Sami Mavinga 18 Trevor Davison 19 Sean Robinson 20 Nili Latu 21 Sam Stuart 22 Juan Pablo Socino 23 Vereniki Goneva

SCORERS T: PT P: Takulua (2) Tait

Referee: Andrew Jackson

 

BATH RUGBY 31 - 21 SARACENS

The Rec - Saturday 09 September 2017
KO: 14:00 HT: 14-0

SEMESA Rokoduguni's last-gasp double stunned Saracens to give Bath Rugby a 31-21 win in an extraordinary spectacle at the Rec. After trailing 14-0 at half time, Saracens had looked set to pull off an unlikely comeback when Ben Spencer put them in front for the first time in the game eight minutes from time. But Rokoduguni shrugged off the visitors’ tackles to race over in the 77th minute, before running in another long-range score from an interception, as Bath claimed a second straight Premiership victory to start their campaign. Bath who dominated the first half, Rhys Priestland dropping a goal before Francois Louw’s score, which went unconverted, but Priestland spat over a couple of penalties going into the break.

Alex Lozowski pulled back three points in the opening stages of the second half, but it was the bench that made the significant impact for North Londoners. Owen Farrell reduced the deficit to eight, Priestland slotted a second drop goal, while Saracens came back again, Taulupe Faletau summarily dismissed by Wayne Barnes for pulling down a rolling maul and the visitors earned a penalty try, 17-13. Farrell struck again, promptly followed up by Spencer who finished off a fine move down the left, crossing after a tidy pass inside by Chris Wyles. Conversion missed, Saracens now led by four, and then Rocco struck the first blow; the visitors looked to cancel that out deep in the Bath 22in the 80th minute, but the British Army’s Lance Corporal intercepted in magnificent fashion and ran the length of the field to strike again, Freddie Burns converting both his tries.

BATH: 15 Anthony Watson 14 Semesa Rokoduguni 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Max Clark 11 Matt Banahan 10 Rhys Priestland 9 Chris Cook 8 Taulupe Faletau 7 Francois Louw 6 MATT GARVEY (C) 5 Elliott Stooke 4 Luke Charteris 3 Anthony Perenise 2 Tom Dunn 1 Beno Obano BENCH: 16 Jack Walker 17 Nick Auterac 18 Scott Andrews 19 James Phillips 20 Paul Grant 21 Kahn Fotuali’i 22 Freddie Burns 23 Ben Tapuai

SCORERS  T: Louw, Rokoduguni (2) C: Burns (2) P: Priestland (2) DG: Priestland (2) Faletau

SARACENS: 15 Alex Goode 14 Nathan Earle 13 Duncan Taylor 12 BRAD BARRITT (C) 11 Chris Wyles 10 Alex Lozowski 9 Richard Wigglesworth 8 Jackson Wray 7 Schalk Burger 6 Michael Rhodes 5 Maro Itoje 4 Dominic Day 3 Vincent Koch 2 Schalk Brits 1 Richard Barrington BENCH: 16 Christopher Tolofua 17 Mako Vunipola 18 Juan Figallo 19 Nick Isiekwe 20 Ben Earl 21 Ben Spencer 22 Owen Farrell 23 Liam Williams

SCORERS T: PT, Spencer P: Lozowski, Farrell (2)

Referee: Wayne Barnes

 

EXETER CHIEFS 37 - 7 LONDON IRISH

Sandy Park - Saturday 09 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 20-0

 

DON Armand crossed twice as defending Aviva Premiership Rugby champions Exeter Chiefs kick-started their new season with a bonus-point win over London Irish. At a wet and windy Sandy Park, Henry Slade grabbed the first score, a penalty try came next and Armand crossed for the third, Gareth Steenson missing both conversion, but a penalty gave the home side a 20-0 lead at half time. The Exiles did not look close to the fresh-faced team that won at Twickenham the previous week.

After the break and benches almost emptied, Alex Lewington finally struck for the visitors, Tommy Bell adding the extras but it was too little too late with only 10 minutes to go. Olly Woodburn dotted down in the 76th minute, and Armand made it a brace at the death, Steenson adding another penalty and converting both tries to give the incumbent champions a bonus point win in front of their home crowd.

CHIEFS: 15 Phil Dollman 14 Jack Nowell 13 Henry Slade 12 Ian Whitten 11 Olly Woodburn 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Nic White 8 Sam Simmonds 7 Don Armand 6 Dave Dennis 5 Jonny Hill 4 Mitch Lees 3 Tomas Francis 2 JACK YEANDLE (C) 1 Ben Moon BENCH: 16 Elvis Taione 17 Carl Rimmer 18 Harry Williams 19 Sam Skinner 20 Matt Kvesic 21 Stuart Townsend 22 Max Bodilly 23 Lachie Turner

SCORERS  T: Slade, PT, Armand (2), Woodburn C: Steenson (2) P: Steenson (2)

IRISH: 15 Tommy Bell 14 Alex Lewington 13 Ciaran Hearn 12 Luke McLean 11 Topsy Ojo 10 James Marshall 9 Scott Steele 8 Ofisa Treviranus 7 Blair Cowan 6 Mike Coman 5 Sebastian De Chaves 4 Franco van der Merwe 3 Petrus Du Plessis 2 DAVID PAICE (C) 1 Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi BENCH: 16 Dave Porecki 17 Gordon Reid 18 Ben Franks 19 Josh McNally 20 Conor Gilsenan 21 Brendan McKibbin 22 Greig Tonks 23 Aseli Tikoirotuma

SCORERS T: Lewington C: Bell

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys

 

HARLEQUINS 28 - 17 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

The Twickenham Stoop - Saturday 09 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 17-3

 

HARLEQUINS redeemed themselves in front of a home crowd at the Twickenham Stoop following the previous week’s loss to freshly-promoted London Irish by putting the Cherry & Whites to the sword in a 28-17 win.

The fly halves traded penalties early on, Demetri Catrakilis replaced by Marcus Smith in the first quarter as he went off injured. And that was the last of the effort from Billy Burns and Gloucester before the break, while Dave Ward and Charlie Walker both ran in a try apiece, Smith’s conversions giving the home team a 17-3 lead at half time.

The visitors rallied after the break with possession and territory, Freddie Clarke making a dash for the goal line and Burns’ conversion taking Gloucester to within a score of equalising with their opponents. But two penalties from Smith put this hope out of reach in the final quarter, before Marland Yarde crossed for a third try. No conversion ensued and just twelve minutes remained where neither side added anything further until the death when Jacob Rowan crossed the whitewash for a consolation score. Billy Twelvetrees converted but the visitors went home to the west country with nothing to show for in the points column.

HARLEQUINS: 15 Mike Brown 14 Marland Yarde 13 Joe Marchant 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Charlie Walker 10 Demetri Catrakilis 9 Danny Care 8 Jack Clifford 7 Dave Ward 6 Chris Robshaw 5 JAMES HORWILL (C) 4 George Merrick 3 Kyle Sinckler 2 Joe Gray 1 Joe Marler BENCH: 16 Elia Elia 17 Mark Lambert 18 Will Collier 19 Ben Glynn 20 Mat Luamanu 21 Dave Lewis 22 Marcus Smith 23 Winston Stanley

SCORERS T: Ward, Walker, Yarde C: Smith (2) P: Catrakilis, Smith (2)

GLOUCESTER: 15 Jason Woodward 14 Ollie Thorley 13 Matt Scott 12 Andy Symons 11 Henry Purdy 10 Billy Burns 9 WILLI HEINZ (C) 8 Freddie Clarke 7 Lewis Ludlow 6 Ruan Ackermann 5 Jeremy Thrush 4 Tom Savage 3 Fraser Balmain 2 Richard Hibbard 1 Josh Hohneck BENCH: 16 Motu Matu'u 17 Val Rapava Ruskin 18 John Afoa 19 Ed Slater 20 Jacob Rowan 21 Ben Vellacott 22 Billy Twelvetrees 23 Charlie Sharples

SCORERS T: Clarke, Rowan C: Burns, Twelvetrees P: Burns

Referee: Luke Pearce

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 24 - 11 LEICESTER

Franklin's Gardens - Saturday 09 September 2017
KO: 16:30 HT: 17-3

 

NORTHAMPTON Saints made a confident and determined comeback following their drubbing by Saracens at the London Double Header, dominating Leicester Tigers by three tries to one and securing the East Midlands bragging rights.

Saints shone from the outset, and it was Luther Burrell who answered his detractors with the first try, sparked by an initial drive from George North down the left flank, Harry Mallinder converting. Tigers failed to take their opportunity for points through George Ford who pushed his penalty wide from 40m. Soon after, captain Dylan Hartley drove over from a ruck to score a second time, confirmed by TMO Davis Sainsbury; Mallinder again converted and added a penalty to take the Saints tally to 17 going into the break, while Ford junior could muster nothing more than a penalty 3 points.

Leicester’s push for a comeback took a blow ten minutes after the restart as Mike Williams was sin-binned just seconds after replacing the injured Graham Kitchener. Ford chalked up a second penalty after Courtney Lawes was penalised for coming off his feet at the ruck, but after sustained pressure, the Tigers’ hopes were snuffed out in the 68th minute as Tom Collins crossed in the corner for Saints after a fine exchange with Nic Groom at the back of a scrum, Mallinder adding the extras. Jonny May made a final play and reached the whitewash to score a consolation try, but again Ford missed the uprights and failed to impress, much like the entire team.

SAINTS: 15 Ahsee Tuala 14 George North 13 Rob Horne 12 Luther Burrell 11 Tom Collins 10 Harry Mallinder 9 Nic Groom 8 Teimana Harrison 7 Jamie Gibson 6 Courtney Lawes 5 Christian Day 4 Michael Paterson 3 Kieran Brookes 2 DYLAN HARTLEY (C) 1 Alex Waller BENCH: 16 Mikey Haywood 17 Campese Ma’afu 18 Paul Hill 19 Api Ratuniyarawa 20 Lewis Ludlam 21 Cobus Reinach 22 James Grayson 23 Ben Foden

SCORERS T: Burrell, Hartley, Collins C: Mallinder (3) P: Mallinder

TIGERS: 15 Telusa Veainu 14 Nick Malouf 13 Matt Smith 12 Matt Toomua 11 Jonny May 10 George Ford 9 Ben Youngs 8 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Brendon O’Connor 6 Luke Hamilton 5 Graham Kitchener 4 Dom Barrow 3 Dan Cole 2 TOM YOUNGS (C) 1 Ellis Genge BENCH: 16 Harry Thacker 17 Greg Bateman 18 Logovi’i Mulipola 19 Mike Williams 20 Dominic Ryan 21 Sam Harrison 22 Joe Ford 23 Mathew Tait

SCORERS T: May P: George Ford (2) Williams

Referee: JP Doyle

 

WORCESTER WARRIORS 10 - 24 WASPS

Sixways - Sunday 10 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 7-10

 

WASPS were pushed hard but late tries from Willie le Roux and Josh Bassett helped them make it two wins from two with a 24-10 win over Worcester Warriors at Sixways to go top of the Premiership table. Worcester lost Nick Schonert to injury with the very first tackle of the game as he appeared to turn his ankle, while the visitors hit the front with a Jimmy Gopperth penalty, quickly followed by a score for Marcus Watson after a clever grubber through. Gopperth’s conversion stretched the lead to 10-0. Worcester thought they had levelled five minutes before half-time when Tom Heathcote burst through a gap to score but it was called back for obstruction from Sam Lewis in the build-up. But replacement Biyi Alo, on for Schonert, forced his way over from close range. Tom Heathcote’s conversion made it 10-7 at the break.

Worcester made the quicker start to the second half, with replacement fly-half Sam Olver slotting a penalty to level matters after some concerted pressure. Olver then had the chance to put his team in front for the first time, but his effort came back off the post. Instead it was Wasps who struck, opening up space on the left to send Le Roux away for a try 12 minutes from time. And he was followed by Bassett, who collected Danny Cipriani’s inch-perfect cross-kick to jog over.

WARRIORS: 15 Josh Adams 14 Perry Humphreys 13 Jackson Willison 12 Ben Te’o 11 Bryce Heem 10 Tom Heathcote 9 Jonny Arr 8 GJ van Velze 7 Sam Lewis 6 Matt Cox 5 Pierce Phillips 4 DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN (C) 3 Nick Schonert 2 Jack Singleton 1 Ryan Bower BENCH: 16 Joe Taufete’e 17 Ethan Waller 18 Biyi Alo 19 Christian Scotland-Williamson 20 Alafoti Fa'osiliva 21 Peter Stringer 22 Sam Olver 23 Jamie Shillcock

SCORERS  T: Alo C: Heathcote P: Olver

WASPS: 15 Willie Le Roux 14 Marcus Watson 13 Gaby Lovobalavu 12 Jimmy Gopperth 11 Josh Bassett 10 Danny Cipriani 9 Dan Robson 8 Nathan Hughes 7 Guy Thompson 6 Alex Rieder 5 Kearnan Myall 4 JOE LAUNCHBURY (C) 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley 2 Ashley Johnson 1 Simon McIntyre BENCH: 16 Tom Cruse 17 Matt Mullan 18 Paul Doran-Jones 19 Matt Symons 20 Jack Willis 21 Joe Simpson 22 Brendan Macken 23 Rob Miller

SCORERS T: Watson, le Roux, Bassett C: Gopperth (3) P: Gopperth

Referee: Thomas Foley

 

 

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EXETER CHIEFS were given a taste of what to expect as defending Aviva Premiership Rugby champions went down to an inspired Gloucester Rugby side 28-21 in a pulsating opener at Kingsholm. After dominating early, the champions found themselves pegged back by former Lions coach Johan Ackermann’s side, with Ben Morgan’s try handing Gloucester the lead, only for Olly Woodburn and Henry Slade to combine to tie things up. However with time up on the clock and the score at 21 apiece, Gloucester powered into the 22 before sending debutant Jason Woodward over in the corner as Kingsholm erupted, Billy Twelvetrees adding the extras for good measure.

A clinical display from Newcastle Falcons saw them open up the new season with a comfortable victory over Worcester Warriors. A slow-burner of a contest did get off to a bright start, with a slick lineout move allowing Alex Tait to cross the whitewash with just five minutes on the clock, Sonatane Takulua converting. The scrumhalf then punished Worcester for an infringement at the ruck, dissecting the posts from the tee to make it 10-0. With 28 minutes gone, the visitors lost British Lion Ben Te’o, who had come into the Warriors line-up after Wynand Olivier was injured in the warm-up, but they did at least have their first points of the evening to celebrate, Tom Heathcote successfully kicking a penalty. The score remained 10-3 through half time, then Josh Adams forced his way over to score for the visitors. Takulua dispatch a 25-metre kick before the Falcons lay siege to the Warriors line, allowing Bobby Vickers to extend their lead to 20-8. Another converted try from Kyle Cooper gave the homeside 20-point advantage, and there was still time for Juan Pablo Socino to get in on the act, Craig Willis adding the extras after he powered over the goal line.

SEAN MAITLAND scored a first-half hat-trick as Saracens cruised past Northampton Saints 55-24 in the opening game of the London Double Header in glorious late summer sunshine – scoring nine tries in the process. Fly-half Alex Lozowski, captain Brad Barritt, Richard Wigglesworth and Vincent Koch took Saracens’ first-half try tally to seven in their first outing of the season, leading 41-3 at the break. Lewis Ludlum crossed for the Saints early in the second half, and Tom Wood added a brace for the visitors, but tries from Schalk Brits and Ben Spencer kept Saracens well clear on the scoreboard. The reigning European champions were at their clinical best at Twickenham in the first half, though their pace dropped off in the second, Lozowski ending with 13 points but leaving 11 out on the pitch missing four conversions and a penalty. The Saints looked clueless in the first half as the Saracens ran rings round them, and their second half rally was far too little too late, not boding well under new captain Dylan Hartley.

FOUR-try Dan Robson stole the show as Wasps began their 150th anniversary season with victory over Sale Sharks. The hosts got off to a flying start as Christian Wade and debutant Gaby Lovobalavu combined to set up Robson for an early score, Jimmy Gopperth adding the extras. With 13 minutes gone, Robson got on the scoresheet once again as he exploited the blindside to break free and dot down another converted try. Four minutes later, Wasps sprung into action again as Tom Cruse pick-pocketed Sale and fed Danny Cipriani, who freed up Wade to cross the whitewash to make it 21-0, with help from the boot of Gopperth. Sale finally got themselves up and running in the 22nd minute via Byron McGuigan, with his try converted by AJ MacGinty, but a Gopperth penalty shortly afterwards made it 24-7. Before the break arrived, Robson was celebrating a hat trick as he collected Nathan Hughes’ pass and blazed his way over. However, almost immediately from the restart, a Gopperth kick was charged down and Ben Curry scored at the other end, MacGinty adding the extras to make it 31-14. Robson continued his heroics, storming over for his fourth try after a break from Wade, but with a quarter of the game to go, Sharks hit back through Denny Solomona’s converted try. Faf de Klerk, on debut, then twanged home supporters’ nerves as he charged over the line, MacGinty again dissecting the posts as the visitors reduced the deficit to eight points. However, despite turning the screws in the latter stages, Sale would ultimately fail to pull off an unlikely comeback, with Will Rowlands and Alex Rieder both bagging converted scores late on. There was still time for Josh Strauss to barge over for the visitors, MacGinty adding the extras.

LONDON IRISH had the perfect return to Aviva Premiership Rugby as Tommy Bell kicked 24 points in a 39-29 victory over Harlequins at Twickenham with both teams scoring try bonus points. In perfect conditions in South West London with the sun drenching fans, Bell scored one of four tries for the Exiles in the London Double Header fixture, the club’s all-time leading try scorer, Topsy Ojo, racing in for a spectacular try from his own 22, while No8 Ofisa Treviranus and replacement Brendan McKibbin also dotted down. Harlequins replied through Joe Marchant before a trio of tries in quick succession from Marland Yarde, Danny Care and Charlie Walker reduced the deficit to just three points. England 7s and Quins new signing at flyhalf, 18 year old Marcus Smith momentarily forgot he had switched to XVs rugby and dropkicked Marchant’s conversion, and made a solid debut for his new club. Demetri Catrakilis also made his debut off the bench, but was summarily dismissed to the sin bin for infringing at eh breakdown within a minute of arriving to the party, a harsh call as a result of Quins’ repetitive indiscipline; this was the downfall for the team visiting from across the road, compounded by Mike Brown shoulder-charging Bell in idiotic fashion, earning him Quins’ second yellow card, and the Exiles made high scoring 10 points in the remaining 6 minutes, McKibbin’s late try sealed the homeside’s winning return to the Premiership.

A first-half Bath Rugby blitz saw the visitors over the line at Welford Road as they resisted a late Leicester Tigers surge to secure a 27-23 win in a pulsating encounter. In a sight that delighted the crowds, Manu Tuilagi crossed for the first try of the afternoon (and even lasted the entire duration of the match) but Bath responded with a brace from centre Max Clark. Semesa Rokoduguni scored Bath’s third and led 21-8 into the break. The Tigers left it late to reply, with Jonny May’s superb double not enough to steal the game, returning George Ford missing two conversions. And this despite a flurry of yellow cards shown to the west-country side; Kahn Fotuali'i , Matt Garvey then Matt Banahan summarily dismissed, reducing Bath to 12 men by the end.

RESULTS

GLOUCESTER RUGBY 28 - 21 EXETER CHIEFS

Kingsholm - Friday 01 September 2017
KO: 19:45 HT: 14-14

GLOUCESTER: 15 Jason Woodward 14 Ollie Thorley 13 Andy Symons 12 Mark Atkinson 11 Henry Purdy 10 Billy Burns 9 WILLI HEINZ (C) 8 Ben Morgan 7 Jacob Rowan 6 Lewis Ludlow 5 Jeremy Thrush 4 Tom Savage 3 Fraser Balmain 2 Richard Hibbard 1 John Afoa BENCH: 16 Motu Matu’u 17 Josh Hohneck 18 Gareth Denman 19 Ed Slater 20 Ruan Ackermann 21 Ben Vellacott 22 Billy Twelvetrees 22 Matt Scott

SCORERS T: Thrush (2), Morgan, Woodward C: Burns (3), Twelvetrees

CHIEFS: 15 Phil Dollman 14 Olly Woodburn 13 Henry Slade 12 Ian Whitten 11 Max Bodilly 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Nic White 8 Sam Simmonds 7 Don Armand 6 Matt Kvesic 5 Jonny Hill 4 Ollie Atkins 3 Harry Williams 2 JACK YEANDLE (C) 1 Ben Moon BENCH: 16 Elvis Taione 17 Carl Rimmer 18 Tomas Francis 19 Sam Skinner 20 Julian Salvi 21 Jack Maunder 22 Jack Nowell 23 Lachie Turner

SCORERS T: Simmonds (2), Woodburn C: Simmonds (2), Slade Steenson

Referee: Matt Carley

 

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 35 - 8 WORCESTER

Kingston Park - Friday 01 September 2017
KO: 19:45 HT: 10-3

FALCONS: 15 Simon Hammersley 14 Alex Tait 13 Chris Harris 12 Josh Matavesi 11 Belisario Agulla 10 Joel Hodgson 9 Sonatane Takulua 8 Callum Chick 7 WILL WELCH (C) 6 Mark Wilson 5 Will Witty 4 Calum Green 3 Jon Welsh 2 Kyle Cooper 1 Rob Vickers BENCH: 16 Scott Lawson 17 Sami Mavinga 18 Trevor Davison 19 Tevita Cavubati 20 Nili Latu 21 Sam Stuart 22 Craig Willis 23 Juan Pablo Socino

SCORERS T: Tait, Vickers, Cooper, Socino C: Takulua (2), Willis P: Takulua (3)

WARRIORS: 15 Josh Adams 14 Dean Hammond 13 Ben Te’o 12 Jackson Willison 11 Bryce Heem 10 Tom Heathcote 9 Jonny Arr 8 GJ van Velze 7 Sam Lewis 6 Matt Cox 5 Will Spencer 4 DONNACHA O’CALLAGHAN (C) 3 Nick Schonert 2 Jack Singleton 1 Ryan Bower BENCH: 16 Joe Taufete’e 17 Ethan Waller 18 Biyi Alo 19 Pierce Phillips 20 Alafoti Fa'osiliva 21 Peter Stringer 22 Sam Olver 23 Jamie Shillcock

SCORERS T: Adams P: Heathcote

Referee: Wayne Barnes

 

SARACENS 55 - 24 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

Twickenham Stadium - Saturday 02 September 2017
KO: 14:00 HT: 41-3

SARACENS: 15 Alex Goode 14 Sean Maitland 13 Duncan Taylor 12 BRAD BARRITT (C) 11 Nathan Earle 10 Alex Lozowski 9 Richard Wigglesworth 8 Jackson Wray 7 Schalk Burger 6 Maro Itoje 5 George Kruis 4 Dominic Day 3 Vincent Koch 2 Schalk Brits 1 Richard Barrington BENCH: 16 Scott Spurling 17 Hayden Thompson-Stringer 18 Juan Figallo 19 Nick Isiekwe 20 Michael Rhodes 21 Ben Spencer 22 Marcelo Bosch 23 Chris Wyles

SCORERS T: Barritt, Wigglesworth, Maitland (3), Lozowski, Koch, Brits, Spencer C: Lozowski (5)

SAINTS: 15 Ahsee Tuala 14 Ben Foden 13 Nafi Tuitavake 12 Luther Burrell 11 Tom Collins 10 Harry Mallinder 9 Nic Groom 8 Mitch Eadie 7 Lewis Ludlam 6 Tom Wood 5 Christian Day 4 Courtney Lawes 3 Kieran Brookes 2 DYLAN HARTLEY (C) 1 Alex Waller BENCH: 16 Mikey Haywood 17 Campese Ma’afu 18 Paul Hill 19 David Ribbans 20 Jamie Gibson 21 Alex Mitchell 22 James Grayson 23 Ken Pisi

SCORERS T: Ludlam, Wood (2) C: Mallinder (3) P: Mallinder

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys

 

WASPS 50 - 35 SALE SHARKS

Ricoh Arena - Saturday 02 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 31-14

 

WASPS: 15 Willie Le Roux 14 Christian Wade 13 Gaby Lovobalavu 12 Jimmy Gopperth 11 Josh Bassett 10 Danny Cipriani 9 Dan Robson 8 Nathan Hughes 7 Alex Rieder 6 Ashley Johnson 5 Kearnan Myall 4 JOE LAUNCHBURY (C) 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley 2 Tom Cruse 1 Simon McIntyre BENCH: 16 Will Rowlands 17 Matt Mullan 18 Marty Moore 19 Matt Symons 20 Jack Willis 21 Joe Simpson 22 Juan De Jongh 23 Marcus Watson

SCORERS T: Robson (4), Wade, Rowlands, Rieder C: Gopperth (6) P: Gopperth

SHARKS: 15 Mike Haley 14 Denny Solomona 13 Will Addison 12 Sam James 11 Byron McGuigan 10 AJ MacGinty 9 Faf de Klerk 8 Josh Strauss 7 Ben Curry 6 Jono Ross 5 Josh Beaumont 4 Bryan Evans 3 Halani Aulika 2 Rob Webber 1 Ross Harrison BENCH: 16 Marc Jones 17 James Flynn 18 Alex Tarus 19 Andrei Ostrikov 20 TJ Ioane 21 Tom Curry 22 Will Cliff 23 Mark Jennings

SCORERS T: McGuigan, Ben Curry, Solomona, de Klerk, Strauss C: MacGinty (5)

Referee: JP Doyle

 

LONDON IRISH 39 - 29 HARLEQUINS

Twickenham Stadium - Saturday 02 September 2017
KO: 16:45 HT: 21-10

 

IRISH: 15 Tommy Bell 14 Alex Lewington 13 Ciaran Hearn 12 Fergus Mulchrone 11 Topsy Ojo 10 James Marshall 9 Scott Steele 8 Ofisa Treviranus 7 Blair Cowan 6 Mike Coman 5 Sebastian De Chaves 4 Franco van der Merwe 3 Petrus Du Plessis 2 DAVID PAICE (C) 1 Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi BENCH: 16 Dave Porecki 17 Gordon Reid 18 Ben Franks 19 Josh McNally 20 Conor Gilsenan 21 Brendan McKibbin 22 Greig Tonks 23 Aseli Tikoirotuma

SCORERS T: Ojo, Bell, Treviranus, McKibbin C: Bell (2) P: Bell (5)

HARLEQUINS: 15 Mike Brown 14 Marland Yarde 13 Joe Marchant 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Charlie Walker 10 Marcus Smith 9 Danny Care 8 Jack Clifford 7 Dave Ward 6 Chris Robshaw 5 JAMES HORWILL (C) 4 Ben Glynn 3 Will Collier 2 Rob Buchanan 1 Joe Marler BENCH: 16 Joe Gray 17 Mark Lambert 18 Kyle Sinckler 19 George Merrick 20 Mat Luamanu 21 Charlie Mulchrone 22 Demetri Catrakilis 23 Winston Stanley

SCORERS T: Marchant, Yarde, Care, Walker C: Smith, Catrakilis (2) P: Smith Catrakilis, Brown

Referee: Tom Foley

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 23 - 27 BATH RUGBY

Welford Road - Sunday 03 September 2017
KO: 15:00 HT: 8-21

 

TIGERS: 15 Telusa Veainu 14 Nick Malouf 13 Manu Tuilagi 12 Matt Toomua 11 Jonny May 10 George Ford 9 Ben Youngs 8 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Brendon O’Connor 6 Dominic Ryan 5 Graham Kitchener 4 Dom Barrow 3 Logovi’i Mulipola 2 TOM YOUNGS (C) 1 Ellis Genge BENCH: 16 Harry Thacker 17 Greg Bateman 18 Dan Cole 19 Mike Williams 20 Luke Hamilton 21 Sam Harrison 22 Joe Ford 23 Mathew Tait

SCORERS  T: Tuilagi, May (2) C: George Ford P: George Ford (2)

BATH: 15 Anthony Watson 14 Semesa Rokoduguni 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Max Clark 11 Matt Banahan 10 Rhys Priestland 9 Chris Cook 8 Taulupe Faletau 7 Francois Louw 6 MATT GARVEY (C) 5 Elliott Stooke 4 Luke Charteris 3 Kane Palma-Newport 2 Tom Dunn 1 Beno Obano BENCH: 16 Jack Walker 17 Nick Auterac 18 Anthony Perenise 19 James Phillips 20 Paul Grant 21 Kahn Fotuali’i 22 Freddie Burns 23 Ben Tapuai

SCORERS T: Clark (2), Rokoduguni C: Priestland (3) P: Priestland (2) Fotuali'i, Garvey, Banahan

Referee: Luke Pearce

 

 

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