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LEICESTER 37 - 17 NORTHAMPTON

Twickenham - Saturday 25th April 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 16-5 Att: 81,703

HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...

Tigers 0-0 Northampton 3mins Glorious sunshine...Saints in powder blue & Toby Flood's teeing up already
Tigers 3-0 Northampton 4mins And of course he knocks it over...
Leicester 8-0 Northampton 7mins No time passes before Tigers head for T/L & to little opposition Niall Morris scores
Leicester 10-0 Northampton 8mins Flood adds the extras & Tigers are properly away...
Leicester 10-0 Northampton 12mins Pen to Saints & Stephen Myler sets up a L/O just outside Tigers' 22...
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 14mins Saints lose ball not 10m out but fortunes turn again & Myler battles over in corner...
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 15mins No conversion but it's game on...& what a spectacle it is!
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 18mins Great work from Tigers but forced into touch by Jamie Elliott with boos from crowd
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 18mins Boos for tackle on Flood - time off as he gets attended to by medics...
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 20mins Damn backwards counting clocks! Anyway - stretcher car on pitch for Flood but he's up
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 20mins Was late tackle on Flood by Courtney Lawes - pen Tigers & Flood tees up...
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 22mins Flood pulls it wide of posts from Saints 10m...pen to Saints on H/W
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 23mins Saints on the rampage & almost inches from Tigers' T/L...pen Saints
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 25mins Saints 5m scrum > reset...
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 26mins Did forget to mention...ref is Wayne Barnes. Conclude what you will. Tigers' T/O ball
Leicester 10-5 Northampton 28mins Stirling work from Tigers forces play from 5m out to H/W & Tigers' possession...
Leicester 13-5 Northampton 32mins Flood taken off; George Ford on & starts with 3-pointer
Leicester 13-5 Northampton 34mins Super retort from Saints with Ben Foden flying over in corner > deferred to TMO
Leicester 13-5 Northampton 34mins TMO Graham Hughes rules no try tho looks down from replay. 22 drop out...
Leicester 13-5 Northampton 36mins Ah - Fodes' feet were out - that'll be no try then! Tigers pen outside own 22...
Leicester 13-5 Northampton 37mins Fordy kicks it high - Saints collect & on move over H/W but Tigers scrum on S's 10m
Leicester 13-5 Northampton 38mins Dylan Hartley pulled out & up for public commentary - warning from Barnes
Leicester 13-5 Northampton 39mins Pen from scrum to tigers & Fordy tees up from outside 10m but flies wide of posts
Leicester 13-5 Northampton 40min Barnes losing patience with Saints -told not to kick directly out & that's what they do
Leicester 13-5 Northampton 40 +1mins Massive game changer as Hartley shown red card after Tigers awarded pen!
Leicester 16-5 Northampton 40 +2mins Fordy adds 3-pointer after Tigers lose Flood but Saints lose captain...permanently

Leicester 16-5 Northampton HT T: Morris C: Flood P: Flood, Ford (2) | P: Myler RC Hartley

Leicester 16-5 Northampton 42mins Saints may have lost a captain but they are not lying down any time soon...
Leicester 16-10 Northampton 43min Super play from the Northampton boys & Fodes flies over in the corner not to be denied
Leicester 16-10 Northampton 45mins No conversion - & no doubt they'll rue that....
Leicester 21-10 Northampton 47mins Tigers strike back quickly with a try from Graham Kitchener despite Fodes best effort
Leicester 21-10 Northampton 49min Another missed conversion - this time from Tigers. Still can't get over Hartley! Idiot!
Leicester 24-10 Northampton 55mins But hey ho - pen from Ford & Tigers charge ahead as Ed Slater replaces Kitchener
Leicester 24-5 Northampton 56mins There's no stopping either side as Lee Dickson finds T/L & TMO eventually concurs!
Leicester 24-17 Northampton 57mins Myler converts...& the fizz is making it awfully hard to spell ;-)
Leicester 24-17 Northampton 59mins Oh dear - stole some points off of Saints. All square now tho...
Leicester 24-17 Northampton 60mins Tonga'uiha, Mujati & Day replaced with Alex Waller, Tom Mercey & GJ van Velze
Leicester 24-17 Northampton 64mins Game appears to have lost a bit of momentum..probably the sunshine..not used to it!
Leicester 29-17 Northampton 66mins OK so time to eat my words as Manu Tuilagi hurtles over T/L magnificently from H/W
Leicester 29-17 Northampton 68mins No conversion but the legend that is Martin Castrogiovanni is on for Dan Cole
Leicester 29-17 Northampton 70min Rob Hawkins for Tom Youngs; Nutley, Lamb, Roberts, George Pisi for Dowson, Dickson, Myler & Foden
Leicester 34-17 Northampton 74mins Tigers are taking no prisoners as Vereniki Goneva slam dunks the 4th try for Tigers *inthebag*
Leicester 34-17 Northampton 78mins Time off; Tigers pen almost in front of posts on 10m...as crowd boos
Leicester 37-17 Northampton 78mins Ford pops over last pen before FT & Tigers win 4th title in 9 Premiership finals
Congratulations Tigers on winning the Aviva Premiership 2013! Northampton...what can we say...

15 Mathew Tait 4 Niall Morris 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Anthony Allen 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 TOBY FLOOD (C) 9 Ben Youngs 1 Logovi’i Mulipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Graham Kitchener 5 Geoff Parling 6 Tom Croft 7 Julian Salvi 8 Jordan Crane BENCH: 16 Rob Hawkins 17 Fraser Balmain 18 Martin Castrogiovanni 19 Ed Slater 20 Steve Mafi 21 Sam Harrison 22 George Ford 23 Matt Smith

SCORERS T: Morris, Kitchener, Tuilagi, Goneva C: Flood P: Flood, Ford (4)

15 Ben Foden 14 Ken Pisi 13 James Wilson 12 Luther Burrell 11 Jamie Elliott 10 Stephen Myler 9 Lee Dickson 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 DYLAN HARTLEY (C) 3 Brian Mujati 4 Courtney Lawes 5 Christian Day 6 Phil Dowson 7 Tom Wood 8 Samu Manoa BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Alex Waller 18 Tom Mercey 19 Ben Nutley 20 GJ Van Velze 21 Martin Roberts 22 Ryan Lamb 23 George Pisi

SCORERS T: Myler, Foden, Dickson C: Myler Hartley

Referee: Wayne Barnes Asst Referees: Greg Garner, JP Doyle 4th & 5th Officials: Stuart Terheege, Luke Pearce TMO: Graham Hughes

 

 

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SF1

LEICESTER TIGERS 33 - 16 HARLEQUINS

Welford Road - Saturday 11th May 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 13-9 Att: 20,243

THE Leicester Tigers roared to life in the second half of this titanic clash to forge their way to victory over the incumbent champions, Harlequins, and maintain their spotless semi-final winning legacy in the Aviva Premiership.

Leicester and Harlequins fans turned out in their thousands to watch the delectable decider at Welford Road. Nobody could predict which side was to be crowned the victors with both teams able to pick up the gauntlet. Leicester had never lost a semi-final and were at home, but Harlequins had already beaten Leicester this season at the Tigers’ lair.

With mystery shrouding the stadium, the two teams trundled onto the pitch, looking almost like zombies with the amount of focus they had to win the match. The sun briefly made an appearance as a cacophony of cheers and stamps resonated throughout the stands, before everything hushed enough to hear the piercing whistle of Referee Greg Garner.

The Harlequins got off to a ravishing start as they instantly managed to turn over their hosts and the referees appeared to have more difficulty communicating with each other than the visitors. Despite making the most impressive start, the visitors gave away a penalty in the 2nd minute after they took out a man in the air at the lineout. Without any hesitation, Captain Toby Flood signalled to the posts and moments later had secured the first points of the match 3-0.

If the Tigers first points bothered the Harlequins, it did not show as they pummelled away at the home side’s defence and broke into their 22, causing Dan Cole to make a mistake, which Nick Evans was only too keen to put right. Silence befell Welford Road as Evans teed up and belted the penalty over to level the scores 3-3.

It was a difficult first 10 minutes for Flood as a misjudged chip from him turned into a monstrous kick downfield. His kick fumbled into the dead ball zone, and the Tigers’ Captain had accidentally handed Quins a great attacking scrum. A massive push from the Harlequins saw them bounding back into Tigers’ 22 and things went from bad to worse for the home side as they gave away another kickable penalty. Evans booted the kick over with precision and Harlequins were looking the more confident 3-6.

In the 14th minute, Flood’s luck did not change when he was given a penalty to level the scores. He agonisingly kicked it just short, allowing the Harlequins to thunder their way back into Tigers’ territory. Danny Care chipped the ball ahead and a slip up from Mathew Tait gave the Quins a golden lineout, metres out from the tryline. The Tigers survived the onslaught but a relentless bombardment of infringements from the home side allowed the Quins back into their 22, with a mat to welcome them. 

At the 26th minute mark, it appeared that the Quins had finally got what they had been looking for as Danny Care bounded over the tryline. With hearts in mouths, the referee sought the opinion of the TMO and after much deliberation, it was seen that Tom Croft had performed a try-saving tackle by putting Care into touch before he got the ball down. A sigh of relief could almost be heard from the home fans as Garner declared there was no try and Tigers were handed the lineout.

The Tigers were not safe for long as in the 31st minute, they conceded another penalty, which Evans perfectly thrust through the posts 3-9. The home side were leading their own downfall. However, just as the Harlequins appeared to be taming the Tigers, the tide began to change in the 34th minute when the home side had found their rhythm and bruised their way into the Quins’ 22. This time it was the Harlequins who were forced to give away a penalty. Keen to add to the Tigers’ cause, Flood swept the ball magnificently through the posts to claw back at Quins’ lead 6-9.

As the first half drew to a close, both sides were trying to make the most of the final minute. Harlequins rampaged into Tigers’ 22 once again but a lightning fast Niki Goneva surprisingly scored the first try of the match. Flood quickly converted and the home fans finally had something to cheer about at half time 13-9.

In the very different second half, it was the resurgent Tigers who reigned supreme, revitalised from the half time break. The home side continued their onslaught of their visitors’ 22 and in the 52nd minute, Danny Care gave away a penalty and earned himself a place in the sin-bin after a late tackle on Tait. Flood swiftly booted the ball over for an easy three points 16-9.

Eager to make the most of the one man advantage, the Tigers pounced their way back into the Harlequins’ 22. The clock ticked down as the phases tally increased and with seconds left on Care’s sin-bin, Manusamoa Tuilagi paced down the left blindside and set up Niall Morris for Tigers’ second try. Tigers’ supporters began to go wild as they realised they were so tantalisingly close to securing the win. Flood hastily added the conversion to make the scores 23-9 and only a minute later, it was a desperate and dark time for the visitors as Tom Croft thundered his way over the tryline, just evading going into touch. Tigers were growing in confidence, despite Flood missing the conversion 28-9.

With only 8 minutes left on the clock, the Tigers had gone from the tamed to the tamers as a swift and perfectly timed pass from Morris to Tait resulted in try number four. Flood woefully missed the conversion, but nothing could dampen the spirits of the home players and fans. Well, almost nothing as in the 77th minute, a magnificent run from Tom Williams allowed Ross Chisholm to tenaciously plummet over the try line and Evans hastily converted 33-16.

Regardless of the Harlequins’ points gain, Leicester Coach, Richard Cockerill, started the celebrations early as the crowd began the countdown. The Harlequins desperately tried to make every footstep count as they furiously battered away at the Tigers’ defence, but unfortunately for them, they put a foot wrong and the home side were awarded a penalty. Flood hammered the ball into touch and the home side’s poor start was all but forgotten amidst the cries of celebration. Harlequins may have dominated the first half, but the Tigers more than caught up in the second.

Leicester will now take on the Northampton Saints at Twickenham on the 25th May. With history on their side, they are massive contenders for the title and will be a tough opponent.

15 Mathew Tait 14 Niall Morris 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Anthony Allen 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 TOBY FLOOD (C) 9 Ben Youngs 1 Logovi’i Mulipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Graham Kitchener 5 Geoff Parling 6 Tom Croft 7 Julian Salvi 8 Jordan Crane BENCH: 16 Rob Hawkins 17 Fraser Balmain 18 Martin Castrogiovanni 19 Steve Mafi 20 Thomas Waldrom 21 Sam Harrison 22 George Ford 23 Matt Smith

SCORERS T: Goneva, Morris, Croft, Tait C: Flood (2) P: Flood (3)

15 Mike Brown 14 Tom Williams 13 George Lowe 12 Tom Casson 11 Ugo Monye 10 Nick Evans 9 Danny Care 1 Joe Marler 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Maurie Fa’asavalu 7 Luke Wallace 8 NICK EASTER (C) BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Mark Lambert 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Tom Guest 21 Karl Dickson 22 Ben Botica 23 Ross Chisholm

SCORERS T: Chisholm C: Evans P: Evans (3) Care

Referee: Greg Garner Asst Referees: Stuart Terheege, Gordon Goodliffe TMO: Geoff Warren

 

 

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SF2

SARACENS 13 - 27 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

Allianz Park - Sunday 12th May 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 0-17 Att: 9,998

THE Northampton Saints proved that you should never put an underdog down as they trounced their way into the Aviva Premiership final, shattering the Saracens’ cup dreams.  

It was not the best weather for a game of rugby, but you would not know it by looking at the packed new home of the Saracens. Hundreds of red and black flags surrounded the 2,000 Saints supporters, who had made the trek to the Allianz Park stadium to watch the adrenaline-fuelled battle. In an unusual move, the home side were welcomed onto the pitch by their wives, girlfriends and children, all waving flags to wish their men luck, and they most certainly needed it.

The noise levels in the stadium reached a fever pitch as Steven Myler prepared to kick-off. Tensions grew as Referee JP Doyle had to delay the start to stop Saints runners from going too soon. Once he was happy, the whistle was blown and the unpredictable match began.

The visitors got off to a flying start and forced the Saracens to concede a penalty within the first minute for not releasing the ball at the breakdown. Myler hesitantly kicked for goal but the ball sailed just wide of the posts, leaving the scores 0-0 and making it obvious that both sides were suffering from big match nerves.

These nerves abated for the Saints as the clock steadily ticked down. Numerous attacks on the Saracens’ 22 had created nothing, but in the 20th minute, Brian Mujati used his magical touch to bound over the tryline. Whilst the Saints and a confident Mujati began the try scoring celebrations, Referee Doyle remained flummoxed as to whether he should award the try. Calling for the aid of the TMO, fans’ hearts raced a little faster, regardless of the colour shirt they were wearing. The looping replay showed as many as 8 men rushing at the tryline to score and stop a try. Players began to look nervous and after many minutes, TMO John Burtenshaw found what he needed to allow the try. Myler nailed the tough conversion and the Saints had the first points of the game 0-7.

A matter of minutes later, a phenomenal turnover by talented prop, Soane Tonga'uiha, enabled the men in blue to hammer their way back into the Saracens’ 22. Frantic passing ensued before Jamie Elliott finally found a gap and pounced over for the second try. Myler hastily added the conversion and the Saracens’ confidence seemed to be sitting next to their much missed centre, Brad Barritt, in the stands.
In the 26th minute, Owen Farrell’s late tackle blunder on Myler gave away another easy three points. The Saints were ungraciously humiliating their hosts 0-17.

However, moments after Myler’s second penalty kick at goal, Farrell had his chance to finally clasp at some desperately needed points for the home side after future England Captain, Tom Wood, gave away a penalty. Farrell’s kick disappointingly missed and the scores were to be left at 0-17.

As the game approached half time, fans, players, management and commentators were all amazed at the phenomenal margin the Saints had created against the favourites, and the visitors were by no means finished. But it was not that far in the past that the Saints dominated Leinster at half time in the 2011 final before their opponents annihilated the weary side to take the trophy.

After half time, an air of awe shrouded the Allianz Park as the dogged Saints purposefully pounded their way back onto the pitch.

The wounded Saracens had been stirred to life at half time and instantly tried to grapple for the reigns of the game. They got off to an explosive start and pummelled their way into the Saints’ 22. Home fans roared as golden boy, Chris Ashton, charged his way towards the tryline but Ben Foden managed to squeeze himself under the ball, denying the Saracens their first points.

It was not long, however, before the hosts finally made an appearance on the scoreboard after Saints’ confidence faltered momentarily and they gave away a penalty. Silence descended upon the stadium as Saracens’ fans collectively hoped that Farrell would not miss again. Seconds later, their wishes were granted as Farrell’s penalty sailed perfectly through the uprights 3-17.

Four minutes after Saracens first graced the scoreboard, the points started flowing in for both sides.  Farrell belted over another penalty after Christian Day was pinged for side tackling. The scoreboard flickered to 6-17, but it did not stay that way for long after a lightning quick Lee Dickson zoomed down the left blindside and set up GJ Van Velze for a stunning try, which Myler sweetly converted 6-24.

As the game reached its final quarter, try scorer, Jamie Elliott earned himself a spell in the sin-bin after he took out Farrell in the air. Farrell overcooked his penalty kick for touch and the ball went dead, giving the Saints a scrum near to halfway.

Looking dangerous for the first time, Saracens turned over the Saints and thrust their way deep into their opponent’s territory. Patiently going through the phases, and knowing they had the one man advantage, it was only a matter of time before they leapt over the tryline. That time was in the 64th minute as an unstoppable Duncan Taylor tumbled over to get the points the home team were so desperate for. Farrell brilliantly converted but it was all too little too late for the hosts 13-24.

In the 72nd minute, any hope of a reprieve was blown to smithereens as Myler’s big boot blasted another penalty over to make the scores 13-27. Tensions built once again, frustration evident on the pitch and in the stands. A scrum to Northampton Saints resulted in a mass brawl in the visitors’ 22. Neil De Kock was named as the instigator and was fortunate not to be reprimanded by the referee.

Time slowly chiselled away and a last gasp dash from Ashton summed up the entirety of the match. He looked to be home and dry but managed to woefully knock the ball on and end the game and away fans furiously began their celebrations.

Northampton Saints had not only won a place in the final, they had also added to history by becoming only the fourth team ever to win a semi-final away in the Premiership. Saracens lacked any composure and lost over 40% of their own lineout feeds, and despite an impressive performance from the Northampton Saints, they will have to up their game at Twickenham on the 25th May. They will play the Leicester Tigers in what promises to be an exciting final stand-off. Rest assured, the Tigers will give as good as they get in the East Midlands derby, but as the Saracens learned the hard way, the Northampton Saints should not be underestimated.

15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Owen Farrell 11 David Strettle 10 Charlie Hodgson 9 Neil De Kock 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Schalk Brits 3 Matt Stevens 4 STEVE BORTHWICK (C) 5 Alistair Hargreaves 6 Kelly Brown 7 Will Fraser 8 Jackson Wray BENCH: 16 John Smit 17 Rhys Gill 18 Carlos Nieto 19 Mouritz Botha 20 George Kruis 21 Richard Wigglesworth 22 Duncan Taylor 23 Chris Wyles

SCORERS T: Taylor C: Farrell P: Farrell (2)

15 Ben Foden 14 Ken Pisi 13 James Wilson 12 Luther Burrell 11 Jamie Elliott 10 Stephen Myler 9 Lee Dickson 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 DYLAN HARTLEY (C) 3 Brian Mujati 4 Courtney Lawes 5 Christian Day 6 Calum Clark 7 Tom Wood 8 Samu Manoa BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Alex Waller 18 Tom Mercey 19 Phil Dowson 20 GJ Van Velze 21 Martin Roberts 22 Ryan Lamb 23 Tom May

SCORERS T: Mujati, Elliott, van Velze C: Myler (3) P: Myler (2) Elliott

Referee: JP Doyle Asst Referees: Paul Dix, Peter Huckle TMO: John Burtenshaw

 

 

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EXETER CHIEFS 40 - 39 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

Sandy Park - 04 May 2013
KO: 14:30 HT: 25-22 Att: tba
Exeter T: Mumm, Welch, PT C: Steenson (2) P: Steenson (7)
Gloucester T: May. Sharples, Trinder, Cook, Burns C: Burns (4) P: Burns (2)

 

HARLEQUINS 22 - 19 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

Twickenham Stoop - 04 May 2013
KO: 14:30 HT: 10-5 Att: tba
Harlequins T: Williams, Buchanan, Casson C: Evans (2) P: Evans
Saints T: Elliott, Hartley, Day C: Myler (2)

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 32 - 20 LONDON IRISH

Welford Road - 04 May 2013
KO: 14:30 HT: 13-3 Att: tba
Tigers T: Croft, Ben Youngs, Tait, Goneva, Flood C: Flood (2) P: Flood
London Irish T: Corbisiero, Ojo, Yarde C: Humphreys P: Humphreys

 

LONDON WELSH 33-22 WORCESTER WARRIORS

The Kassam Stadium - 04 May 2013
KO: 14:30 HT: 17-3 Att: tba
London Welsh T: Caprice, To'oala Vaeluaga, Arscott, Scott C: Ross (2) P: Ross (3) Browne, Kulemin, Ross
Worcester T: Drauniniu (2), Abbott C: Goode (2) P: Goode Best, Jones

 

SALE SHARKS 21 - 20 LONDON WASPS

City Stadium - 04 May 2013
KO: 14:30 HT: 12-7 Att: tba
Sale T: Brady, Braid C: Macleod P: Macleod (3)
WaspsT: Wade (2) C: Tommy Bell (2) P: Tommy Bell (2) Romano

 

SARACENS 23 - 14 BATH RUGBY

Allianz Park - 04 May 2013
KO: 14:30 HT: 13-7 Att: tba
Saracens T: Ashton, Vunipola, Farrell C: Farrell P: Farrell (2) Farrell
Bath T: Webber, Agulla C: Heathcote (2) Mercer

 

 

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BATH RUGBY 27 - 26 LEICESTER TIGERS

Recreation Ground - 20 April 2013
KO: 14:15 HT: 19-20 Att: 12,200
Bath T: Taylor, Rokoduguni, Agulla, Louw C: Devoto, Donald P: Heathcote
Tigers T: Croft, B Youngs C: Flood (2) P: Flood (4)

 

GLOUCESTER RUGBY 25 - 23 SARACENS

Kingsholm - 20 April 2013 KO: 15:00 HT: 18-13 Att: 15,53
Gloucester T: May (2), Morgan C: Burns (2) P: Burns (2) Robson
Saracens T: Tomkins (2) C: Farrell (2) P: Farrell (3)

 

LONDON IRISH 45 - 28 LONDON WELSH

Madejski Stadium - 20 April 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 19-15 Att: 11,716
London Irish T: Armitage (2), 'Aulika (2), Hala'ufia, Tagicakibau, Garvey C: Humphreys (5)
London Welsh T: Stegmann, Scott, Bateman C: Ross (2) P: Ross (3)

 

WORCESTER WARRIORS 26 - 42 HARLEQUINS

Sixways - 20 April 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 16-20 Att: 11,579
Worcester T: Pennell, Grove C: Goode (2) P: Goode (4)
Harlequins T: Evans, Williams, Care (3), Brown C: Evans (3) P: Evans (2) Guest

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 47 - 7 SALE SHARKS

Franklin's Gardens - 20 April 2013 KO: 17:45 HT: 25-0 Att: 13,493
Northampton T: Wood, Dickson, Burrell, Elliott (2), Wilson (2) C: Myler (2), Lamb P: Myler (2) Lawes
Sale T: Gaskell C: Cipriani Holmes

 

LONDON WASPS 24 - 37 EXETER CHIEFS

Adams Park - 21 April 2013
KO: 14:00 HT: tba Att: tba

 

 

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SALE SHARKS 32 - 9 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

City Stadium - 12 April 2013
KO: 19:45 HT: 22-6 Att: 8,023
Sale T: Leota, Peel (2), Shepherd, Cueto C: Macleod (2) P: Macleod
Gloucester P: Burns (3) Lewis

 

HARLEQUINS 23 - 9 BATH RUGBY

Twickenham Stoop - 13 April 2013
KO: 14:15 HT: 6-9 Att: 14,326
Harlequins T: Care, Monye C: Botica (2) P: Botica (3)
Bath P: Donald (2), Devoto

 

EXETER CHIEFS 27 - 6 LONDON IRISH

Sandy Park - 13 April 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 12-3 Att: 8,986
Exeter T: Jess, Ewers C: Slade P: Steenson (5)
London Irish P: Homer, Humphreys

 

LONDON WELSH 14-31 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

The Kassam Stadium - 14 April 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 7-19 Att: tba
London Welsh T: Scott, Browne C: Davies, Ross Ross
Saints T: May (2), Burrell (2) C: Lamb P: Myler (3) Waller

 

SARACENS 47 - 17 WORCESTER WARRIORS

Allianz Park - 14 April 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 23-10 Att: tba
Saracens T: Strettle (3), Nieto, Ashton, Wray C: Hodgson (4) P: Hodgson (3)
Worcester T: Drauniniu, Kvesic C: Gray (2) P: Gray

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 35 - 16 LONDON WASPS

Welford Road - 14 April 2013
KO: 15:45 HT: 21-6 Att: tba
Tigers T: Youngs, Kitchener, Hawkins, Thompstone C: Flood (2) P: Flood (2)
Wasps T: Daly C: Tommy Bell P: Tommy Bell (3), Daly Tommy Bell

 

 

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GLOUCESTER RUGBY 17 - 15 HARLEQUINS

Kingsholm - 29 March 2013
KO: 19:45 HT: 3-12 Att: 14,699
Gloucester T: May, Qera C: Burns (2) P: Burns
Harlequins T: Buchanan, Smith C: Evans P: Evans Gray

 

BATH RUGBY 40 - 25 LONDON WELSH

Recreation Ground - Saturday 30 March 2013
KO: 14:15 HT: 20-9 Att: 11,621
Bath T: Banahan, Fearns, Rokoduguni, Agulla, Claassens C: Donald, Heathcote (2) P: Donald (2), Heathcote
London Welsh T: Jewell C: Davies P: Davies (6)

 

LONDON WASPS 13 - 22 SARACENS

Adams Park - Saturday 30 March 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 13-8 Att: 8,078
Wasps T: Wade C: Stephen Jones P: Daly Taulafo
Saracens T: Wyles, Ashton P: Farrell (4) Botha

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 8 - 36 LEICESTER

Franklin's Gardens - Saturday 30 March 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 3-12 Att: 13,479
Northampton T: Myler P: Myler Lawes
Tigers T: Tuilagi (2), Morris, Tait C: Flood (2) P: Flood (4) Morris

 

WORCESTER 18 - 24 EXETER CHIEFS

Sixways - Saturday 30 March 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 6-14 Att: 9,130
Worcester T: Kvesic, Drauniniu C: Goode P: Goode (2) Matavesi
Chiefs T: Arscott, Steenson, Mumm C: Steenson (3) P: Steenson

 

LONDON IRISH vs SALE SHARKS

Madejski Stadium - Sunday 31 March 2013
KO: 14:15 HT: tba Att: tba

 

 

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SALE SHARKS 14 - 13 BATH RUGBY

City Stadium - 22 March 2013
KO: 20:00 HT: 9-3 Att: 6,541
Sale T: Cueto P: Macleod (3)
Bath T: Agulla C: Heathcote P: Heathcote (2)

 

GLOUCESTER RUGBY 15 - 14 LONDON WELSH

Kingsholm - 23 March 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 6-6 Att: 14,627
Gloucester P: Burns (5) May
London Welsh T: MacKenzie P: Ross (3)

 

LONDON IRISH 26 - 6 WORCESTER WARRIORS

Madejski Stadium - 23 March 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 16-6 Att: 19,523
London Irish T: Garvey, 'Aulika, Hala'ufia C: Homer P: Homer (3)
Worcester P: Goode (2)

 

LONDON WASPS 24 - 26 NORTHAMPTON

Adams Park - 23 March 2013
KO: 15:15 HT: 16-19 Att: 7,193
Wasps T: Varndell, Daly C: Stephen Jones P: Dale, Stephen Jones (3) Thomas, Palmer, Johnson
Saints T: PT, Dickson, Hartley (2) C: Myler (3)

 

EXETER CHIEFS 9 - 12 LEICESTER TIGERS

Sandy Park - 23 March 2013
KO: 17:00 HT: 9-9 Att: 10,427
Exeter P: Steenson (3)
Tigers Flood (4)

 

SARACENS 27 - 12 HARLEQUINS

Allianz Park - 24 March 2013
KO: 14:00 HT: 17-9 Att: 9,996
Saracens T: Brits, Fraser C: Farrell P: Farrell (5) Ashton
Harlequins P: Evans (4) Marler

 

 

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07 March 2013

DUE to London Welsh being deducted 5 league points, with a further 5-point deduction suspended until the end of season 2013-14, and been fined £15,000 after being found to have fielded an ineligible player on 10 separate occasions in the Premiership this season, 9 of which he should not have been working in the UK at all, below is the amended Aviva Premiership Table:

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BATH RUGBY 31 - 25 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

Recreation Ground - 01 March 2013
KO: 20:00 HT: 20-15 Att: 11,593
Bath T: PT, Eastmond, Biggs C: Heathcote (2) P: Heathcote (4) Fearns
Gloucester T: Trinder, May (2) C: Burns, Cook P: Cook (2) Sharples Dawidiuk

 

WORCESTER 29 - 23 LONDON WASPS

Sixways - 01 March 2013
KO: 20:00 HT: 15-6 Att: 9,214
Worcester T: Pennell, Lemi, Cowan, Arr C: Goode, Gray (2) P: Goode Drauniuniu
Wasps T: Thomas, Johnson, Wallace C: Robinson P: Robinson (2) Masi

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 48 - 10 SALE SHARKS

Welford Road - 02 March 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 27-3 Att: 20,585
Leicester T: Slater (2), PT, Smith (2), Tait C: Ford (6) P: Ford (2)
Sale T: Powell C: Cipriani P: Macleod Brady

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 40 - 14 LONDON IRISH

Franklin's Gardens - 02 March 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 14-9 Att: 12,465
Northampton T: Elliott (3), Manoa, Tonga'uiha, van Velze C: Myler (4), Lamb
London Irish T: Armitage P: Homer (3)

 

HARLEQUINS 16 - 27 EXETER CHIEFS

Twickenham Stoop - 02 March 2013
KO: 15:15 HT: 10-9 Att: 14,800
Harlequins T: Monye C: Evans P: Evans, Botica (2)
Exeter T: Welch, Arscott C: Steenson P: Steenson (5)

 

SARACENS 35 - 14 LONDON WELSH

Copthall Stadium - 03 March 2013
KO: 14:15 HT: 16-11 Att: tba
Saracens T: PT, Tomkins, Fraser, Strettle C: Hodgson (3) P: Hodgson (3)
London Welsh T: Stegmann P: Henson (2) DG: Henson MacKenzie, Bristow

 

 

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GLOUCESTER 29 - 23 WORCESTER WARRIORS

Kingsholm - 22 February 2013
KO: 19:45 HT: 13-10 Att: 14,362
Gloucester T: Trinder, PT C: Cook (2) P: Cook (4), Mills
Worcester T: Matavesi, Grove C: Goode (2) P: Goode (2), Gray Betty Claassens

 

SALE SHARKS 21 - 30 HARLEQUINS

City Stadium - 22 February 2013
KO: 20:40 HT: 7-13 Att: 7,103
Sale T: Shepherd, Vernon, Tuitupou C: Cipriani (3) Tuitupou
Harlequins T: Williams, Matthews (2) C: Botica (3) P: Botica (3) Fa'asavalu

 

EXETER CHIEFS 47 - 16 LONDON WELSH

Sandy Park - 23 February 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 19-9 Att: 7,317
Exeter T: Yeandle, Hayes, Welch, Naqelevuki, Nowell C: Steenson (5) P: Steenson (4)
Welsh T: MacKenzie C: Henson P: Henson (3)

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 25 - 23 BATH RUGBY

Franklin's Gardens - 23 February 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 11-9 Att: 12,291
Northampton T: Elliott (2) P: Myler (5)
Bath T: PT, Rokoduguni C: Heathcote (2) P: Heathcote (3)

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 20 - 32 SARACENS

Welford Road - 23 February 2013
KO: 20:40 HT: 17-6 Att: 20,728
Tigers T: Salvi, Bowden C: Ford (2) P: Ford (2)
Saracens T: Strettle (2), Short, Wyles C: Hodgson (3) P: Hodgson (2) Strettle, Taylor

 

LONDON IRISH 30 - 19 LONDON WASPS

Madejski Stadium - 24 February 2013
KO: 12:05 HT: 14-16 Att: 7,184
London Irish T: Geraghty, Yarde C: Homer P: Homer (6) Hala'ufia
Wasps T: Wade C: Stephen Jones P: Stephen Jones (4)

 

 

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BATH RUGBY 40 - 16 LONDON IRISH

Recreation Ground - 16 February 2013
KO: 14:15 HT: 17-9 Att: 11,879
Bath T: Abendanon, PT, Catt, Perenise C: Heathcote (4) P: Donald, Heathcote (3)
London Irish T: Moates C: Humphreys P: Homer (3) Homer, Ojo, Fisher

 

SARACENS 31 - 11 EXETER CHIEFS

Copthall Stadium - 16 February 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 7-3 Att: 9,997
Saracens T: Hodgson, Stevens, Vunipola (2) C: Hodgson (4) P: Hodgson
Exeter T: Baxter P: Steenson (2) Arscott

 

WORCESTER 18 - 27 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

Sixways - 16 February 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 12-9 Att: 9,013
Worcester P: Goode (6) Best
Northampton T: Manoa, PT C: Myler P: Myler (5) Hartley, Lawes

 

HARLEQUINS 25 - 21 LEICESTER TIGERS

Twickenham Stoop - 16 February 2013
KO: 17:15 HT: 12-18 Att: 14,800
Harlequins T: Care C: Botica P: Botica (6)
Tigers T: Flood, Thompstone C: Flood P: Flood (3)

 

LONDON WASPS 33 - 29 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

Adams Park - 17 February 2013
KO: 13:00 HT: 13-10 Att: 6,046
Wasps T: Johnson, Wade, Vunipola C: Stephen Jones (2), Robinson P: Stephen Jones (3), Robinson
Gloucester T: Robson, Tindall, Mills, Sharples C: Cook (2), Tindall P: Cook

 

LONDON WELSH 25 - 26 SALE SHARKS

The Kassam Stadium - 17 February 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 12-13 Att: tba
London Welsh T: MacKenzie C: Henson P: Davies (4), Henson (2)
Sharks T: Cliff, Braid C: Cipriani (2) P: Cipriani (3), Macleod

 

 

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SALE SHARKS 21 - 16 EXETER CHIEFS

City Stadium - 08 February 2013
KO: 19:45 HT: 5-13 Att: 8,232
Sale T: Braid, Cueto C: Miller P: Miller, Cipriani DG: Macleod Myall
Exeter T: Votu C: Steenson P: Steenson (3) Horstmann

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 11 - 27 GLOUCESTER

Franklin's Gardens - 09 February 2013
KO: 12:30 HT: 6-17 Att: tba
Northampton T: Dowson P: Myler (2) van Velze, Manoa
Gloucester T: May (2) C: Cook P: Cook (5) May

 

BATH RUGBY 32 - 9 WORCESTER WARRIORS

Recreation Ground - 09 February 2013
KO: 14:15 HT: 13-9 Att: tba
Bath T: Stringer, Webber, Biggs, Agulla (2) C: Heathcote (2) P: Donald Attwood
Worcester P: Gray (3) Schofield; Lemi, Gillies

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 28 - 12 LONDON WELSH

Welford Road - 09 February 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 16-3 Att: tba
Leicester T: Thompstone, Morris, Bowden C: Ford (2) P: Ford (3) Crane
London Welsh P: Ross (4) Hills

 

LONDON IRISH 29 - 16 SARACENS

Madejski Stadium - 09 February 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 9-9 Att: tba
London Irish T: Geraghty, Trevarinus C: Homer (2) P: Homer (5)
Saracens T: Strettle C: Hodgson P: Hodgson (3)

 

HARLEQUINS 16 - 17 LONDON WASPS

Twickenham Stoop - 09 February 2013
KO: 20:00 HT: 13-14 Att: tba
Harlequins T: Hopper C: Evans P: Evans (3)
Wasps T: Varndell, Wade C: Robinson (2) P: Robinson Bell

 

 

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WORCESTER 14 - 19 LEICESTER TIGERS

Sixways - 04 January 2013
KO: 20:00 HT: 14-5 Att: 12,034
Worcester T: Lemi P: Goode (3) Goode
Tigers T: Hamilton, PT (2) C: Flood (2) Castrogiovanni

 

EXETER CHIEFS 19 - 30 NORTHAMPTON

Sandy Park - 05 January 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 6-13 Att: 8,357
Exeter T: Naqelevuki C: Mieres P: Steenson (4)
Northampton T: Ken Pisi, Tonga'uiha, van Vleze C: Myler (3) P: Myler (3) Hartley

 

GLOUCESTER RUGBY 12 - 18 LONDON IRISH

Kingsholm - 05 January 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 6-15 Att: 13,171
Gloucester P: Burns (4) James
London Irish T: Skivington C: Shingler P: Shingler, Homer

 

LONDON WASPS vs BATH RUGBY

Adams Park - 06 January 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 16-12 Att: tba
Wasps T: Wade, Bell C: Jones, Robinson P: Jones (5) Varndell
Bath T: Abendanon, Claassens C: Donald P: Heathcote Day, Abendanon

 

LONDON WELSH vs HARLEQUINS

The Kassam Stadium - 06 January 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 6-21 Att: tba
London Welsh T: Scott, Jackson C: Ross (2) P: Ross (4) Koulemine, Tidewell
Harlequins T: Care, Lowe, Robshaw, Evans C: Easter (3), Evans P: Evans Robson

 

SARACENS 32 - 12 SALE SHARKS

Vicarage Road - 06 January 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 15-6 Att: tba
Saracens T: Strettle, Hodgson C: Farrell (2) P: Farrell (6)
Sale P: Cipriani (4)

 

 

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SALE SHARKS 33 - 27 WORCESTER WARRIORS

28 December 2012 - City Stadium
KO: 20:00 HT: 14-16 Att: 6,347

SALE SHARKS managed to shake of an awful run of poor play long enough to bag only a second win in their final match of the Aviva Premiership for 2012, stealing a 33-27 win from Worcester Warriors in the final quarter of the tense match, the visitors having to be content with a losing bonus point.

Danny Cipriani returned to the starting line up following new Director of Rugby, John Mitchell’s tirade at the fly half before unceremoniously dropping him the previous week. And Cipriani proved his worth kicking over 18 points.

The match began more positively for the visitors, Andy Goode charging 9-points clear in the first quarter. But some sharp work from Richie Gray found the tryline under a heap of forwards, and Cipriani’s conversion nullified Worcester’s impressive lead.

Swiftly the Warriors reclaimed their earlier lead with a try from Neil Best following an offload from Matt Kvesic. The converted score was only marred by Chris Pennell’s binning for not releasing the ball in the 29th minute.

With the advantage of an extra man, Mark Jones and Cipriani together cleared to James Gaskell who found the channel empty leading straight to the whitewash, bringing the home side to within 2 points following Cipriani’s conversion. The break saw Worcester head down the tunnel 16-14 in credit.

The visitors broke ahead further with another Goode penalty, but a cynical knock on from Nikki Walker brought the Warriors back to just 14 men, while Cipriani cancelled out he earlier 3 points.

Sale replacement flanker Fraser McKenzie arrived on the field and was binned immediately for flattening Semisi Taulava, and Goode managed just one last penalty as both sides rang in the changes off the bench.

Meanwhile, Cipriani continued to clock up the points with three more penalties in the final half hour, as well as converting an impressive try from stalwart Mark Cueto who scored a record 75th try. Sale were 11 points clear with just 2 minutes remaining, but Worcester had other ideas, and if there was no win to be had, they were determined to leave with a losing bonus as consolation, Kvesic delivering a final try.

But despite the win, DoR Mitchell refused to give Cipriani due credit for his positive work, then promptly resigned his position just a month after arriving as the Sharks’ saviour. The club refused to comment other than to say Mitchell was returning home for personal reasons.

15 Rob Miller 4 Tom Brady 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Mark Cueto 10 Danny Cipriani 9 Cillian Willis 1 Ross Harrison 2 Marc Jones 3 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 4 Richie Gray 5 Kearnan Myall 6 James Gaskell 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Richie Vernon BENCH: 16 Aston Croall 17 Alasdair Dickinson 18 Tony Buckley 19 Fraser McKenzie 20 James Doyle 21 Dwayne Peel 22 Corne Uys 23 Cameron Shepherd

SCORERS T: Gray, Gaskell, Cueto C: Cipriani (3) P: Cipriani (4) McKenzie

15 Chris Pennell 14 Nikki Walker 13 Alex Grove 12 Josh Matavesi 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Paul Hodgson 1 Ceri Jones 2 Ed Shervington 3 Euan Murray 4 James Percival (C) 5 Chris Jones 6 Neil Best 7 Matt Kvesic 8 Semisi Taulava BENCH: 16 'Aleki Lutui 17 Rob O'Donnell 18 John Andress 19 Dean Schofield 20 Sam Betty 21 Jonny Arr 22 Danny Gray 23 Jon Clarke

SCORERS T: Best, Kvesic C: Goode P: Goode (5) Pennell, Walker

 

HARLEQUINS 26 - 15 LONDON IRISH

29 December 2012 - Twickenham
KO: 14:15 HT: 6-6 Att: 82,000

DESPITE miserable, grey, wet and windy conditions in South West London, a capacity crowd turned out at Twickenham, and the sold out stadium was treated to a home win, though Harlequins made awfully hard work of grinding out the 26-15 final score.

Both sides looked unimaginative for the first half, with little excitement from either quarter as both fly halves kept on par with two penalties apiece, and both the ball and players skidding all over the pitch. Ian Humphreys did not falter despite the visitors being at the polar opposite end of the Premiership table, and at half time, the Irishman and Nick Evans ensured the team went into the break at 6-all.

Not until the second half did Quins find their mojo befitting their table-topping position. Evans immediately punished Irish for a quick penalty at the restart, but Olly Kohn was caught offside allowing Humphreys to equalise.

Ten minutes in, Danny Care began the passage of play off the base of the ruck which returned the ball to him just short of the tryline, brought down by Jonathan Joseph; however, the cheeky scrum half stretched himself to the limit and TMO Geoff Warren confirmed the try for Quins. Evans converted and for the first time the home team could breath for a moment.

The Exiles were not about to let Quins run away with any win though, and Humphreys converted two more penalties to Evans’ one with the final quarter remaining, the scores still close at 19-15.

The replacements poured onto the paddock, and both sets of defence held strong until the 75th minute, Irish looking like they may walk away with a losing bonus, but scrum half Pat Phibbs infringed enough for referee Greg Garner to send him packing for the remainder of the game. Quins heaped on immense pressure, and eventually stole not just the win but that elusive losing bonus point from the Irish after being awarded a penalty try.

Quins end an impressive year and season so far with a sixth week at the top of the Premiership table, while London Irish are fighting for their existence in 11th place, just one point ahead of Sale Sharks.

15 Mike Brown 14 Tom Williams 13 Matt Hopper 12 Tom Casson 11 Ugo Monye 10 Nick Evans 9 Danny Care 1 Joe Marler 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Maurie Fa'asavalu 7 Chris Robshaw (C) 8 Nick Easter BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Mark Lambert 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Tom Guest 21 Karl Dickson 22 Ben Botica 23 George Lowe

SCORERS T: Care, PT C: Evans (2) P: Evans (4)

15 Tom Homer 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Sailosi Tagicakibau 11 Marland Yarde 10 Ian Humphreys 9 Darren Allinson 1 Max Lahiff 2 David Paice 3 Halani 'Aulika 4 Bryn Evans 5 Matt Garvey 6 Declan Danaher (C) 7 Jebb Sinclair 8 Chris Hala'ufia BENCH: 16 Scott Lawson 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa 18 Leo Halavatau 19 George Skivington 20 Jamie Gibson 21 Guy Armitage 22 Steve Shingler 23 Patrick Phibbs

SCORERS P: Humphreys (5) Phibbs

 

EXETER CHIEFS 12 - 12 BATH RUGBY

29 December 2012 - Sandy Park
KO: 15:00 HT: 6-5 Att: 10,744

RELATIVE newcomers Exeter Chiefs, despite their impressive foray in the Premiership since promotion in 2010, are yet to beat rival West Country team, Bath Rugby, but this time they came closer than ever before, pulling off a draw at Sandy Park.

Twice Bath fought their way into Exeter’s 22, and on both occasions they came away with the try, proving the clinical superiority of the visitors as expressed by winger Gonzo Camacho after the tense game.

By half time it was the home side that just had the edge with two penalties from the boot of the ever-reliable Gareth Steenson. However, the Chiefs managed to lose possession to turnover ball on more than one occasion, handing over pointless penalties. Meanwhile, in a manœuvre imitating the first try at Twickenham, scrum half Michael Claassens began and ended the play that carried him over for Bath’s first try in the corner. No conversion allowed Exeter to head into the break 6-5 up.

On their return, Bath repeated their previous offence of coming into the ruck from offside, but this time it was Ben Skirving in the most blatant infringement directly in front of the ref. Steenson added a third penalty which took him over the 1,000-point mark for the Chiefs, and another offside offence afforded the fly half a 12-5 cushion with half an hour left on the clock.

Exeter kept their cool, improved their discipline, and even gained territory right up to Bath’s tryline, but could not quite close out any advantage they gained, knocking on at the crucial moment. Pressure was applied from both sides, but it was Exeter that broke in the final minutes, first handing over a penalty in the 22, then infringing a second time for referee David Rose to award a penalty try to the visitors.

Tom Heathcote converted the vital score, and at 12-all, both teams had to be content with splitting the 4 points, Exeter still just ahead of Bath at 7th position in the all important Premiership rankings.

15 Luke Arscott 14 Gonzalo Camacho 13 Phil Dollman 12 Jason Shoemark 11 Matt Jess 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Haydn Thomas 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Simon Alcott 3 Hoani Tui 4 Tom Hayes (C) 5 Aly Muldowney 6 Dean Mumm 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter BENCH: 16 Neil Clark 17 Ben Moon 18 Carl Rimmer 19 James Hanks 20 Tom Johnson 21 Kevin Barrett 22 Ignacio Mieres 23 Ian Whitten

SCORERS P: Steenson (4)

15 Ollie Devoto 14 Horacio Agulla 13 Kyle Eastmond 12 Matt Banahan 11 Tom Biggs 10 Stephen Donald 9 Michael Claassens 1 Paul James 2 Lee Mears 3 David Wilson 4 Dave Attwood 5 Ryan Caldwell 6 Francois Louw (C) 7 Guy Mercer 8 Ben Skirving BENCH: 16 Tom Dunn 17 Charlie Beech 18 Anthony Perenise 19 Stuart Hooper 20 Will Skuse 21 Mark McMillan 22 Tom Heathcote 23 Ben Williams

SCORERS T: Claassens, PT C: Heathcote

 

LONDON WELSH 15 - 34 LONDON WASPS

29 December 2012 - The Kassam Stadium
KO: 15:00 HT: 12-6 Att: 10,045

15 Tom Arscott 14 Dan Caprice 13 Sonny Parker 12 Seb Jewell 11 Nick Scott 10 Gordon Ross 9 Rob Lewis 1 Franck Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 James Tideswell 4 Jonathan Mills (C) 5 Kirill Kulemin 6 Ed Jackson 7 Mike Denbee 8 Alfie To'oala Vaeluaga BENCH: 16 Gareth Evans 17 Tom Bristow 18 Greg Bateman 19 Matt Corker 20 Adam Balding 21 Nick Runciman 22 Alex Davies 23 James Lewis

SCORERS P: Ross (5)

15 Hugo Southwell (C) 14 Tom Varndell 13 Andrea Masi 12 Chris Bell 11 Elliot Daly 10 Nick Robinson 9 Joe Simpson 1 Zak Taulafo 2 T. Rhys Thomas 3 Phil Swainston 4 Joe Launchbury 5 James Cannon 6 Ashley Johnson 7 Jonathan Poff 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH: 16 Tom Lindsay 17 Tim Payne 18 Will Taylor 19 Marco Wentzel 20 Sam Jones 21 Charlie Davies 22 Stephen Jones 23 Chris Mayor

SCORERS T: Simpson, Daly, Taylor, Varndell C: Stephen Jones P: Robinson (3), Daly

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 17 - 12 GLOUCESTER

29 December 2012 - Welford Road
KO: 17:00 HT: 3-6 Att: 24,000

15 Geordan Murphy 14 Niall Morris 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Anthony Allen 11 Adam Thompstone 10 George Ford 9 Ben Youngs 1 Marcos Ayerza 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Louis Deacon (C) 5 Geoff Parling 6 Brett Deacon 7 Julian Salvi 8 Jordan Crane BENCH: 16 George Chuter 17 Logovi'i Mulipola 18 Martin Castrogiovanni 19 Ed Slater 20 Steve Mafi 21 Sam Harrison 22 Dan Bowden 23 Matt Smith

SCORERS T: Allen P: Ford (3), Murphy Ford, Ben Youngs

15 Martyn Thomas 14 Charlie Sharples 13 Mike Tindall 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 Shane Monahan 10 Freddie Burns 9 Jimmy Cowan 1 Nick Wood 2 Huia Edmonds 3 Shaun Knight 4 Will James 5 Jim Hamilton (C) 6 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Akapusi Qera 8 Ben Morgan BENCH: 16 Darren Dawidiuk 17 Dan Murphy 18 Dario Chistolini 19 Tom Savage 20 Matt Cox 21 Dave Lewis 22 Dan Robson 23 Tim Molenaar

SCORERS P: Burns (4) Knight, James

 

SARACENS 17 - 16 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

30 December 2012 - stadium:mk
KO: 14:15 HT: 11-10 Att: 18,856

15 Chris Wyles 14 Chris Ashton 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Brad Barritt 11 David Strettle 10 Charlie Hodgson 9 Neil de Kock 1 Mako Vunipola 2 John Smit 3 Matt Stevens 4 George Kruis 5 Mouritz Botha 6 Kelly Brown 7 Will Fraser 8 Ernst Joubert (C) BENCH: 16 Schalk Brits 17 Rhys Gill 18 Carlos Nieto 19 Eoin Sheriff 20 Jonathan Ross 21 Richard Wigglesworth 22 Owen Farrell 23 James Short

SCORERS T: Smit P: Hodgson (2), Farrell (2)

15 Ben Foden 14 Ken Pisi 13 George Pisi 12 Dominic Waldouck 11 Jamie Elliott 10 Stephen Myler 9 Lee Dickson 1 Alex Waller 2 Dylan Hartley (C) 3 Brian Mujati 4 Samu Manoa 5 Courtney Lawes 6 Tom Wood 7 Phil Dowson 8 GJ van Velze BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Soane Tonga'uiha 18 Paul Doran Jones 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Calum Clark 21 Martin Roberts 22 Ryan Lamb 23 Tom May

SCORERS T: Dowson C: Myler P: Myler (3)

 

 

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WORCESTER WARRIORS 13 - 6 LONDON WELSH

SIXWAYS - Friday 21st December 2012
KO: 20:00 HT: 6-6 Att: 8,911

DESPITE having to battle with just 14 men, Worcester Warriors held out against a determined London Welsh side, and villain turned hero, Semisi Taulava went from a binning for being offside, to scoring the match-winning try.

The first half was a tawdry affair, with both only able to muster two penalties apiece. The homeside gifted a penalty to the visitors early on, allowing Gordon Ross to open the scoring after just 2 minutes. But Andy Goode responded in kind quickly to draw the scores level, and little occurred for the remainder of the first quarter.

Another penalty from Goode took the Warriors into the lead, but Taulava’s offside manœuvre gave Ross the penalty he required to level the scores again. However, despite being a man up, the Welsh fond no advantage and the teams ran into the break at 6-all.

The Warriors returned with passion, and clever hands from Josh Matavesi excited the record home crowd as he dummied, offloaded to David Lemi who allowed Alex Grove to break down the middle, clear to Taulava who bulldozed over to score in the 56th minute. Goode converted and the crowd were thrilled.

Mass replacements from the visitors did little to help their cause. The Welsh heaped pressure on Worcester but the homeside refused to break. No matter where the Welsh forwards attacked, they either allowed the ball to be turned over, to failed to find a way through the defence for the remainder of the game.

Worcester continued their unbeaten winning home record, and Lyn Jones’ Welsh Exiles remain with just one win on the road against relegation contenders Sale Sharks.

15 Chris Pennell 14 Nikki Walker 13 Alex Grove 12 Josh Matavesi 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Paul Hodgson 1 Ceri Jones 2 Ed Shervington 3 Euan Murray 4 James Percival (C) 5 Chris Jones 6 Neil Best 7 Matt Kvesic 8 Semisi Taulava BENCH: 16 'Aleki Lutui 17 George Porter 18 John Andress 19 Dean Schofield 20 Sam Betty 21 Jonny Arr 22 Danny Gray 23 Jon Clarke

SCORERS T: Taulava C: Goode P: Goode (2) Taulava

15 Tom Arscott 14 Dan Caprice 13 Sonny Parker 12 Seb Jewell 11 Nick Scott 10 Gordon Ross 9 Rob Lewis 1 Franck Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Arthur Joly 4 Jonathan Mills (C) 5 Kirill Kulemin 6 Adam Balding 7 Mike Denbee 8 Ed Jackson BENCH: 16 Greg Bateman  17 Tom Bristow 18 James Tideswell 19 Matt Corker 20 Alfie To'oala Vaeluaga 21 Nick Runciman 22 Alex Davies 23 Tom Voyce

SCORERS P: Ross (2)

 

BATH RUGBY 0 - 22 SARACENS

RECREATION GROUND - Saturday 22nd December 2012
KO: 13:15 HT: 0-16 Att: 12,200

BATH RUGBY fell to a 0-22 loss at the hands of Saracens at a rain-sodden Recreation Ground, with Charlie Hodgson proving he was still world-class despite miserable conditions, notching up 17 of the visitors’ 22 points.

Saracens decided Owen Farrell was far better off at inside centre to return Hodgson to his familiar fly half position, which does not bode so well for England. Whilst it was 14 minutes before Charlie Hodgson landed his first penalty, the former Champions set about controlling the game early on, using the kicking game to secure territory and possession.

A superb tackle on the line from Francois Louw 6 minutes later prevented Chris Ashton from scoring, but it was not long after that Richard Wigglesworth managed to wriggle his way over to finish off a good break from Hodgson. The fly-half converted, giving the visitors a 0-10 lead.

Stephen Donald had the opportunity to get some points on the board for the home side after Ashton infringed, but he could not convert from the difficult angle.

The fly-halves traded penalty attempts as the half drew to a close, and whilst Donald's next two attempts, both long range kicks from just inside the half-way line, were short, Hodgson was on target with his, meaning Saracens had a 0-16 lead going into the half-time break.

Bath came out in the second needing a response, and looked to start breaking down the tough visiting defence. They piled on the pressure, with the driving maul in particular working to good effect at driving the Saracens back. However, they were unable to convert the pressure into points, and Saracens cleared their lines when given the opportunity.

The home side kept plugging away, and after more driving work from the forwards, it looked as if Louw had a way through to the try-line, but the covering tackle dislodged the greasy ball and the chance was lost.

A final penalty from Hodgson, after a miss moments before, sealed the win for the visitors and a grim afternoon for the home side in what was only their second home loss of the season, and the first in which they have not secured a losing bonus point.

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Horacio Agulla 13 Kyle Eastmond 12 Ben Williams 11 Tom Biggs 10 Stephen Donald 9 Michael Claassens 1 Paul James 2 Lee Mears 3 David Wilson 4 Stuart Hooper (C) 5 Dom Day 6 Francois Louw 7 Guy Mercer 8 Simon Taylor BENCH: 16 Tom Dunn 17 Charlie Beech 18 Anthony Perenise 19 Dave Attwood 20 Will Skuse 21 Mark McMillan 22 Tom Heathcote 23 Dan Hipkiss

15 Chris Wyles 14 Chris Ashton 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Owen Farrell 11 David Strettle 10 Charlie Hodgson 9 Richard Wigglesworth 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Schalk Brits 3 Matt Stevens 4 Steve Borthwick (C) 5 Mouritz Botha 6 George Kruis 7 Will Fraser 8 Kelly Brown BENCH: 16 Jamie George 17 Rhys Gill 18 Petrus du Plessis 19 Eoin Sheriff 20 Andy Saull 21 Neil de Kock 22 Duncan Taylor

SCORERS T: Wigglesworth C: Hodgson P: Hodgson (5)

 

GLOUCESTER RUGBY 18 - 16 EXETER CHIEFS

KINGSHOLM - Saturday 22nd December 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 6-6 Att: 16,121

A sell-out crowd at Kingsholm was grandly rewarded with a hard-fought home win for Gloucester against a feisty Exeter Chiefs in miserable conditions, England’s newest superstar, Freddie Burns providing all the points, bringing the visitors’ 7-match winning run to an abrupt end.

Burns and Gareth Steenson matched each other kick for kick in the opening 40 minutes, two apiece, led by Burns 9 minutes in. The Gloucester scrum was strong, and the homeside looked to be on the front foot from the outset, with impressive breaks from Sione Kalamafoni and Jimmy Cowan even threatening the try line. But both came up short, and a soft penalty or two allowed Exeter to keep in touch with the majority of territory.

Just prior to the break, Burns had the chance to take the lead again, but his drop goal went awry, both teams heading into the break at 6-all.

The period began with Burns slotting two consecutive penalties to double Gloucester’s lead early on, but Steenson soon sliced the lead in half with another penalty. The second half saw the Chiefs come into their own, and huge pressure saw Simon Alcott pounce over the try line nearing the end of the third quarter. The conversion from Steenson took the visitors 4 points clear with a 16-12 lead.

Burns missed his next opportunity to narrow the gap to just a single point as his penalty kick went wide of the mark, but the 65th minute saw him make amends. Exeter retained possession of the ball for a while until with just 5 minutes remaining, the Cherry & Whites found themselves with both possession and territory.

Gloucester bore into the Chiefs’ defence and a penalty followed, which Burns slotted over perfectly to take a 2 point lead. The remaining time, the homeside kept their cool and the Chiefs away from any try-scoring opportunities to secure the vital win.

15 Rob Cook 14 Charlie Sharples 13 Mike Tindall 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 Shane Monahan 10 Freddie Burns 9 Jimmy Cowan 1 Nick Wood 2 Darren Dawidiuk 3 Shaun Knight 4 Tom Savage 5 Jim Hamilton (C) 6 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Akapusi Qera 8 Ben Morgan BENCH: 16 Huia Edmonds 17 Dan Murphy 18 Dario Chistolini 19 Will James 20 Matt Cox 21 Dan Robson 22 Tim Molenaar 23 Martyn Thomas

SCORERS P: Burns (6)

15 Luke Arscott 14 Gonzalo Camacho 13 Ian Whitten 12 Jason Shoemark 11 Matt Jess 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Haydn Thomas 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Simon Alcott 3 Hoani Tui 4 Aly Muldowney 5 James Hanks 6 Dean Mumm 7 James Scaysbrook (C) 8 Richard Baxter BENCH: 16 Neil Clark 17 Ben Moon 18 Carl Rimmer 19 Tom Hayes 20 Ben White 21 Kevin Barrett 22 Ignacio Mieres 23 Sireli Naqelevuki

SCORERS T: Alcott C: Steenson P: Steenson (3)

 

LONDON IRISH 9 - 31 LEICESTER TIGERS

MADEJSKI STADIUM - Saturday 22nd December 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 3-14 Att: 10,958

LEICESTER TIGERS were at full strength away to London Irish at the Madejski Stadium with Toby Flood returned from his buggered toe injury, and captain Geordan Murphy making his 200th appearance for the West Midlands side. And they let it be clearly known to their opposition that they meant business, clocking up 14 unanswered points in the opening half hour, and eventually breaking the Exiles 31-9.

Niall Morris was the first beneficiary of Flood’s accuracy following a perfect crossfield kick resulting from Marland Yarde pinged for not releasing; the ball bounced into Morris’ hands and fending off a desperate Tom Homer, the winger opened the scoring with aplomb, which the fly half duly converted.

Not that Irish did not create opportunities to retaliate; Tom Youngs managed to overthrow a lineout on halfway and winger Topsy Ojo was all over it before any Tiger could get close. Ojo pumped it downfield towards the goal area and chased for his life, but the ball went out of play just out of reach and the advantage was lost.

A penalty try was the second score for the visitors after a 10m lineout from Youngs the elder. The Tigers heaped on pressure and eventually referee, Luke Pearce was forced to hand over the try. Another conversion from Flood gave the visitors a comfortable lead.

Meanwhile, with a minute remaining of the half, Leicester conceded a penalty and Ian Humphreys managed 3 points before the half time whistle; Irish 3, Tigers 14.

The Tigers dozed off for the third quarter; Ben Youngs infringed and was marched off to the bin, and Humphreys doubled the homeside’s tally. And shortly after, Humphreys slotted a third reducing the deficit to within a score, taking full advantage of being a man up.

Both Sailosi Tagicakibau and Jonathan James made searing breaks, but lack of support denied any further points to the Exiles. Meanwhile, the Tigers awoke in the final quarter and promptly put the game firmly out of reach of the homeside.

Flood kicked a long range penalty, before another bounced off the cross bar. Replacement Jamie Gibson tackled Morris off the ball and was awarded a yellow card for his efforts, whilst the Tigers were rewarded with a penalty try since the winger was a shoo-in for the score. Flood’s conversion took the lead to 24-3.

After a raft of replacements from both sides, the Flood and Morris show ended with flair and the bonus point, the fly half’s break putting the wing over for his second try of the match with just a minute remaining. A perfect conversion pleased the travelling fans immensely, whilst the Exiles suffered their ninth Premiership defeat in 11 games.

On the back of two consecutive defeats to Gloucester during rounds 3 and 4 of the Amlin Challenge Cup, and two inconsequential wins against inferior French sides at the bottom of the Top 14 standings in the opening rounds, it may be long overdue that the board at London Irish look at the cause of failure of the formerly strong team which has collapsed under Director of Rugby, Brian Smith and Technical Coach, Shawn Edwards. The blame cannot be laid at the feet of the talented squad including internationals such as Jonathan Joseph, Marland Yarde, David Paice, Topsy Ojo and Guy Armitage.

15 Tom Homer 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Sailosi Tagicakibau 11 Marland Yarde 10 Ian Humphreys 9 Darren Allinson 1 Max Lahiff 2 David Paice 3 Halani 'Aulika 4 Bryn Evans 5 Matt Garvey 6 Declan Danaher (C) 7 Jebb Sinclair 8 Chris Hala'ufia BENCH: 16 Scott Lawson 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa 18 Leo Halavatau 19 Kieran Low 20 Jamie Gibson 21 Guy Armitage 22 Shane Geraghty 23 Jack Moates

SCORERS P: Humphreys (3) Gibson

15 Geordan Murphy 14 Niall Morris 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Anthony Allen 11 Adam Thompstone 10 Toby Flood 9 Ben Youngs 1 Marcos Ayerza 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Louis Deacon (C) 5 Graham Kitchener 6 Brett Deacon 7 Julian Salvi 8 Jordan Crane BENCH: 16 Rob Hawkins 17 Logovi'i Mulipola 18 Fraser Balmain 19 Ed Slater 20 Geoff Parling 21 Sam Harrison 22 George Ford 23 Matt Smith

SCORERS T: Morris (2), PT (2) C: Flood (4) P: Flood Ben Youngs

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 9 - 18 HARLEQUINS

FRANKLIN’S GARDENS - Saturday 22nd December 2012
KO: 15:15 HT: 3-6 Att: 13,475

DESPITE the best efforts of referee Wayne Barnes, who frankly is the equivalent of the Southern Hemisphere's Steve Walsh when it comes to ruining a good match, Harlequins managed to force a win at Franklin's Gardens in rotten conditions.

In a match where it was the power of the boot that reigned supreme, arguably the Premiership’s best fly half, Nick Evans kicked Quins to yet another victory, keeping them just ahead of rivals Saracens by a point at the top of the table. And England Coach Stuart Lancaster watched from the stands.

The only try of the match came from Saints and England wing, Ben Foden who found out the whitewash, but was hauled back and reprimanded for receiving a forward pass from George Pisi; the replays clearly illustrated no such manœuvre, and the Saints fans made their ire clearly known.

The Quins were dominant in the first half, clocking up two penalties from Evans, though he missed a third. A disheartened Saints side saw only one penalty on target from Stephen Myler, whilst two went awry, and another two were forsaken for kicks to the corner, but neither amounted to anything, the second lineout stolen by George Robson. Despite the flurry of action, the half time score remained at 6-3 to the visitors.

Quins returned with determination, Nick Easter charging from his own 22 to that of the opposition with some style to almost score before Foden brought him down, denying the No.8 another moment of glory. Evans missed another penalty, but Mike Brown and Ugo Monye both showed initiative and promise on the attack. Eventually, the continuing rain allowed the ball to slip from grasp and the moments were lost, while the Saints defence held well.

Myler equalised after James Johnston was pinged for not rolling away at the breakdown, but no further advantage was taken of the extra man. In fact it was Evans that took Quins into credit with a third penalty, despite being a player down at the start of the final quarter.

Sadly the home crowd gave up early and began to filter out of the ground, while Evans added three more penalties right up into the last minute, taking the final score to 9-18. Replacement fly half Ryan Lamb added a final consolation penalty in the 75th minute, but it was not enough to secure even a losing bonus point for the homeside, who are clearly missing their talisman captain, Dylan Hartley whilst he serves his latest ban for lamping Ulster’s Rory Best during the Heineken Cup. Thankfully, he is now free to return to the field.

15 Ben Foden 14 Ken Pisi 13 George Pisi 12 Tom May 11 Jamie Elliott 10 Stephen Myler 9 Lee  Dickson 1 Soane Tonga'uiha 2 Mike Haywood 3 Paul Doran Jones 4 Samu Manoa 5 Courtney Lawes 6 Tom Wood 7 Phil Dowson (C) 8 GJ van Velze BENCH: 16 Ross McMillan 17 Alex Waller 18 Brian Mujati 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Calum Clark 21 Martin Roberts 22 Ryan Lamb 23 Dominic Waldouck

SCORERS P: Myler (2), Lamb

15 Mike Brown 14 Tom Williams 13 Matt Hopper 12 Tom Casson 11 Ugo Monye 10 Nick Evans 9 Danny Care 1 Joe Marler 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Maurie Fa'asavalu 7 Chris Robshaw (C) 8 Nick Easter BENCH: 16 Dave Ward 17 Mark Lambert 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Tom Guest 21 Karl Dickson 22 Ben Botica 23 Sam Smith

SCORERS P: Evans (6) James Johnston

 

LONDON WASPS 25 - 18 SALE SHARKS

ADAMS PARK - Sunday 23rd December 2012
KO: 14:00 HT: 9-8 Att: 6,486

LONDON WASPS secured their eighth home win and continued their unbeaten record at Adams Park, but Sale Sharks did not give them an easy ride, outscoring them two tries to one, and securing a vital losing bonus point.

However, despite a good result for the Wasps, all the chat this weekend has been about Sale, Danny Cipriani and relegation, so first a précis. The Sharks suffered a record 62-0 defeat against France’s best team, Toulon the previous week, and visiting Director of Rugby, John Mitchell - who is mooted as being gone by the start of the Super Rugby season next year - thought the best tactic was to not just drop fly half Cipriani, but to publicly admonish him as if he were a 5 year old naughty little boy, and laid blame firmly at his feet. Well Mr Mitchell, there is a full squad that failed, an entire team that screwed up, and a single constant at Sale that has led to the club’s failure. Players have come and gone, coaches have been discarded like used tissues, and yet Mitchell’s mate Steve Diamond remains. A shiny new ground and loyal fans are great, but social media managers calling fans “f***wits” on public forums, and the latest in a very long line of coaches slagging off players in the press is no good for the team’s moral. The problems at Sale are far more deep-rooted, and the sooner the powers that be wake up and smell the coffee, the better for the club and rugby in the North West of England.

But to return to the match in hand, and it was the Wasps who began strongly, taking a 6-0 lead in the first quarter of the game with two penalties from the boot of the world class Stephen Jones. The homeside had both territory and possession, and except for a small lapse when Sale’s Nick Macleod failed to take advantage of a kick at goal, it was the brilliant Billy Vunipola - the younger brother of England’s newest recruit, Mako - who showed his mettle in front of the vocal home crowd.

Sale handed kicking duties to Rob Miller, who made no mistake in knocking over the visitors’ first penalty in the second quarter, and then they came into their own. Richie Vernon began and ended the play that sent Sam Tuitupou 40m through the defence for a magnificent try that lifted the spirits of the Sale fans. The conversion did not materialise, but in the 26th minute, Sale were ahead 8-6 away from home.

But a monster penalty from inside his own half allowed Elliot Daly to get Wasps back in front just 3 minutes from half time. Sale had no reply, and the sides ran off down the tunnel at 9-8.

The opening 10 minute of the second half saw two more penalties from Jones, and one from Miller. Then deserved Man of the Match, Vunipola stormed from a scrum on halfway deep into Sale’s 22 before the Wasps swarmed in, recycled and Rhys Thomas crashed over next to the posts for the try, making the conversion simple for Jones. Wasps were now comfortably 22-11 up and simply had to hold out defensively for the final quarter.

As replacements poured on from both sides, Sale continually attacked before Wasps eventually turned over the ball, thumped it downfield though into touch, stole the lineout and set up Jones for a drop goal; the next phase did not go to plan as the ball sailed wide, but the homeside were out of the danger zone, for now.

The Sharks may have matched and even exceeded Wasps’ play on most fronts, but kicks at goal let them down, managing just 3 from 7, 11 points going awry and the team obviously missing Cipriani. Miller missed another before in the final minute, Johnny Leota crashed over the whitewash, and the conversion handed Sale both pride and a much needed bonus point at their 10th successive loss.

15 Hugo Southwell (C) 14 Christian Wade 13 Andrea Masi 12 Chris Bell 11 Elliot Daly 10 Stephen Jones 9 Joe Simpson 1 Zak Taulafo 2 T.Rhys Thomas 3 Phil Swainston 4 Joe Launchbury 5 Marco Wentzel 6 Ashley Johnson 7 James Haskell 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH: 16 Tom Lindsay 17 Tim Payne 18 Will Taylor 19 James Cannon 20 Jonathan Poff 21 Charlie Davies 22 Nick Robinson 23 Chris Mayor

SCORERS T: Thomas C: Jones P: Jones (5), Robinson

15 Rob Miller 14 Mark Jennings 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Mark Cueto 10 Nick Macleod 9 Will Cliff 1 Ross Harrison 2 Marc Jones 3 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 4 Richie Gray 5 Kearnan Myall 6 James Gaskell 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Richie Vernon BENCH: 16 Aston Croall 17 Vadim Cobilas 18 Tony Buckley 19 Fraser McKenzie 20 Andy Powell 21 Cillian Willis 22 Corne Uys 23 Tom Brady

SCORERS T: Vernon, Leota C: Miller P: Macleod, Miller

 

 

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HARLEQUINS 22 - 19 WORCESTER WARRIORS

Twickenham Stoop - 30 November 2012
KO: 19:45 HT: 16-14 Att: 11,630

HARLEQUINS held on to a tight margin to claim victory over a determined Worcester Warriors side.

The homeside had a shaky start, with Matt Hopper spilling the kick-off catch and handing Worcester an early scrum in a good position. This led to a David Lemi storming over the tryline in the corner after just 3 minutes of play.

Andy Goode could not find his target with the extras but soon made amends with a perfect penalty to increase the visitors’ early lead. Quins began to push up on their opposition but poor handling and a sturdy Warriors defence left them unable to find the whitewash. However, a penalty did result from the period of pressure and Nick Evans slotted it to get the homeside’s scoreboard ticking.

This was swiftly nullified by Goode with one of his own but the visitors then lost Lemi to the sin bin for obstruction and Evans added another 3 points to cut the deficit. The Warriors’ tally grew with another Goode penalty before Quins finally found space and Hopper raced through to dot down under the posts.

Evans added the extras and a further penalty to leave the homeside 16-14 up at the break, despite a generally poor half from the usually confident Quins. Worcester traipsed into the changing rooms a man down again as Semisi Taulava picked up a yellow on the stroke of the whistle.

The second half was far less eventful, bordering on dull, as the restart saw 20 minutes of uninspired play before Evans slotted another 3-pointer. Neither side had any bright ideas on attack and the game trundled on until Worcester woke up. Alex Grove broke free and offloaded to see Errie Claassens over the whitewash. However, Goode missed the vital conversion, leaving the scores tied at 19-all.

The play returned to its defensive and rather shaky state soon after, but eventually Evans fell back into the pocket and struck the defining drop goal which clinched the homeside the win. Warriors were left with nothing more than a losing bonus point for their troubles.

15 Tom Williams 14 Seb Stegmann 13 Matt Hopper 12 Jordan Turner-Hall 11 Sam Smith 10 Nick Evans 9 Karl Dickson 1 Mark Lambert 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Maurie Fa’asavalu 7 Luke Wallace 8 Nick Easter (C) BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Darryl Marfo 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Tom Guest 21 Jordan Burns 22 Rory Clegg 23 Tom Casson

SCORERS T: Hopper C: Evans P: Evans (4) DG: Evans

15 Chris Pennell 14 Nikki Walker 13 Alex Grove 12 Josh Matavesi 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Paul Hodgson 1 Ceri Jones 2 Ed Shervington 3 John Andress 4 James Percival (C) 5 Chris Jones 6 Neil Best 7 Matt Kvesic 8 Semisi Taulava BENCH: 16 ‘Aleki Lutui 17 Rob O’Donnell 18 Euan Murray 19 Dean Schofield 20 Sam Betty 21 Jonny Arr 22 Andy Short 23 Errie Claassens

SCORERS T: Lemi P: Goode (3) Taulava, Lemi

 

SALE SHARKS 16 - 27 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

City Stadium - 30 November 2012
KO: 19:45 HT: 3-27 Att: 5,307

AT a foggy Salford City Stadium, Sale Sharks’ woes continued as they went down to Northampton Saints, only mustering a single penalty in the first half before fighting back in the second.

The visitors drew first blood as Ryan Lamb slotted a penalty in the 4th minute, but Nick Macleod responded with one of his own to tie the tallies. This was to be the only Sale points of the half, with Northampton dominating throughout.

Saints dug in and drove forward before Jamie Elliott darted over the whitewash, and Lamb converted to pull the visitors into a comfortable lead. This increased further as Sale could not deal with Northampton’s strength at the ruck and Soane Tonga'uiha used the turnover ball to great effect, seeking out the tryline.

Lamb added the extras and a classy drop goal to add yet more points to the growing gap before Tom May grabbed a loose ball and stormed over for another Northampton try. Lamb was on target with the conversion leaving the homeside trailing 3-27 at half-time.

The restart was the beginning of a fight back from the Sharks as they sparked a brilliant move that was finished by Rob Miller over the whitewash. Macleod could not make the conversion but did add another penalty to cut the deficit. Meanwhile, the Saints had shown little intent on collecting more points and were finding it far harder to cope with their opponents.

Tommy Taylor claimed his first Premiership try but Macleod could not add the extras again and Saints halted any further attacks effectively, leaving Sale without an important losing bonus point. The Sharks have given little hope to their fans that they will be moving off of the table bottom any time soon.

15 Cameron Shepherd 14 Charlie Amesbury 13 Mark Cueto 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Rob Miller 10 Nick Macleod 9 Dwayne Peel 1 Ross Harrison 2 Tommy Taylor 3 Tony Buckley 4 Richie Gray 5 Kearnan Myall 6 Andy Powell 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Richie Vernon BENCH: 16 Joe Ward 17 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 18 Vadim Cobilas 19 Fraser McKenzie 20 James Gaskell 21 Will Cliff 22 Corne Uys 23 Will Addison

SCORERS T: Miller, Taylor P: Macleod (2)

15 Ben Foden 14 Ken Pisi 13 George Pisi 12 Dominic Waldouck 11 Jamie Elliott 10 Ryan Lamb 9 Martin Roberts 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Dylan Hartley (C) 3 Brian Mujati 4 Samu Manoa 5 Mark Sorenson 6 Calum Clark 7 Phil Dowson 8 GJ Van Velze BENCH: 16 Ross McMillan 17 Alex Waller 18 Paul Doran Jones 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Rhys Oakley 21 Alex Day 22 Stephen Myler 23 Vasily Artemyev

SCORERS T: Elliott, Tonga’uiha, May C: Lamb (3) P: Lamb DG: Lamb

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 17 - 12 BATH RUGBY

Welford Road - 01 December 2012
KO: 12:30 HT: 0-5 Att: 20,170

A very heated match ended with Leicester Tigers edging a victory against Bath Rugby after a flurry of red cards.

The first half was furtive and lacked action from both sides, as each made errors and failed to produce flowing play. Stephen Donald teed up on the 4th minute for his first shot at goal but the ball flew wide. George Ford also saw his penalty attempt veer off target, this game being a rare off-day for the young fly-half.

However, Donald got the scoreboard ticking soon after as he flew over the whitewash to dot down for an early try. The Bath fly-half was still lacking accuracy though and could not add the extras successfully, this time the ball falling short of the posts.

Ford had a chance to cut the margin to 2 points but hit the woodwork with his shot; meanwhile Leicester were applying pressure but were being held by a solid defensive line. It looked as if they had cracked the Bath defence as Niall Morris stormed over but he was deemed by the TMO to have been helped by a forward pass.

The homeside attacked again, this time shifting the ball wide, but Ford’s pass to Adam Thompstone was not long enough and the moment was lost. This left Leicester with plenty to contemplate as they headed into the break 5-0 down.

The restart allowed the Tigers to finally chalk up some points, Ford third time lucky in finding the posts. The luck kept coming as Bath fell to 14 men, Simon Taylor shown a yellow for throwing an arm across the face of Mathew Tait. With the extra man, the homeside pushed forward and Ford added another penalty to pull the Tigers into the lead.

The advantage did not last long though as Tom Biggs dashed over the tryline to haul Bath back onto the front foot. This time Donald boot did not fail and the extras were safely added. But Bath took a blow as Francois Louw was shown a red card for elbowing Graham Kitchener, allowing Leicester room to put Thompstone over in the corner.

Ford missed the tricky conversion but swiftly added a penalty to drag the homeside into the lead once more. Tempers were beginning to fray and the match turned ugly as Matt Banahan tackled high on Anthony Allen who was stretchered off, and Brett Deacon retaliated by punching the offender. Both Banahan and Deacon were promptly shown reds and were off for early showers.

Stephen Donald had the referee reaching for his pocket one last time and allowed Ford to stretch Leicester’s lead. Bath tried to scrabble back the points but they could not muster enough to stop the Tigers claiming the win.

15 Mathew Tait 14 Niall Morris 13 Matt Smith 12 Anthony Allen 11 Adam Thompstone 10 George Ford 9 Micky Young 1 Marcos Ayerza 2 George Chuter 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 4 Louis Deacon (C) 5 Graham Kitchener 6 Brett Deacon 7 Julian Salvi 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 Rob Hawkins 17 Jonny Harris 18 Fraser Balmain 19 Ed Slater 20 Jordan Crane 21 Patrick Phibbs 22 Dan Bowden 23 Geordan Murphy

SCORERS T: Thompstone P: Ford (4) Deacon

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Kyle Eastmond 13 Horacio Agulla 12 Matt Banahan 11 Tom Biggs 10 Stephen Donald 9 Michael Claassens 1 Paul James 2 Lee Mears 3 Anthony Perenise 4 Stuart Hooper (C) 5 David Attwood 6 Francois Louw 7 Guy Mercer 8 Simon Taylor BENCH: 16 Brett Sharman 17 Charlie Beech 18 Kane Palma-Newport 19 Dominic Day 20 Josh Ovens 21 Mark McMillan 22 Tom Heathcote 23 Jack Cuthbert

SCORERS T: Donald, Biggs C: Donald Donald, Taylor Banahan, Louw

 

LONDON WELSH 15 - 9 LONDON IRISH

The Kassam Stadium - 01 December 2012
KO: 13:00 HT: 12-6 Att: 3,750

LONDON IRISH went down to 14 men after just 10 minutes of play but still London Welsh had to rely on penalties to win them the match.

Gordon Ross opened scoring with his first 3-pointer of the afternoon in the 4th minute. But this bright start was dulled by Welsh losing Hudson Tonga'uiha to a shoulder injury soon after and handing over a penalty opportunity to Irish. However, Ian Humphreys’ long-range effort fell short of its target.

The situation worsened for the visitors as Chris Hala’ufia was shown a red for a tip tackle, although the sanction seemed harsh to the watching fans. Ross knocked over the ensuing penalty and another shortly after to extend the lead.

Tom Homer finally got the visitors off the mark with one of his own, but his side then gifted their opposition possession in a good attacking position at the kick-off. Welsh tried to apply pressure but an error at the scrum saw Irish grab the ball and win a penalty of their own downfield. Humphreys duly converted to cut the deficit further.

However, Ross was handed another 3-pointer before the break and his accuracy did not falter, leaving the tallies 12-6 at half-time.

Irish lost another player as Matt Garvey was sent to the sin bin soon after the restart for infringing at the ruck. Humphreys’ lack of aim was also still causing problems as the fly-half missed two penalty opportunities in quick succession.

The homeside stepped up a gear, Tyson Keats just unable to finish a chip through to grab useful points. However, Ross continued to kick his team ahead, bouncing his next penalty off the crossbar and over.

Irish then began to push up hard on the homeside’s defence and Homer added a long-range 3-pointer to reduce the deficit into losing bonus point range. They kept challenging the Welsh line and Sonny Parker was sent packing to the sin bin after making a desperate tackle against Sailosi Tagicakibau.

But, although the visitors tried their best to find those extra points, it was not to be. The clock ticked down and Ross cleared the ball to bring proceedings to an end.

15 Tom Arscott 14 Dan Caprice 13 Sonny Parker 12 Hudson Tonga’uiha 11 Nick Scott 10 Gordon Ross 9 Tyson Keats 1 Franck Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Paulica Ion 4 Jonathan Mills (C) 5 Kirill Kulemin 6 Daniel Browne 7 Ed Jackson 8 Adam Balding BENCH: 16 Greg Bateman 17 Tom Bristow 18 James Tideswell 19 Matt Corker 20 Alfie To’oala 21 Jamie Stephenson 22 Alex Davies 23 Seb Jewell

SCORERS P: Ross (5) Parker

15 Tom Homer 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Sailosi Tagicakibau 12 Shane Geraghty 11 Anthony Watson 10 Ian Humphreys 9 Darren Allinson 1 Max Lahiff 2 Brian Blaney 3 Leo Halavatau 4 George Skivington 5 Bryn Evans 6 Declan Danaher (C) 7 Matt Garvey 8 Chris Hala’ufia BENCH: 16 Gerard Ellis 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa 18 Halani 'Aulika 19 Kieran Lowe 20 Jebb Sinclair 21 Jamie Gibson 22 Steven Shingler 23 Jack Moates

SCORERS P: Homer (2), Humphreys Garvey Hala’ufia

 

EXETER CHIEFS 30 - 23 LONDON WASPS

Sandy Park - 01 December 2012
KO: 17:30 HT: 20-20 Att: 7,557

AFTER the two sides were evenly matched in the first 40 minutes, Exeter Chiefs closed out London Wasps in the second half to grab a victory at Sandy Park.

Gareth Steenson gave Chiefs an early lead by slotting a penalty but this was responded to in kind by Lee Thomas soon after. The homeside began to cause trouble amongst the Wasps’ ranks, with some darting runs that the visitors scrambled to halt. Steenson swiftly added another penalty to pull his side back in front.

The Exeter attacks kept coming but out of the blue Elliott Daly stormed over the whitewash for Wasps. Thomas added the extras before slotting a further 3 points to increase the margin. But then the visitors took a blow as Joe Simpson was sent to the sin bin for slowing play. This was the only invitation the Chiefs needed to crash over the tryline in a maul with Chris Whitehead dotting down for a converted score.

Wasps replied by Christian Wade breaking free and offloading for Tom Varndell to go over in the corner; the pass was possibly forward but none-the-less the try was given. Thomas was on target with the tricky touchline conversion.

The Chiefs continued to apply pressure though and, after several desperate tackles had kept them at bay, it was Haydn Thomas who found a gap to slip through and dot down. This levelled the tallies to 20-20 at the break.

After the restart, Steenson teed up but hit the woodwork, leaving the scores unchanged. However, he swiftly made amends with a successful 3-pointer after Daly earned himself a yellow. The Wasps survived this 14-man spell but eventually their defence crumpled.

Luke Arscott chipped over into the waiting arms of Phil Dollman, who promptly crashed over the whitewash. Exeter then worked hard to shut out the Wasps, focusing on keeping Wade under control. Tommy Bell took over kicking duties and with the last action of the match managed to grab his side a losing bonus point.

15 Luke Arscott 14 Jack Nowell 13 Phil Dollman 12 Jason Shoemark 11 Matt Jess 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Haydn Thomas 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Carl Rimmer 4 Tom Hayes (C) 5 James Hanks 6 Dean Mumm 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter BENCH: 16 Simon Alcott 17 Ben Moon 18 Hoani Tui 19 Aly Muldowney 20 Tom Johnson 21 Kevin Barrett 22 Ignacio Mieres 23 Sireli Naqelevuki

SCORERS T: Thomas, Whitehead, Dollman C: Steenson (3) P: Steenson (3)

15 Hugo Southwell (C) 14 Tom Varndell 13 Elliot Daly 12 Lee Thomas 11 Christian Wade 10 Nick Robinson 9 Joe Simpson 1 Zak Taulafo 2 Thomas Rhys Thomas 3 Phil Swainston 4 Tom Palmer 5 Marco Wentzel 6 Ashley Johnson 7 Jonathan Poff 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH: 16 Tom Lindsay 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Will Taylor 19 James Cannon 20 Sam Jones 21 Charlie Davies 22 Tommy Bell 23 Andrea Masi

SCORERS T: Daly, Varndell C: L Thomas (2) P: L Thomas (2), Bell Simpson, Daly

 

SARACENS 28 - 23 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

Vicarage Road - 02 December 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 12-13 Att: 5,960

SARACENS squeezed a win out of a Gloucester side who lacked discipline and handed too many penalties to the accurate boot of Charlie Hodgson.

It was the visitors who drew first blood, Billy Twelvetrees knocking over two early penalties. But Saracens were willing to fight for the win and knuckled down to allow Hodgson a couple of shots at goal to level proceedings.

Hodgson then made an error, taking too long with a clearing kick so that it was charged down and Dan Murphy cleaned up for a try. Twelvetrees was on target with the extras and Gloucester had provided a strong start.

However, this went downhill as Murphy went from hero to villain, picking up a yellow card whilst Hodgson slotted two further 3-pointers to leave the Sarries just 12-13 down at the break. Gloucester had shown greater potential but as the indiscipline crept in, Saracens leapt at every chance for points.

After the interval, it was Gloucester who showed off their skills again, putting together a brilliant move that saw Akapusi Qera crash over in the corner, Twelvetrees adding the extras. But again the visitors were cut to 14 men as Sione Kalamafoni was sent marching to the bin.

This opened up a chance for Saracens, with Hodgson smacking over another penalty before Richard Wigglesworth flew over for a try on the 60th minute. Hodgson converted and the homeside began to close out the game.

Twelvetrees kept the Gloucester scoreboard moving with a final penalty but this was swiftly nullified by Hodgson. The visitors had one last surge and came close to claiming a penalty try at the scrum. But Saracens held on and walked away with a hard-fought victory.

15 Chris Wyles 14 David Strettle 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Duncan Taylor 11 James Short 10 Charlie Hodgson 9 Neil de Kock 1 Rhys Gill 2 John Smit 3 Matt Stevens 4 Steve Borthwick (C) 5 Mouritz Botha 6 George Kruis 7 Will Fraser 8 Ernst Joubert BENCH: 16 Jamie George 17 Nick Auterac 18 Petrus de Plessis 19 Alastair Hargreaves 20 Andy Saull 21 Richard Wigglesworth 22 Nils Mordt 23 Kameli Ratuvou

SCORERS T: Wigglesworth C: Hodgson P: Hodgson (7) Wigglesworth

15 Rob Cook 14 Charlie Sharples 13 Tim Molenaar 12 Mike Tindall 11 Martyn Thomas 10 Billy Twelvetrees 9 Jimmy Cowan 1 Dan Murphy 2 Darren Dawidiuk 3 Rupert Harden 4 Will James 5 Jim Hamilton (C) 6 Tom Savage 7 Akapusi Qera 8 Sione Kalamafoni BENCH: 16 Koree Britton 17 Nick Wood 18 Shaun Knight 19 Peter Buxton 20 Matt Cox 21 Dan Robson 22 Tim Taylor 23 Shane Monahan

SCORERS T: Murphy, Qera C: Twelvetrees (2) P: Twelvetrees (3) Murphy, Kalamafoni

 

 

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BATH RUGBY 21 - 18 HARLEQUINS

RECREATION GROUND - Friday 23rd November 2012
KO: 19:45 HT: 9-6 Att: 11,666

IN a battle of kicking, it was Bath Rugby that came out on top thanks to Stephen Donald, leaving Harlequins unable to catch up. In misty, damp conditions it was a tussle between fly-halves throughout with little to worry either tryline.

Nick Evans opened scoring with his first 3-pointer before Donald tied the scores to announce that the challenge had been accepted. And so it began. There were a few bright moments in the half, Nick Abendanon showing promise, and a Matt Banahan charge down should have reaped a try but his pass to Semesa Rokoduguni was sloppy.

The penalties continued but it was Bath that entered the break 9-6 up, with Donald just edging them in front in the 38th minute.

After the interval, the Bath team began to pull away from Quins, Donald pulling their tally to 12 points. However, Quins fought back and were unlucky not to find the whitewash as Karl Dickson made an excellent break but was halted short.

Evans had a chance to cut the deficit but was horribly off target; the Quins’ fly-half did make amends slotting two later shots to bring the scores level. The kicking competition continued; meanwhile, Banahan thought he had touched down after picking and going from the ruck but it was found that he had not managed to ground the ball over the line.

However, the penalty was given as Quins infringed and the homeside went into the lead once more. Donald extended this advantage in the 73rd minute and, although Evans managed one last shot on target, Quins were left wanting when the whistle blew.

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Kyle Eastmond 13 Semesa Rokoduguni 12 Matt Banahan 11 Tom Biggs 10 Stephen Donald 9 Michael Claassens 1 Charlie Beech 2 Lee Mears 3 Anthony Perenise 4 Stuart Hooper (C) 5 David Attwood 6 Josh Ovens 7 Guy Mercer 8 Simon Taylor BENCH: 16 Brett Sharman 17 Alan Cotter 18 Kane Palma-Newport 19 Dominic Day 20 Ryan Caldwell 21 Will Skuse 22 Mark McMillan 23 Jack Cuthbert

SCORERS P: Donald (7)

15 Tom Williams 14 Ugo Monye 13 Matt Hopper 12 Jordan Turner-Hall 11 Sam Smith 10 Nick Evans 9 Karl Dickson 1 Mark Lambert 2 Joe Gray 3 Will Collier 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Tom Guest 7 Luke Wallace 8 Nick Easter (C) BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Darryl Marfo 18 Kyle Sinckler 19 Pete Browne 20 Joe Trayfoot 21 Jordan Burns 22 Rory Clegg 23 Seb Stegmann

SCORERS P: Evans (6)

 

WORCESTER WARRIORS 12 - 3 SARACENS

SIXWAYS - Friday 23rd November 2012
KO: 20:00 HT 12-3 Att: 8,848

WORCESTER WARRIORS claimed a surprising win over Saracens as Andy Goode kicked them to victory. The visitors were missing many of their key names and the Warriors took advantage of the more inexperienced players. This was another match where slippery conditions left both side unable to seek out the whitewash and inevitably produced handling errors.

All the points were scored in the first half as neither kicker could find the posts in the second, Nils Mordt having a particularly tough time with his aim. Worcester drew first blood as Goode slotted his first 3-pointer in the 10th minute.

Mordt missed his first opportunity to equalise but a stunning chip from the young fly-half would have seen Duncan Taylor over the whitewash if not for a brilliant tackle from Chris Pennell. Soon after this flurry from the Sarries, Mordt made amends by hitting his target and bringing the scores level.

Joe Carlisle had to be removed from play due to injury, being replaced by Alex Grove and, although Goode missed his next penalty, he swiftly found space and handed Errie Claassens a perfect try opportunity. However, Claassens’ handling let him down horribly and he knocked on at the last.

Goode added a penalty shortly after to haul the homeside back in front, but kicking remained a problem as both kickers struggled. As the clock ticked down to the break, the Warriors’ fly-half slotted a perfect drop goal and another 3-pointer to extend the lead to 12-3.

After half-time, the visitors returned with the tryline in mind but, with great effort, the Warriors fended off both Taylor and Richard Wigglesworth. Mordt soared his third penalty off wide whilst Goode’s drop goal and penalty avoided the posts too.

Another Warriors’ try ended in a knock on as Nikki Walker turned a certainty into a mess. Sam Stanley replaced the inaccurate Mordt, only to also have difficulties and leave the Sarries with not even a losing bonus point for comfort.

15 Chris Pennell 14 Nikki Walker 13 Josh Matavesi 12 Joe Carlisle 11 Errie Claassens 10 Andy Goode 9 Paul Hodgson 1 Ceri Jones 2 Ed Shervington 3 John Andress 4 James Percival (C) 5 Chris Jones 6 Neil Best 7 Matt Kvesic 8 Semisi Taulava BENCH: 16 ‘Aleki Lutui 17 Rob O’Donnell 18 James Currie 19 Dean Schofield 20 Sam Betty 21 Jonny Arr 22 Alex Grove 23 Andy Short

SCORERS P: Goode (3) DG: Goode

15 Ben Ransom 14 David Strettle 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Kameli Ratuvou 11 Duncan Taylor 10 Nils Mordt 9 Richard Wigglesworth 1 Matt Stevens 2 Jamie George 3 Carlos Nieto 4 Steve Borthwick (C) 5 Alastair Hargreaves 6 Jackson Wray 7 Andy Saull 8 Ernst Joubert BENCH: 16 John Smit 17 Nick Auterac 18 Lorenzo Romano 19 Eoin Sheriff 20 Will Fraser 21 Ben Spencer 22 Sam Stanley 23 James Short

SCORERS P: Mordt

 

GLOUCESTER RUGBY 29 - 3 SALE SHARKS

KINGSHOLM - Saturday 24th November 2012
KO: 12:00 HT: 15-3 Att: 12,501

GLOUCESTER RUGBY owed Freddie Burns for their convincing win over Sale Sharks. The practically infallible fly-half knocked over five penalties and two conversions, making it all look far too easy.

From the off Gloucester showed their dominance, forcing a penalty at the first scrum before forcing another at the ruck allowing Burns to draw first blood.

This tally was swiftly doubled but Sale finally put together a useful attack as Sam Tuitupou broke free, but unfortunately his decision to kick rather than pass turned the opportunity to nothing. The Sharks’ scrum could not handle the pressure and Burns extended the lead further.

A further two penalties came in quick succession as the discipline of the Sharks crumbled and Burns slotted each without trouble. However, after a full 37 minutes of play, Sale finally got on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer from Danny Cipriani, leaving the tally at 15-3 come half-time.

The second half did not begin with much promise, each side producing fairly scrappy play. However, Tuitupou found space again in the 50th minute and stormed towards the tryline, only to be halted short by some last-ditch defence by Huia Edmonds, who was injured in the tackle and stretchered off.

Gloucester eventually made their way over the whitewash as Jimmy Cowan shipped the ball perfectly to Akapusi Qera, who swooped in to claim the touchdown. Burns converted and was teeing up again just 10 minutes later as the home pack applied enough pressure to warrant a penalty try.

The Sharks left the field still firmly nailed to the bottom of the table and with their fans exasperated by their lack of performance.

15 Rob Cook 14 Charlie Sharples 13 Mike Tindall 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 Shane Monahan 10 Freddie Burns 9 Jimmy Cowan 1 Dan Murphy 2 Huia Edmonds 3 Rupert Harden 4 Will James 5 Jim Hamilton (C) 6 Tom Savage 7 Akapusi Qera 8 Sione Kalamafoni BENCH: 16 Koree Britton 17 Nick Wood 18 Shaun Knight 19 Ross Moriarty 20 Matt Cox 21 Dan Robson 22 Tim Molenaar 23 Martyn Thomas

SCORERS T: Qera, Penalty Try C: Burns (2) P: Burns (5)

15 Rob Miller 14 Charlie Amesbury 13 Will Addison 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Mark Cueto 10 Danny Cipriani 9 Dwayne Peel 1 Ross Harrison 2 Tommy Taylor 3 Tony Buckley 4 Fraser McKenzie 5 Kearnan Myall 6 Richie Vernon 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Andy Powell BENCH: 16 Joe Ward 17 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 18 Vadim Cobilas 19 Tom Holmes 20 James Gaskell 21 Will Cliff 22 Nick Macleod 23 Cameron Shepherd

SCORERS P: Cipriani

 

NORTHAMPTON 23 - 16 LONDON WELSH

FRANKLIN’S GARDENS - Saturday 24th November 2012
KO: 13:00 HT: 17-10 Att: 11,695

LONDON WELSH simply could not catch Northampton Saints as a promising start crumbled for the visitors.

Welsh began proceedings with a huge maul that forced the Saints back to the tryline before GJ van Velze took it down illegally, which earned the offender a yellow and handed the visitors a penalty try.

Gordon Ross added the extras and Welsh had put a firm stamp on the opening of the game.  The Saints managed to cut the deficit with a drop goal from Ryan Lamb but this was swiftly nullified by Ross adding a penalty.

However, van Velze returned to the pitch and suddenly it was the visitors who were struggling to hold a driving maul. This time, Franck Montanella was the culprit of the illegal halt and was duly sent marching whilst Saints grabbed their converted penalty try with the resulting 5m scrum.

The situation worsened for Welsh as Dan Caprice took out Jamie Elliott in the air, meaning he too was sent for a spell in the bin. Lamb then gave Northampton the opportunity to pull ahead, with a beautiful kick which landed just right for Ken Pisi, who went over in the corner. Lamb converted and the score stood at 17-10 at the interval.

After the break it was Northampton who returned with greater presence. Lamb added an early penalty to increase the margin but Ross responded in kind to keep the homeside within reach. Tom Arscott missed a couple of crucial penalties for the visitors, whilst Lamb had no such accuracy problems, adding his second in the 65th minute.

Welsh needed another penalty to get within losing bonus range, and Ross duly supplied it to squeeze something out of the match for the visitors. Northampton finished the game with little trouble but were unable to find any more points along the way.

15 Tom May 14 Ken Pisi 13 Dom Waldouck 12 Luther Burrell 11 Jamie Elliott 10 Ryan Lamb 9 Martin Roberts 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Mike Haywood 3 Brian Mujati 4 Samu Manoa 5 Courtney Lawes 6 Calum Clark (C) 7 Phil Dowson 8 GJ Van Velze BENCH: 16 Ross McMillan 17 Alex Waller 18 Paul Doran Jones 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Rhys Oakley 21 Alex Day 22 Stephen Myler 23 Vasily Artemyev

SCORERS T: Penalty Try, K Pisi C: Lamb (2) P: Lamb (2) DG: Lamb van Velze

15 Tom Arscott 14 Dan Caprice 13 Sonny Parker 12 Hudson Tonga’uiha 11 Nick Scott 10 Gordon Ross 9 Tyson Keats 1 Franck Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Paulica Ion 4 Jonathan Mills (C) 5 Kirill Kulemin 6 Daniel Browne 7 Ed Jackson 8 Adam Balding BENCH: 16 Greg Bateman 17 Tom Bristow 18 James Tideswell 19 Matt Corker 20 Alfie To’oala 21 Jamie Stephenson 22 Alex Davies 23 Seb Jewell

SCORERS T: Penalty Try C: Ross P: Ross (3) Montanella, Caprice

 

LONDON WASPS 14 - 12 LEICESTER TIGERS

ADAMS PARK - Sunday 25th November 2012
KO: 14:30 HT: 8-6 Att: 7,658

LONDON WASPS squeezed a monumental win out of Leicester Tigers, who found that penalties from George Ford were simply not enough.

Wasps made a big initial impact, Tom Varndell finishing off a quick tap-and-go move in the corner despite the efforts of Mathew Tait to halt him. Unfortunately Nick Robinson could not make the tricky conversion but it was none-the-less a brilliant start for the homeside.

Christian Wade tried to follow his teammate’s benchmark just moments later with a superb attempt at finding the whitewash, side-stepping and breaking tackles before finally being stopped by a brilliant tackle from Niall Morris.

Although the try was not to be, Robinson did add a penalty to increase the Wasps’ early lead. Ford managed to get the visitors on the scoreboard in the 10th minute before Elliott Daly and Robinson both missed penalties for the homeside.

Ford added his second 3-pointer to cut the deficit but was unable to find his target on the stroke of half-time, leaving the tallies at 8-6.

However, the young Tigers’ fly-half made no such error after the interval, slotting this attempt to haul his side in front for the first time.

Varndell looked to have scored again minutes later, with another go at the corner, but it was found that Hugo Southwell’s pass had been forward. Lee Thomas, who came on at half-time, then regained the lead and extended it with two penalties just before the hour mark.

Leicester surged in to Wasps’ territory again and Ford teed up to reduce the gap to just 2 points. But he could not manage the next shot which would have handed the visitors the lead once more.

Thomas also missed his final attempt at the posts but it did not matter; Wasps had just held on to their slim victory.

15 Hugo Southwell (C) 14 Tom Varndell 13 Elliot Daly 12 Chris Bell 11 Christian Wade 10 Nick Robinson 9 Joe Simpson 1 Tim Payne 2 Thomas Rhys Thomas 3 Phil Swainston 4 James Cannon 5 Marco Wentzel 6 Ashley Johnson 7 Jonathan Poff 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH:  16 Tom Lindsay 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Will Taylor 19 Josh Brown 20 Sam Jones 21 Charlie Davies 22 Tommy Bell 23 Lee Thomas

SCORERS T: Varndell P: Robinson, L Thomas (2)

15 Mathew Tait 14 Niall Morris 13 Matt Smith 12 Anthony Allen 11 Adam Thompstone 10 George Ford 9 Sam Harrison 1 Jonny Harris 2 George Chuter 3 Fraser Balmain 4 Louis Deacon (C) 5 Graham Kitchener 6 Jordan Crane 7 Julian Salvi 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 Rob Hawkins 17 Michael Holford 18 Kieran Brookes 19 Ed Slater 20 Richard Thorpe 21 Patrick Phibbs 22 Dan Bowden 23 Geordan Murphy

SCORERS P: Ford (4)

 

LONDON IRISH 23 - 27 EXETER CHIEFS

MADEJSKI STADIUM - Sunday 25th November 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 13-21 Att: 7,270

LONDON IRISH were unfortunate to lose against Exeter Chiefs, losing Ian Humphreys to treatment at a key moment.

The Chiefs began with determination, Phil Dollman powering himself over the whitewash in the corner after just 2 minutes of play. Gareth Steenson could not hit his target with the conversion but made amends swiftly with two penalties in quick succession.

Humphreys responded with one of his own in between Steenson’s double, but this was soon nullified by the Exeter fly-half. Then the situation worsened for Irish, Luke Arscott flying over the tryline for another converted touchdown.

Humphreys slotted a penalty to raise the Exiles’ tally but there was a lot to be done if they were to catch the visitors. The rain began to pour and Irish opted to use their strength, driving Leo Halavatau over for a score. Humphreys’ impressive conversion cut the deficit to 13-21 at the break.

The homeside started the second half with a bang, Topsy Ojo picking up a brilliant kick from Humphreys to grab a further try. With a conversion and a 3-pointer, Humphreys did the impossible, handing Irish the lead after such a terrible beginning.

Steenson hauled Exeter back onto the front foot though after the visiting pack applied pressure and caused the scrum to crack. The homeside should have responded with a well-struck Humphreys penalty but the fly-half was receiving injury treatment, leaving Tom Homer unable to find his mark instead.

Steenson rubbed salt in the wound with one last shot at goal in the 79th minute and it was all over for Irish. From nowhere they had claimed the lead, but the win had slipped cruelly from their clutches at the last.

15 Tom Homer 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Sailosi Tagicakibau 12 Shane Geraghty 11 Anthony Watson 10 Ian Humphreys 9 Darren Allinson 1 Max Lahiff 2 Brian Blaney 3 Leo Halavatau 4 Matt Garvey 5 Bryn Evans 6 Declan Danaher (C) 7 Jamie Gibson 8 Chris Hala’ufia BENCH: 16 Gerard Ellis 17 Richard Palframan 18 Cai Griffiths 19 Kieran Lowe 20 Alex Gray 21 Conor Gaston 22 Steven Shingler 23 Jack Moates

SCORERS T: Halavatau, Ojo C: Humphreys P: Humphreys (3)

15 Luke Arscott 14 Jack Nowell 13 Phil Dollman 12 Jason Shoemark 11 Matt Jess 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Haydn Thomas 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Carl Rimmer 4 Tom Hayes (C) 5 James Hanks 6 Dean Mumm 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter BENCH: 16 Simon Alcott 17 Ben Moon 18 Hoani Tui 19 Aly Muldowney 20 Tom Johnson 21 Kevin Barrett 22 Ignacio Mieres 23 Sireli Naqelevuki

SCORERS T: Dollman, Arscott C: Steenson P: Steenson (5)

 

 

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SALE SHARKS 21 - 9 LONDON IRISH

SALFORD CITY STADIUM - Friday 2nd November 2012
KO: 20:00 HT: 15-3 Att: 5,723

THE reshuffle at Sale Sharks during the week showed positive signs as the struggling side bagged their first Aviva Premiership win, taking down London Irish at Salford City Stadium. The Sharks saw Bryan Redpath move from Director of Rugby to Head Coach, with his position being filled by Steve Diamond.

Irish began with a dash towards the tryline but the Sharks were determined to halt them and make their mark on this crucial match. Once they had evaded that danger, it was the homeside who took the lead, Nick Macleod knocking over a penalty to get his side on the scoreboard.

The fullback was soon adding to the tally as he dotted down after some good open play from Sale. The tricky conversion was too much for Macleod but Sharks were certainly on the march. It took the Exiles 25 minutes to get their tally moving, Ian Humphreys closing the gap with a 3-pointer.

 However, the Sharks were confident now and Jonny Leota stormed over the whitewash to boost the margin again. Danny Cipriani found his mark with the conversion and Sharks fans were delighted to be 15-3 up at the break.

The visitors came out with renewed grit and clawed back some points with another Humphreys penalty fairly swiftly. Cipriani broke away and looked to put the Sharks back in control but Leota fumbled the pass this time.

Humphreys added a further 3 points and drew Irish into the losing bonus point range. The visitors knuckled down and pressed the homeside’s defence but it was to no avail, they were unable to pierce the solid ranks that opposed them.

Cipriani slotted a final two penalties to stretch the lead and Sharks walked away with a much-needed win. Their seven weeks of Premiership hell is over; only time will tell if this is the beginning of a Sharks resurgence.

15 Nick Macleod 14 Mark Cueto 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Cameron Shepherd 10 Danny Cipriani 9 Cillian Willis 1 Ross Harrison 2 Tommy Taylor 3 Tony Buckley 4 Richie Gray 5 Fraser McKenzie 6 Richie Vernon 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Andy Powell BENCH: 16 Joe Ward 17 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 18 Vadim Cobilas 19 Kearnan Myall 20 Mark Easter 21 Dwayne Peel 22 Rob Miller 23 Tom Brady

SCORERS T: Macleod, Leota C: Cipriani P: Macleod, Cipriani (2)

15 Anthony Watson 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Guy Armitage 12 Sailosi Tagicakibau 11 Marland Yarde 10 Ian Humphreys 9 Darren Allinson 1 Max Lahiff 2 Scott Lawson 3 Halani ‘Aulika 4 Bryn Evans 5 Matt Garvey 6 Declan Danaher (C) 7 Jamie Gibson 8 Chris Hala’ufia BENCH: 16 Brian Blaney 17 Cai Griffiths 18 Leo Halavatau 19 George Skivington 20 Ofisa Treviranus 21 Steven Shingler 22 Shane Geraghty 23 Jack Moates

SCORERS P: Humphreys (3)

 

LEICESTER TIGERS 16 - 12 NORTHAMPTON

WELFORD ROAD - Saturday 3rd November 2012
KO: 14:15 HT: 6-6 Att: 24,000

LEICESTER TIGERS scooped a close win over Northampton Saints in a fierce local derby, although George Ford’s inaccuracies from the tee made it tighter than necessary. 

Saints were quick off the mark with an easy penalty by Ryan Lamb. The score was increased further as Martin Castrogiovanni was penalised at the scrum, Lamb slotting another 3-pointer. Ford was hit late by Samu Manoa but the chance to decrease the margin was lost as his attempt at the posts flew wide.

He missed his second shot too so it was third time lucky for the fly-half as he finally struck true and got his side on the scoreboard. The Tigers began to apply pressure and Lamb had to dive for Ben Youngs to stop him reaching the whitewash.

The homeside were handed another penalty but once again Ford failed to find his target. Northampton had a burst but it finished with a poor drop goal effort by Lamb. Just before the whistle Ford managed to level the tally, leaving it 6-6 at half-time.

The Tigers returned to the fray and this time they would pick up points early on, Vereniki Goneva breaking and offloading to Matt Smith for the only try of the match.

Ford was on target with the conversion but was answered with a Lamb penalty moments after, keeping the visitors in reach. The Saints’ fly-half hit the woodwork with his next shot whilst Ford extended Leicester’s advantage.

Lamb closed the gap one last time but was then sent marching to the sin bin for off the ball contact, leaving his side with no way of to catch their opposition. The Tigers held on and bagged the win they had gripped on to.

15 Geordan Murphy (C) 14 Scott Hamilton 13 Matt Smith 12 Anthony Allen 11 Niall Morris 10 George Ford 9 Ben Youngs 1 Marcos Ayerza 2 George Chuter 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 4 Louis Deacon 5 Graham Kitchener 6 Steve Mafi 7 Julian Salvi 8 Richard Thorpe BENCH: 16 Jimmy Stevens 17 Boris Stankovich 18 Fraser Balmain 19 Ed Slater 20 Michael Noone 21 Sam Harrison 22 Dan Bowden 23 Vereniki Goneva

SCORERS T: Smith C: Ford P: Ford (3)

15 Tom May 14 Ken Pisi 13 George Pisi 12 Dom Waldouck 11 Jamie Elliott 10 Ryan Lamb 9 Martin Roberts 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Mike Haywood 3 Brian Mujati 4 Samu Manoa 5 Mark Sorenson 6 Calum Clark 7 Phil Dowson (C) 8 GJ Van Velze BENCH: 16 Ross McMillan 17 Alex Waller 18 Paul Doran Jones 19 Ben Nutley 20 Rhys Oakley 21 Alex Day 22 Luther Burrell 23 Vasily Artemyev

SCORERS P: Lamb (4) Lamb

 

EXETER CHIEFS 33 - 9 WORCESTER WARRIORS

SANDY PARK - Saturday 3rd November 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 19-3 Att: 7,295

EXETER CHIEFS dominated Worcester Warriors with a confident display at Sandy Park.

Gareth Steenson hit the woodwork 2 minutes in but chipped the ball into the arms of Gonzalo Camacho just moments later. The winger flew through a muddled Worcester defence to grab an opening try, which was converted by Steenson. The homeside’s lead increased as the fly-half slotted three further penalties, whilst the Warriors struggled to find their stride.

The visitors were continually threatened by their opponents, but kept them at bay with Steenson only claiming another penalty. Worcester gathered themselves and played with more force as half-time approached but were unable to make the most of the surge.

However, Andy Goode handed the Warriors a penalty before the whistle to get their tally ticking to 19-3 at the interval.

The second half saw Worcester return with purpose, Goode adding another penalty after just 8 minutes. The visitors pushed up and troubled the Chiefs at times, but they were unable to find their way through the strong Exeter lines.

Goode cut the deficit by further 3 points and the Warriors were hopeful of working their way into the losing bonus point region, the score now at 19-9 and 12 minutes remaining. However, this was swiftly snatched from them as Haydn Thomas slipped over the tryline for a converted score.

Sam Betty picked up a yellow to worsen the situation for Worcester. Meanwhile, Chris Budgen added the final try for Exeter, which he dedicated to his premature twins, who tragically died recently.

15 Luke Arscott 14 Gonzalo Camacho 13 Sireli Naqelevuki 12 Phil Dollman 11 Matt Jess 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Haydn Thomas 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Carl Rimmer 4 Tom Hayes (C) 5 Aly Muldowney 6 Dean Mumm 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter BENCH: 16 Neil Clark 17 Ben Moon 18 Chris Budgen 19 James Hanks 20 Dave Ewers 21 Kevin Barrett 22 Ignacio Mieres 23 Ian Whitten

SCORERS T: Camacho, Thomas, Budgen C: Steenson (2), Mieres P: Steenson (4)

15 Chris Pennell 14 Josh Drauniniu 13 Alex Grove 12 Josh Matavesi 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Paul Hodgson 1 Ceri Jones 2 Ed Shervington 3 John Andress 4 James Percival 5 Dean Schofield (C) 6 Sam Betty 7 Matt Kvesic 8 Chris Jones BENCH: 16 Aleki Lutui 17 Matt Mullan 18 James Currie 19 Craig Gillies 20 Semisi Taulava 21 Jonny Arr 22 Joe Carlisle 23 Ravai Fatiaki

SCORERS P: Goode (3) Sam Betty

 

HARLEQUINS 28 - 25 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

TWICKENHAM STOOP - Saturday 3rd November 2012
KO: 17:15 HT: 22-12 Att: 14,517

HARLEQUINS claimed a close victory over Gloucester Rugby to continue their excellent season so far.

Quins got off to a good start, Nick Evans slotting an early penalty to draw first blood. However, Freddie Burns was on form off of the tee and responded 3 minutes later.

Even without the likes of Danny Care, Ugo Monye and Chris Robshaw, the homeside were still formidable, and it was not long until Mike Brown had stormed over the whitewash, making the most of Maurie Fa’asavalu’s break.

Evans added the extras and Quins had pulled ahead. Burns was Gloucester’s magic ingredient though and hauled his side back in front with three perfect penalties.

Their advantage was short lived though as a tap-and-go left Gloucester floundering and Matt Hopper over the tryline. Evans missed the conversion but was soon teeing up for another as Sam Smith dotted down, leaving the tallies 22-12 at the break.

Burns cut the deficit with a penalty 5 minutes after the restart but the visitors were soon down to 14 men as Shane Monahan was sent to the sin bin for taking Brown in the air.

Quins failed to take this opportunity though and Monahan returned to the fray with no damage done. Evans and Burns exchanged penalties before the Cherry-and-Whites saw another player shown a yellow.

This time they lost Ben Morgan, which should have left the visitors worried. However, a converted try from Billy Twelvetrees left Gloucester poised, just 3 points adrift, with a minute left of play.

The homeside held their nerve though and left their opposition clutching a losing bonus point as consolation.

15 Mike Brown 14 Tom Williams 13 Matt Hopper 12 Tom Casson 11 Sam Smith 10 Nick Evans 9 Karl Dickson 1 Mark Lambert 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Maurie Fa’asavalu 7 Luke Wallace 8 Nick Easter (C) BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Darryl Marfo 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Tom Guest 21 Jordan Burns 22 Ben Botica 23 Seb Stegmann

SCORERS T: Brown, Hopper, Smith C: Evans (2) P: Evans (3)

15 Martyn Thomas 14 Shane Monahan 13 Mike Tindall (C) 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Freddie Burns 9 Jimmy Cowan 1 Dan Murphy 2 Huia Edmonds 3 Rupert Harden 4 Tom Savage 5 Will James 6 Matt Cox 7 Akapusi Qera 8 Ben Morgan BENCH: 16 Tommaso d’Apice 17 Nick Wood 18 Dario Chistolini 19 Peter Buxton 20 Gareth Evans 21 Dan Robson 22 Tim Molenaar 23 Rob Cook

SCORERS T: Twelvetrees C: Burns P: Burns (6) Monahan, Morgan

 

SARACENS 29 - 24 LONDON WASPS

VICARAGE ROAD - Sunday 4th November 2012
KO: 14:00 HT: 14-14 Att: 6,466

CHARLIE HODGSON kicked Saracens to victory against a valiant London Wasps side.

The fly-half got the homeside off the mark with an early penalty but this was immediately outshone by a try from Tom Varndell. Nick Robinson failed to find the posts with the conversion or a later penalty but made no such error with his drop goal.

However, Hodgson soon clawed the Sarries back in front with another perfect goal. Then it was the homeside’s turn to break free and seek out the tryline; Alastair Hargreaves charged down a kick by Charlie Davies to touchdown.

Hargreaves appeared to injure himself in the process and George Kruis temporarily covered his position whilst he received treatment.

Hodgson’s pin-point kicking failed him this time and the conversion was unsuccessful. Wasps tried to reduce the gap but Elliot Daly hit the posts with his long-range attempt.

However, Robinson pulled the scores level with two on-target kicks whilst Hargreaves was sent to the sin bin for going in at the side. The tallies stood tied 14 each at the break.

At the restart Hodgson had a clash of heads with Davies and was whisked off to be assessed. His replacement, Nils Mordt added a further 3 points to get the Sarries on the front foot once more.

Robinson replied with one of his own and Hodgson returned to the fray, along with a flurry from the homeside’s bench. Hodgson was soon back to his kicking best, slotting four shots to boost Sarries to a 12 point lead and give them bit of breathing space from the hard-to-shake Wasps.

The visitors had one last burst and Davies made up for his previous error by crashing over the whitewash. Tommy Bell converted but it was not enough to claim the match, just a losing bonus point.

15 Chris Wyles 14 David Strettle 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Kameli Ratuvou 11 James Short 10 Charlie Hodgson 9 Richard Wigglesworth 1 Matt Stevens 2 Schalk Brits 3 Carlos Nieto 4 Steve Borthwick (C) 5 Alastair Hargreaves 6 Kelly Brown 7 Andy Saull 8 Ernst Joubert BENCH: 16 John Smit 17 Nick Auterac 18 Petrus de Plessis 19 George Kruis 20 Will Fraser 21 Neil de Kock 22 Nils Mordt 23 Joe Maddock

SCORERS T: Hargreaves P: Hodgson (7), Mordt Hargreaves

15 Hugo Southwell (C) 14 Tom Varndell 13 Elliot Daly 12 Chris Bell 11 Christian Wade 10 Nick Robinson 9 Charlie Davies 1 Tim Payne 2 Thomas Rhys Thomas 3 Zak Taulafo 4 Joe Launchbury 5 Marco Wentzel 6 Ashley Johnson 7 James Haskell 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH:  16 Tom Lindsay 17 Phil Swainston 18 Simon McIntyre 19 James Cannon 20 Jonathan Poff 21 Jonah Holmes 22 Tommy Bell 23 Andrea Masi

SCORERS T: Varndell, Davies C: Bell P: Robinson (3) DG: Robinson

 

LONDON WELSH 16 - 9 BATH RUGBY

KASSAM STADIUM - Sunday 4th November 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 6-3 Att: 5,004

A last minute try sealed a victory for London Welsh as they battled Bath Rugby at the Kassam Stadium. The game was not a pretty one and certainly did not offer much in the first half to rouse fans. Henson and Stephen Donald both missed earlier shots and overall play was messy.

Gavin Henson got Welsh off the mark finding the posts within 10 minutes and doubled his tally 8 minutes later. The homeside had a look for the tryline as Tyson Keats broke free but only handed Henson his second penalty instead of that elusive try.

Bath began to push up and Will Skuse fired out towards the whitewash and his tackle resulted in a penalty, which Donald slotted to pull Bath onto the scoreboard.

Dave Attwood seemed to have scored on the stroke of half-time but the ball was called held up and Welsh headed in up 6-3.

After the interval, Donald equalised after Welsh collapsed the scrum and the match trundled on. Donald added a further 3 points to drag Bath into the led for the first time after Welsh were penalised for taking a man down in the lineout.

But Gordon Ross replaced Henson and tied the scores once more with only 2 minutes of play left. The home crowd held their breath as the clock ran down.

Then a moment of magic, Nick Scott intercepted a loose pass on the 80th minute from Donald and dashed a full 40 metres to touchdown.

15 Tom Arscott 14 Tom Voyce 13 Hudson Tonga’uiha 12 Seb Jewell 11 Nick Scott 10 Gavin Henson 9 Tyson Keats 1 Franck Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Paulica Ion 4 Martin Purdy 5 Kirill Kuleman 6 Jonathan Mills (C) 7 Michael Denbee 8 Lee Beach BENCH: 16 Greg Bateman 17 Tom Bristow 18 Arthur Joly 19 Adam Brown 20 Daniel Browne 21 Nick Runciman 22 Gordon Ross 23 James Lewis

SCORERS T: Scott C: Ross P: Henson (2), Ross

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Kyle Eastmond 13 Matt Banahan 12 Ben Williams 11 Tom Biggs 10 Stephen Donald 9 Michael Claassens 1 Paul James 2 Lee Mears 3 Anthony Perenise 4 Dominic Day 5 David Attwood 6 Stuart Hooper (C) 7 Will Skuse 8 Ben Skirving BENCH: 16 Brett Sharman 17 Charlie Beech 18 Kane Palma-Newport 19 Will Spencer 20 Guy Mercer 21 Mark McMillan 22 Sam Vesty 23 Horacio Agulla

SCORERS P: Donald (3)

 

 

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WORCESTER WARRIORS 23 - 16 SALE SHARKS

SIXWAYS - Friday 26th October 2012
KO: 20:00 HT: 16-8 Att: 8,669

SALE SHARKS lost out to Worcester Warriors after a brave battle to try and lift themselves off the bottom of the table.

Worcester drew first blood, thanks to a perfect penalty from Andy Goode after 2 minutes of play. Sale, who have had a nightmare start to the season, responded with force, Mark Cueto swooping in for a try. The touchline conversion was missed, but Andy Goode was having no such problems with accuracy and slotted another penalty to haul the Warriors back into the lead.

Danny Cipriani kicked Sale onto the front foot again and it was clear that the Sharks were up for the fight. Worcester struggled at the lineout but this did not stop David Lemi increasing the margin as he swerved tackles and raced over the whitewash.

Goode added a conversion and another penalty, although Warriors were unfortunate to not claim another try, and Sale were left trailing 16-8 at the break.

At the restart Cipriani reduced the deficit with a shot at goal and Sale pushed up on the Warriors’ defence. The homeside held up well for a while, but another shoddy lineout saw Sale steal the ball and Macleod storm over for a touchdown.

Cipriani missed the extras and the tallies were tied. Paul Hodgson broke away from the Sharks and offloaded to an awaiting Goode to dot down. The fly-half added the extras from the difficult angle and Warriors were back at an advantage.

Sale seemed to have replied with a try of their own as James Gaskell found the tryline, but a pass beforehand was forward and the score was disallowed.

The visitors rallied for one final surge and should have claimed a try, but unfortunately Will Addison fumbled as he was tackled by Hodgson and the Sharks were left with just a losing bonus point for their woes.

15 Chris Pennell 14 Errie Claassens 13 Alex Grove 12 Josh Matavesi 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Paul Hodgson 1 Matt Mullan (C) 2 Aleki Lutui 3 John Andress 4 James Percival 5 Craig Gillies 6 Sam Betty 7 Matt Kvesic 8 Semisi Taulava BENCH: 16 Ed Shervington 17 Ceri Jones 18 James Currie 19 Dean Schofield 20 Chris Jones 21 Jonny Arr 22 Joe Carlisle 23 Ravai Fatiaki

SCORERS T: Lemi, Goode C: Goode (2) P: Goode (3)

15 Nick Macleod 14 Tom Brady 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Mark Cueto 10 Danny Cipriani 9 Cillian Willis 1 Ross Harrison 2 Tommy Taylor 3 Tony Buckley 4 Kearnan Myall 5 Fraser McKenzie 6 Richie Vernon 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Andy Powell BENCH: 16 Joe Ward 17 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 18 Vadim Cobilas 19 Mark Easter 20 James Gaskell 21 Nathan Fowles 22 Rob Miller 23 Will Addison

SCORERS T: Cueto, Macleod  P: Cipriani (2)

 

BATH RUGBY 23 - 15 EXETER CHIEFS

RECREATION GROUND - Saturday 27th October 2012
KO: 14:30 HT: 15-5 Att: 12,200

BATH RUGBY held on for a win against Exeter Chiefs despite Dan Hipkiss picking up a red card in the final quarter.

Exeter attacked swiftly but Ben Williams denied them before going over in the corner moments later for a touchdown of his own. Stephen Donald found his mark with the tricky conversion and the gauntlet was laid down for Exeter. Gareth Steenson had a chance to close the gap but hit the woodwork before Bath stormed ahead again.

Nick Abendanon, who had helped Williams over the tryline, made another break and the ball flew wide to the hands of Kyle Eastmond for a score. Steenson missed another shot at goal but the visitors kept trying the Bath defence.

Eventually their work paid off as some excellent passing allowed Brett Sturgess to seek out the whitewash. Steenson missed the extras whilst Donald made no such error with a 3-pointer to leave the homeside 15-5 up at the interval.

The second half saw Steenson finally slot a penalty after great work from Gonzalo Camacho helped the Chiefs set up camp in a good position. Bath kept the visitors pinned in their own half and pushed up before Francois Lowe crashed over the tryline escaping the clutches of Phil Dollman’s limp tackle.

Exeter got their heads down for the final quarter though, and as the pressure built, Hipkiss slowed the ball illegally to land himself in the sin bin. The extra man overlap gave Ignacio Mieres -on for Steenson- an easy passage through for a converted try.

The situation worsened for Bath as Hipkiss stupidly chose to prevent the Chiefs from taking a quick lineout whilst he was in the bin, leaving referee Wayne Barnes to show him a red. However, the pressure was alleviated when Donald hit his target with a final penalty.

Exeter went searching for a losing bonus point as consolation but Mieres struck his kick wide. It was simply not Exeter’s day; their kickers had seriously let them down and were left with nothing to show for their efforts.

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Kyle Eastmond 13 Dan Hipkiss 12 Ben Williams 11 Tom Biggs 10 Stephen Donald 9 Michael Claassens 1 Paul James 2 Lee Mears 3 David Wilson 4 Dominic Day 5 David Attwood 6 Carl Fearns 7 Francois Lowe (C) 8 Ben Skirving BENCH: 16 Brett Sharman 17 Nathan Catt 18 Anthony Perenise 19 Stuart Hooper 20 Will Skuse 21 Mark McMillan 22 Sam Vesty 23 Horacio Agulla

SCORERS T: Williams, Eastmond, Lowe C: Donald P: Donald (2) Hipkiss Hipkiss

15 Luke Arscott 14 Gonzalo Camacho 13 Phil Dollman 12 Jason Shoemark 11 Matt Jess 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Haydn Thomas 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Simon Alcott 3 Carl Rimmer 4 Dean Mumm 5 James Hanks 6 Tom Johnson 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter (C) BENCH: 16 Chris Whitehead 17 Ben Moon 18 Chris Budgen 19 Aly Muldowney 20 Dave Ewers 21 Kevin Barrett 22 Ignacio Mieres 23 Ian Whitten

SCORERS T: Sturgess, Mieres C: Mieres P: Steenson

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 6 - 16 SARACENS

FRANKLIN’S GARDENS - Saturday 27th October 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 3-10 Att: 13,475

THERE were worries in the England camp as Courtney Lawes and Dylan Hartley were injured whilst Northampton Saints were taken down by Saracens at home.

The visitors were up on their opponents early; Schalk Brits, who has just been called up for South Africa, charged towards the tryline but was halted just short.

Sarries kept the pressure on though and Owen Farrell drew first blood with a penalty in the 7th minute. Saints responded to this strongly, but Ken Pisi stepped in touch to deny them a scoring opportunity.

Stephen Myler squared the tallies and the game began to heat up. Chris Ashton, whose return to his old ground was unwelcome and booed throughout, shoulder charged into Vasily Artemyev and sent him crashing over the advertising boards.

This was taken rather personally by Saints and they honed in on teaching the Saracens a lesson. Courtney Lawes came close to grabbing a touchdown but the visitors scrambled their defence and fended him off.

Against the run of play, the Sarries found space and Alex Goode was perfectly placed to race over the whitewash. Farrell slotted the extras and the Saints lost Myler and Lawes in the attempt to defend.

The homeside were winded by this opportunistic attack and they made little impact for the rest of the half, leaving the score 3-10 at half-time.

Hartley was replaced as the second half began, also hit by injury, and the game got worse for Northampton. Rain lashed down as Ryan Lamb added 3 points to reduce the deficit but this was nullified by Farrell swiftly.

Play was better from the homeside once the final half got going but they were always under threat from Sarries, being left with little room for error. Ashton very nearly sought out the tryline, almost latching on to a chip through but being unable to lay hands to it fully.

Farrell chipped through a last penalty to round off scoring. The Saints strived to steal a losing bonus point but Saracens closed them out, proving how clinical their defence can be when focused. The whistle blew and Saracens had snatched victory from the table-leaders.

15 Stephen Myler 14 Ken Pisi 13 George Pisi 12 Dom Waldouck 11 Vasily Artemyev 10 Ryan Lamb 9 Lee Dickson 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Dylan Hartley (C) 3 Paul Doran Jones 4 Courtney Lawes 5 Mark Sorenson 6 Phil Dowson 7 Tom Wood 8 GJ Van Velze BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Alex Waller 18 Brian Mujati 19 Samu Manoa 20 Rhys Oakley 21 Martin Roberts 22 Tom May 23 Luther Burrell

SCORERS P: Myler, Lamb

15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Brad Barritt 11 David Strettle 10 Owen Farrell 9 Neil de Kock 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Schalk Brits 3 Matt Stevens 4 Steve Borthwick (C) 5 Alastair Hargreaves 6 Kelly Brown 7 Will Fraser 8 Jackson Wray BENCH: 16 John Smit 17 Nick Auterac 18 Carlos Nieto 19 Mouritz Botha 20 Ernst Joubert 21 Richard Wigglesworth 22 Charlie Hodgson 23 Chris Wyles

SCORERS T: Goode C: Farrell P: Farrell (3)

 

GLOUCESTER 27 - 21 LEICESTER TIGERS

KINGSHOLM - Saturday 27th October 2012
KO: 16:45 HT: 17-11 Att: 15,110

GLOUCESTER RUGBY showed real guts as they fended off Leicester Tigers to snatch victory with some impressive play.

The homeside struck early as Charlie Sharples charged over the whitewash within the first minute, collecting a grubber from Freddie Burns to nab points and Burns added the extras. But Toby Flood cut the margin with a penalty soon after. Burns was on form though and slotted one of his own to increase the gap again.

The Tigers were not to be subdued easily, Jim Hamilton clawing back points with a touchdown as he was grabbed by Ben Morgan, as confirmed by the TMO. Flood’s conversion flew wide but his opposite number, Burns, was having a blinding match. Burns raced over for a converted try in the 19th minute before the Leicester defence managed to shut down any further attacks of the half.

Gloucester struggled in the scrum and the Tigers built on this before Flood added a 3-pointer to haul the tallies to 17-11 at the half-time whistle.

The restart saw Gloucester resume their darting and dodging whilst the opposition scuttled about defending. Burns smacked over another penalty, but the Cherry-and-Whites were completely overpowered in the scrum and Flood was able to reply in turn.

The homeside were on the move and earned Burns another two shots at the posts, one of which he was on target for, before swiftly following up with a converted try from Akapusi Qera.

It all went wrong for Gloucester suddenly as Jimmy Cowan and Rob Cook picked up yellow cards, leaving their side down to 13 men and under severe pressure. The formidable Leicester scrum used this to their advantage and claimed a penalty try, converted by Flood, to bring them into losing bonus point territory.

However, a superb effort from the Gloucester ranks saw them tighten up their defence and lock out the Tigers to seal the victory despite this period of uncertainty.

15 Rob Cook 14 Charlie Sharples 13 Mike Tindall (C) 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Freddie Burns 9 Jimmy Cowan 1 Nick Wood 2 Huia Edmonds 3 Rupert Harden 4 Tom Savage 5 Will James 6 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Akapusi Qera 8 Ben Morgan BENCH: 16 Koree Britton 17 Dan Murphy 18 Shaun Knight 19 Peter Buxton 20 Matt Cox 21 Dan Robson 22 Martyn Thomas 23 Shane Monahan

SCORERS T: Sharples, Burns, Qera C: Burns (3) P: Burns (2) Cook, Cowan

15 Geordan Murphy (C) 14 Scott Hamilton 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Anthony Allen 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 Toby Flood 9 Ben Youngs 1 Logovi’i Mulipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Louis Deacon 5 Geoff Parling 6 Steve Mafi 7 Thomas Waldrom 8 Jordan Crane BENCH: 16 George Chuter 17 Marcos Ayerza 18 Martin Castrogiovanni 19 Ed Slater 20 Graham Kitchener 21 Sam Harrison 22 George Ford 23 Matt Smith

SCORERS T: Hamilton, Penalty Try C: Flood P: Flood (3)

 

LONDON IRISH 28 - 31 HARLEQUINS

MADEJSKI STADIUM - Sunday 28th October 2012
KO: 14:15 HT: 16-16 Att: 10,247

HARLEQUINS snatched a last minute try by Tom Casson to clinch a hard-fought win over a ferocious London Irish side. The visitors battled against their opponents throughout the match and looked set to lose out until Casson dived over and the TMO awarded him the score to save Quins.

Ben Botica, standing in for an injured Nick Evans, got the scoreboard ticking for Quins with two early penalties. However, his next clearance kick was charged down and allowed Guy Armitage to clean up with a try.

Ian Humphreys added the extras, but the tide quickly turned with Danny Care intercepting and racing through to dot down. Botica converted but then fumbled and gave away a penalty for the Irish fly-half to slot.

The penalties continued to flood in and the tallies were left tied 16-all at the break. Things had taken a turn for the worse for Quins, not only was the pressure mounting but Mike Brown had picked up a yellow and Chris Robshaw to be removed after taking a boot to the head, being replaced by Maurie Fa’asavalu just before the whistle.

The second half saw Botica remain solid at the tee, adding yet another 3-pointer, making up for his earlier errors in open play. Humphreys responded in kind soon after, but Tom Williams finished some stunning passing by the visitors to go over in the corner.

Botica added the extras but Humphreys was able to take advantage of some poor discipline from Quins, smacking over a further three penalties to hand the Exiles the lead for the first time.

Quins fans could barely watch as the time ticked down but a moment of magic had them on their feet in the final minute. Ugo Monye found a gap and offloaded, allowing Casson to jump on the ball and ground it, as confirmed by the TMO, to grab the win for his team.

Irish were devastated; they had played valiantly and were unlucky to walk away with only a losing bonus point.

15 Anthony Watson 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Guy Armitage 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau 10 Ian Humphreys 9 Tomás O’Leary 1 Max Lahiff 2 David Paice 3 Halani ‘Aulika 4 Bryn Evans 5 Matt Garvey 6 Declan Danaher (C) 7 Jamie Gibson 8 Chris Hala’ufia BENCH: 16 Scott Lawson 17 Cai Griffiths 18 Leo Halavatau 19 Kieran Low 20 Ofisa Treviranus 21 Alex Gray 22 Steven Shingler 23 Darren Allison

SCORERS T: Armitage C: Humphreys P: Humphreys (7)

15 Mike Brown 14 Tom Williams 13 Matt Hopper 12 Tom Casson 11 Ugo Monye 10 Ben Botica 9 Danny Care 1 Joe Marler 2 Rob Buchanan 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Tom Guest 7 Chris Robshaw (C) 8 Nick Easter BENCH: 16 Dave Ward 17 Mark Lambert 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Maurie Fa’asavalu 21 Karl Dickson 22 Rory Clegg 23 Seb Stegmann

SCORERS T: Care, Williams, Casson C: Botica (2) P: Botica (4) Brown

 

LONDON WASPS 29 - 19 LONDON WELSH

ADAMS PARK - Sunday 28th October 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 16-6 Att: 5,964

LONDON WASPS glided to victory thanks to Christian Wade and Tom Varndell, leaving London Welsh desperately playing catch-up.

The duo combined early on, Varndell breaking free and offloading to Wade for a try in the corner after just 3 minutes of play. Nick Robinson missed the tricky conversion but made no such mistake with a penalty soon after to extend the lead.

Gavin Henson was treated with derision as his initial shot at the posts flew wide, but he was on target with his second attempt and got Welsh on the scoreboard. The fly-half also made a try-saving tackle on Jonathan Poff, but Wasps kept hammering their lines until Varndell was given space to race over the whitewash.

Again Robinson was off target with the extras whilst Henson’s boot added a further 3 points. Lee Thomas struck a perfect drop goal to round of the half 16-6 but the moment was soured as Joe Simpson was removed from the field with a knee injury.

The restart saw Henson miss another shot at goal before Wade made a blistering run, step former Wasps Tom Voyce and plant the ball for a touchdown.

However, the visitors responded with a well-thought attack that saw Phil MacKenzie over the tryline. It was Henson’s turn to miss a touchline conversion but the deficit had been cut to 10 points.

But Wasps were strong and applied heat to the defence; eventually it cracked enough for Varndell to grab his second score of the game. Welsh knuckled down and used their impressive pack to set up a driving maul that hauled Franck Montanella over for a try.

Henson was replaced for Gordon Ross, who made his mark with a penalty but this was nullified by Thomas, leaving the visitors with nothing to show for their efforts.

15 Hugo Southwell (C) 14 Tom Varndell 13 Andrea Masi 12 Lee Thomas 11 Christian Wade 10 Nick Robinson 9 Joe Simpson 1 Tim Payne 2 Tom Lindsay 3 Joe Launchbury 5 Marco Wentzel 6 Ashley Johnson 7 Jonathan Poff 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH:  16 Thomas Rhys Thomas 17 Phil Swainston 18 Fabio Staibano 19 James Cannon 20 Sam Jones 21 Charlie Davies 22 Tommy Bell 23 Elliot Daly

SCORERS T: Wade (2), Varndell (2) P: Robinson, Thomas DG: Thomas

15 Tom Voyce 14 Phil MacKenzie 13 Sonny Parker 12 Seb Jewell 11 Nick Scott 10 Gavin Henson 9 Tyson Keats 1 Franck Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Paulica Ion 4 Martin Purdy 5 Matt Corker 6 Jonathan Mills (C) 7 Michael Hills 8 Alfie To'oala BENCH: 16 Dan George 17 Tom Bristow 18 Greg Bateman 19 Kirill Kulemin 20 Mike Denbee 21 Nick Runciman 22 Gordon Ross 23 James Lewis

SCORERS T: MacKenzie, Montanella P: Henson (2), Ross

 

 

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SALE SHARKS 8 - 20 LEICESTER TIGERS

SALFORD CITY STADIUM - Friday 5th October 2012
KO: 20:00 HT: 8-6 Att: 8,212

LEICESTER TIGERS kept their perfect record intact by beating Sale Sharks, who are yet to win a match this season. The homeside were seeking to finally kick start their points, but this game was always going to be tough and the second half just proved too much for them. 

However, the Sharks began with purpose, Nick Macleod jinking the ball through left Niall Morris with no other option than to give away a 5-metre scrum. The visitors could not hold off their opponents for long and Rob Miller soon evaded the clasps of the defence and stormed over the tryline. Macleod missed the conversion but this was a bright start from Sale, much to the joy of the home crowd.

The Tigers responded with a boost of energy and a neat penalty from George Ford. It did not take long for Macleod to nullify his efforts though and the prospect of Sale holding Leicester to a hard game glimmered.

Once again Ford was on target after the visitors were handed a penalty at the scrum. But the Sharks kept the pressure on the opponents and subsequently Vereniki Goneva was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock on. This was a big blow for the Tigers who really had to fight to keep Sale at bay whilst a man down.

Sale winger, Will Addison seemed to have broken through for a score but the TMO deemed there to be a knock on before in the play before, and so the score stood at 8-6 at the break.

The restart saw a far more assertive Tigers team take the field and Ford was quick off the mark to add another 3 points, hauling his side into the lead. This was the beginning of the end for Sale, Ben Youngs crashing over the whitewash just 2 minutes later to increase the deficit. This was Youngs’ first try, not to mention first match back since the shoulder injury he picked up over the summer. Ford could not make the tricky conversion but it was clear that Leicester were in control.

However, the fly-half made amends with a further 3-pointer in the 52nd minute. Sale tried bravely to stay in the match, pushing on the Leicester defensive line but were unable to pierce it. The Tigers had locked down and were firmly set restraining the Sharks to the bitter end.

Macleod did have a chance to add some points but could not find the distance from long-range. The frustration of the situation tolled as Joe Ward was sent marching for throwing punches, leaving his already struggling side with even more work to do.

The resultant penalty was knocked over by Ford to finish scoring and the Tigers walked away with their sixth victory from six.

15 Rob Miller 14 Will Addison 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Mark Cueto 10 Nick Macleod 9 Cillian Willis 1 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 2 Tommy Taylor 3 Tony Buckley 4 Richie Gray 5 Fraser McKenzie 6 Richie Vernon 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Andy Powell BENCH: 16 Joe Ward 17 Ross Harrison 18 Vadim Cobilas 19 Kearnan Myall 20 James Gaskell 21 Nathan Fowles 22 Corne Uys 23 Mark Jennings

SCORERS T: Miller P: Macleod (2) Ward

15 Niall Morris 14 Adam Thompstone 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Anthony Allen 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 George Ford 9 Ben Youngs 1 Logovi’i Mulipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 4 Ed Slater 5 Graham Kitchener 6 Jordan Crane (C) 7 Richard Thorpe 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 Jimmy Stevens 17 Boris Stankovich 18 Dan Cole 19 Rob Andrew 20 Brett Deacon 21 Sam Harrison 22 Toby Flood 23 Matt Smith

SCORERS T: Youngs P: Ford (5) Goneva

 

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GLOUCESTER RUGBY 16 - 10 BATH RUGBY

KINGSHOLM - Saturday 6th October 2012
KO: 14:15 HT: 6-10 Att: 15,677

GLOUCESTER RUGBY came out on top in this weekend’s local derby against Bath after a very shaky start.  The visitors took less than 60 seconds to grab a try; Gloucester tried to clear their 22 and it all went wrong from there. Stephen Donald ran in unopposed and then converted his efforts to give Bath a stunning start.

The homeside were really struggling in the opening minutes, looking unsettled and ill-prepared. They had a few small breaks but when offered a chance to collect points Freddie Burns chose touch; it was clear that this game was going to be a running one.

There was little love lost, with some rather questionable tackles being made and the rivalry between the sides was evident from the off.  Kyle Eastmond forced his way over the whitewash but the TMO spotted his boot in touch to deny him the score.

The homeside produced sloppy play and were lucky that Bath did not add further to their tally before the 19th minute, when Donald slotted a penalty. The Cherry-and-Whites were particularly shaky in the set pieces and Bath took full advantage, applying pressure and causing the Gloucester to become flustered.

Burns finally opened Gloucester’s account on the half-hour mark with a penalty but the homeside still had a lot of work to do. Freddie was on a roll though and slotted another 3-pointer soon after to cut the deficit further.

The visitors had to defend strongly against their opposition, who had suddenly awoken, but held up well. Gloucester dropped their guard for a moment and the dangerous Bath side were up on them, causing havoc as they pushed up into the 22.

The referee, David Pearson, made some fairly strange calls throughout the half and missed an obvious knock-on but, fortunately, Gloucester were able to escape unscathed anyway. The whistle blew and the homeside had plenty to discuss being 10-6 down.

The restart was not filled with flowing, skilful rugby but both sides eventually settled down. Gloucester had a chance to close the margin to a point but Burns was off target.

However, the homeside looked far more confident than in the earlier period and Bath were slipping in terms of discipline. There were moments of real menace from the Gloucester but they were unable to finish the moves and capture some points.

A piece of magic seemed to happened; Shane Monahan screamed through the defence and over the whitewash but, alas, his efforts involved a double movement and the TMO called no try. Gloucester were not to be beaten though and Rob Cook stormed through to finally claim the touchdown; this time the TMO could find no fault.

Cook took a heavy hit on his way over the tryline and needed some on-pitch treatment; meanwhile Burns converted successfully. The homeside may have taken the lead for the first time but they had no chance to relax; Bath were continually looking to snatch the advantage back and moved up on their lines.

However, neither team could find their way through the defensive line for a score, although Gloucester did grab more points thanks to an excellent drop goal from Burns. This was to end scoring on a tough second half that proved the making of an initially worrying game for Gloucester.

15 Rob Cook 14 Shane Monahan 13 Henry Trinder 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Freddie Burns 9 Dan Robson 1 Nick Wood 2 Huia Edmonds 3 Rupert Harden 4 Tom Savage 5 Jim Hamilton (C) 6 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Akapusi Qera 8 Ben Morgan BENCH: 16 Koree Britton 17 Dan Murphy 18 Shaun Knight 19 Will James 20 Gareth Evans 21 Jimmy Cowan 22 Mike Tindall 23 Martyn Thomas

SCORERS T: Cook C: Burns P: Burns (2) DG: Burns

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Kyle Eastmond 13 Dan Hipkiss 12 Sam Vesty 11 Tom Biggs 10 Stephen Donald 9 Michael Claassens 1 Paul James 2 Lee Mears (C) 3 David Wilson 4 Dom Day 5 David Attwood 6 Carl Fearns 7 Ben Skirving 8 Simon Taylor BENCH: 16 Ross Batty 17 Nathan Catt 18 Anthony Perenise 19 Will Spencer 20 Will Skuse 21 Mark McMillan 22 Ollie Devoto 23 Jack Cuthbert

SCORERS T: Donald C: Donald P: Donald

 

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EXETER CHIEFS 42 - 28 HARLEQUINS

SANDY PARK - Saturday 6th October 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 16-18 Att: 8,472

EXETER CHIEFS racked up a high score against last season’s champions Harlequins, thanks to an outstanding second half. The homeside were quick off the mark, Gareth Steenson adding a penalty after 2 minutes of play.

However, Nick Evans, although missing his first attempt, soon replied with one of his own as both sides fought for possession. The Chiefs were keen to attack though, and some imaginative open play saw Brett Sturgess in possession and able to force his way over the whitewash for a score.

Steenson added the extras from out wide and Exeter had made a stunning start. Evans was looking to make amends for his poor performance against Saracens and did so with style. First, the fly-half added another penalty and then charged down Steenson’s kick and flew in for a touchdown.

He missed the conversion and Chiefs were building momentum once more. Tom Johnson caught the Quins defence napping with a quick penalty and it was only a brilliant tackle from Mike Brown that stopped him collecting points.

Steenson slotted another penalty with 8 minutes left of the half but there was still time for Ugo Monye to race over the tryline to level the tallies. Evans added the extras to hand Quins a narrow 18-16 lead at the break.

Once again the restart saw the homeside attack with menace and Ben White clawed the Chiefs back on to the front foot with a touchdown. Steenson converted and the Quins were kicking themselves for not holding their lines.

Evans was replaced by Rory Clegg, whose first shot at goal went awry. The fly-half soon made up for this mistake though, intercepting a pass and offloading to Karl Dickson to score. Clegg then neatly jinked the easy conversion over to pull his side in front again.

However, the Chiefs were on the prowl and soon snatched the advantage back with two tries from the lightning fast Jason Shoemark within 2 minutes of each other. This sealed the game and the bonus point for Exeter.

Steenson missed his mark on the first conversion but made no such error with the second. This was the beginning of the end for the visitors, whose defence simply buckled in the final quarter. Clegg was able to add another penalty but this was nowhere near enough.

As Sireli Naqelevuki sailed over the tryline for a one last converted touchdown, it was clear that something had been missing for Quins this match and Exeter had played superbly. The victory would have been all the sweeter if Dean Mumm had managed to avoid the sin bin in the 80th minute.

15 Luke Arscott 14 Ian Whitten 13 Phil Dollman 12 Jason Shoemark 11 Matt Jess 10 Gareth Steenson 9 Haydn Thomas 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Simon Alcott 3 Carl Rimmer 4 Dean Mumm 5 James Hanks 6 Tom Johnson 7 Ben White 8 Richard Baxter (C) BENCH: 16 Neil Clark 17 Ben Moon 18 Chris Budgen 19 Aly Muldowney 20 Dave Ewers 21 Will Chudley 22 Ignacio Mieres 23 Sireli Naqelevuki

SCORERS T: Sturgess, White, Shoemark (2), Naqelevuki C: Steenson (4) P: Steenson (3) Mumm

15 Mike Brown 14 Seb Stegmann 13 Matt Hopper 12 Jordan Turner-Hall 11 Ugo Monye 10 Nick Evans 9 Karl Dickson 1 Mark Lambert 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Tom Guest 7 Chris Robshaw (C) 8 Nick Easter BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Joe Marler 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Maurie Fa’asavalu 21 Danny Care 22 Rory Clegg 23 Ollie Lindsay-Hague

SCORERS T: Evans, Monye, Dickson C: Evans, Clegg P:  Evans (2), Clegg

 

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LONDON IRISH 39 - 17 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

MADEJSKI STADIUM - Saturday 6th October 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 18-0 Att: 7,918

AN astounding performance from London Irish saw them dominate Premiership leaders, Northampton Saints, leaving fans exultant at the Madejski Stadium. It took a full 22 minutes for the homeside to draw first blood, both sides missing early penalties.

Vasily Artemyev was the cause of pain for Saints, failing to touch down a loose ball in-goal and allowing Jonathan Joseph to pounce on it instead for a try.

Shingler missed the conversion but this was an omen of what was to come for Northampton. The Exiles continued to apply pressure and Ofisa Treviranus came close to adding to their tally; however, he was held up and instead Shingler slotted a penalty from an earlier advantage.

The Exiles were in full flight and David Paice finally found his way over from short-range to clinch a second touchdown in the 36th minute.

Ian Humphreys proved how confident Irish were feeling as he smacked over a long-range drop goal to leave his side 18-0 up at half-time. A shocked Northampton team trailed into the changing rooms to have a rethink of tactics, obviously missing their captain, Dylan Hartley.

The second half began with Saints trying to correct the errors of the previous period. Ken Pisi made a good break but was halted by a solid Irish defence. The visitors continued to battle against their opposition and, after 46 minutes of waiting, got their scoreboard running with a penalty from Stephen Myler.

However, the Exiles struck back swiftly, Topsy Ojo flying through for a try before Shingler another 3-pointer. Ryan Lamb came close to relieving the visitor’s embarrassment a little but was unable to finish his run. The scoreline worsened further as Jamie Gibson found space and raced over for the bonus point try.

Shingler converted and suddenly Northampton awoke, Pisi tearing over the whitewash to cut the deficit. Myler converted but Shingler responded with a further 3 points. Tom Wood also managed to find his way over for a converted try and left Northampton’s tally looking just bearable.

But the final word, suitably, went to Shingler who popped over a last penalty to round up a spectacular all-round performance by the homeside.

15 Steve Shingler 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Sailosi Tagicakibau 11 Marland Yarde 10 Ian Humphreys 9 Tomás O’Leary 1 Max Lahiff 2 David Paice 3 Halani ‘Aulika 4 George Skivington 5 Bryn Evans (C) 6 Matt Garvey 7 Jamie Gibson 8 Ofisa Treviranus BENCH: 16 Shaun Malton 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa 18 Alan Cotter 19 Kieran Low 20 Chris Hala’ufia 21 Guy Armitage 22 Shane Geraghty 23 Jack Moates

SCORERS T: Joseph, Paice, Ojo, Gibson C: Shingler (2) P: Shingler (4) DG: Humphreys

15 Vasily Artemyev 14 Ken Pisi 13 Dom Waldouck 12 Luther Burrell 11 Noah Cato 10 Stephen Myler 9 Lee Dickson 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Mike Haywood 3 Brian Mujati 4 Samu Manoa 5 Mark Sorenson 6 Courtney Lawes 7 Tom Wood 8 Phil Dowson (C) BENCH: 16 Ross McMillan 17 Alex Waller 18 Paul Doran Jones 19 Teimana Harrison 20 Rhys Oakley 21 Martin Roberts 22 Ryan Lamb 23 Tom May

SCORERS T: Pisi, Wood C: Myler (2) P: Myler

 

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LONDON WELSH 23 - 28 SARACENS

KASSAM STADIUM - Sunday 7th October 2012
KO: 14:15 HT: 13-19 Att: 4,685

LONDON WELSH narrowly missed out on a win as Charlie Hodgson saved the day for Saracens by clocking up all of their 28 points. The homeside saw the debut of Gavin Henson, having recently recovered from a fractured cheekbone, and the infamous Welshman made a good impression, kicking well to keep his side’s scoreboard ticking.

Welsh began poorly, with captain Jon Mills being sent marching to the sin bin for dangerously taking down a lifter in the lineout after just 4 minutes. However, the homeside rallied after this initial blow and drew first blood with an impressive interception try from Phil MacKenzie, who pounced on a loose pass from Hodgson to storm over the tryline.

Henson slotted the conversion and the visitors looked jittery. The Welsh fly-half was feeling confident though, enough so to attempt a huge 50 metre penalty, only to miss out on distance by a fraction.

Hodgson’s first opportunity to redeem himself was also a long-range shot, which hit the woodwork, but he made no such error with his second attempt and cut the deficit on the 15th minute. No sooner than the Sarries’ kicker had finished with the tee was, he over the tryline with a touchdown that stemmed from some excellent team play.

Hodgson added the extras and suddenly handed his side the lead. The points just kept coming from Sarries, with three more successful penalties before half-time. Henson helped the homeside stay in touching distance with two of his own, leaving the score 13-19 at the break.

The restart saw a moment of glory go to waste for the visitors, Hodgson setting up Andy Saull beautifully to race over the tryline only to see the ball fumbled. This did not deter the Saracens for long though, Hodgson smacking over yet another 3-pointer in the 55th minute.

This was swiftly followed by his 6th, Henson responding duly to keep the Welsh points ticking. The Welsh were soon back in the running as some neat passing saw Tom Arscott crash over the whitewash for a converted score to reduce the margin to a mere 2 points.

But Hodgson was not going to let the advantage slip away and produced one last on-target shot to keep the Sarries just out of reach of their opponents. London Welsh had a last-ditch push for the tryline but were left wanting with nothing more than a losing bonus point for comfort.

The visitors have a lot to thank their star of the match, Charlie Hodgson for, whose talent shone so brightly throughout.

15 Tom Arscott 14 Phil MacKenzie 13 James Lewis 12 Hudson Tonga’uiha 11 Nick Scott 10 Gavin Henson 9 Tyson Keats 1 Franck Montanella 2 Dan George 3 Paulica Ion 4 Jonathan Mills (C) 5 Matt Corker 6 Daniel Browne 7 Mike Denbee 8 Ed Jackson BENCH: 16 Greg Bateman 17 Tom Bristow 18 Arthur Joly 19 Kirill Kulemin 20 Alfie To’oala 21 Nick Runciman 22 Ryan Davis 23 Seb Jewell

SCORERS T: Arscott, MacKenzie C: Henson (2) P: Henson (3) YC Mills

15 Chris Wyles 14 David Strettle 13 Joel Tomkins 12 wen Farrell 11 James Short 10 Charlie Hodgson 9 Richard Wigglesworth 1 Rhys Gill 2 John Smit 3 Matt Stevens 4 Steve Borthwick (C) 5 George Kruis 6 Will Fraser 7 Andy Saull 8 Jackson Wray BENCH: 16 Jamie George 17 Mako Vunipola 18 Petrus du Plessis 19 Mouritz Botha 20 Nick Fenton-Wells 21 Neil de Kock 22 Kameli Ratuvou 23 Duncan Taylor

SCORERS T: Hodgson C: Hodgson P: Hodgson (7)

 

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LONDON WASPS 10 - 6 WORCESTER WARRIORS

ADAMS PARK - Sunday 7th October 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 10-0 Att: 5,232

A quick start was enough to clinch London Wasps a victory against Worcester Warriors in a game of two halves.

The homeside totted up all of their points within the opening 15 minutes, leaving themselves with plenty to do defensively for the rest of the match. Meanwhile, the Warriors were exceptionally slow to get off the mark but a last-ditch burst struck fear into the hearts of the home crowd.

Wasps got off to a stunning start, with Simon McIntyre forcing himself over the whitewash from close range after some piercing runs had left the Warriors’ defence scrambling. Stephen Jones converted and the homeside were in a comfortable position after just 4 minutes of play.

Andy Goode had a chance to cut the deficit soon after but was only able to find the woodwork. Jones, however, made no such error and finished the Wasps scoreboard off with a penalty in the 15th minute.

The visitors struggled to maintain possession and, although they kept the Wasps at bay, Worcester could not produce a single point in the first half, leaving the score 10-0 at the interval.

The restart was far better for the Warriors, with Goode smacking through an on-target penalty on the 43rd minute to get his side up and running. Jones had a chance to nullify this effort but was left wanting, whilst Goode took the opportunity to reduce the gap further with a perfect drop goal.

Christian Wade should have relieved the pressure on his side but fumbled a beautiful chip from Joe Simpson that was destined for a try. Simpson was causing trouble for Warriors at the ruck and had soon gifted his side another chance for points, this time to see the shot at goal fly wide from Jones’ boot.

Worcester had a late surge and looked like they would steal a win when Goode produced a cross-kick. However, Jon Clarke did not get the luck of the bounce and the moment slipped away, as did the time.

The Wasps clung on until the bitter end and Worcester were left with a losing bonus point in a game that had been tough for all involved.

15 Hugo Southwell (C) 14 Tom Varndell 13 Andrea Masi 12 Chris Bell 11 Christian Wade 10 Stephen Jones 9 Joe Simpson 1 Simon McIntyre 2 Tom Lindsay 3 Zak Taulafo 4 Marco Wentzel 5 Tom Palmer 6 Joe Launchbury 7 James Haskell 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH: 16 Thomas Rhys Thomas 17 Phil Swainston 18 Fabio Staibano 19 Jonathan Poff 20 Ashley Johnson 21 Charlie Davies 22 Nick Robinson 23 Elliot Daly

SCORERS T: McIntyre C: Jones P: Jones

15 Chris Pennell 14 Jon Clarke 13 Alex Grove 12 Josh Matavesi 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Jonny Arr 1 Matt Mullan 2 Aleki Lutui 3 John Andress 4 James Percival 5 Dean Schofield (C) 6 Chris Jones 7 Sam Betty 8 Matt Kvesic BENCH: 16 Ollie Hayes 17 Ceri Jones 18 James Currie 19 Craig Gillies 20 Blair Cowan 21 Paul Hodgson 22 Joe Carlisle 23 Ravai Fatiaki

SCORERS P: Goode DG: Goode

 

 

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NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 24 - 6 LONDON WASPS

FRANKLIN’S GARDENS - Friday 28th September 2012
KO: 19:45 HT: 14-6 Att: 12,955

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS saw off London Wasps with ease at Franklin’s Gardens, leaving the visitors with more than just wounded pride. The Wasps had the upset of seeing James Bailey stretchered off with a suspected broken leg to sour the occasion further, with not even a losing bonus point to show for their efforts.

Saints were quick off the mark, Ken Pisi powering through the defence and offloading to James Wilson for a score. The conversion was off-target but Stephen Myler soon made amends with a perfect penalty to increase the homeside’s lead.

However, Nick Robinson swiftly answered with one of his own and then cut the deficit again once Bailey had been removed from play. Saints had the upper hand though, pushing up against the Wasps and forcing two more shots at goal, which Myler slotted to add to the tally.

The situation worsened for the visitors as Tim Payne received a yellow, moments before half-time, for dropping a knee on a player. This left Wasps down 14-6 at the break and with plenty of defending to do at the restart.

After the interval Saints tried fervently to make the most of their extra man, but Vasily Artemyev appeared to have non-stick hands as he fumbled twice to leave the homeside wanting. It was then the Saints’ turn to lose a player to a leg injury, Christian Day being the unfortunate victim.

However, this did not halt Northampton for long, Luther Burrell breaking through and offloading to Wilson, who refused to be denied. The fullback should have been short of the line but a determined stretch saw the ball just make it over the whitewash for his second try. Myler added the extras and then finished off the scoreboard with a final penalty.

The last 10 minutes saw a surge from Wasps but to no avail; the Saints’ excellent defence simply shut down any attacks and stopped the visitors in their tracks. The homeside proved why they are one of the most formidable teams in the competition and Wasps just could not meet the challenge.  

15 James Wilson 14 Ken Pisi 13 Dom Waldouck 12 Luther Burrell 11 Vasily Artemyev 10 Stephen Myler 9 Lee Dickson 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Dylan Hartley (C) 3 Paul Doran Jones 4 Samu Manoa 5 Christian Day 6 Courtney Lawes 7 Tom Wood 8 Rhys Oakley BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Alex Waller 18 Brian Mujati 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Phil Dowson 21 Martin Roberts 22 Ryan Lamb 23 Tom May

SCORERS T: Wilson (2) C: Myler P: Myler (4)

15 Tommy Bell 14 Christian Wade 13 Andrea Masi 12 Chris Bell 11 James Bailey 10 Nick Robinson 9 Joe Simpson 1 Tim Payne 2 Tom Lindsay 3 Zak Taulafo 4 Tom Palmer 5 Marco Wentzel (C) 6 Joe Launchbury 7 James Haskell 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH:  16 Thomas Rhys Thomas 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Fabio Staibano 19 Sam Jones 20 James Cannon 21 Charlie Davies 22 Lee Thomas 23 Elliot Daly 

SCORERS P: Robinson (2) Tim Payne

 

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WORCESTER WARRIORS 35 - 11 LONDON IRISH

SIXWAYS - Friday 28th September 2012
KO: 20:00 HT: 10-8 Att: 8,418

ONCE again the second half proved too much for a struggling London Irish team, this time being taken down by Worcester Warriors at Sixways. The Exiles had trouble even before the match began, getting stuck in traffic and thus delaying the kick-off by 30 minutes.

When eventually the game got underway, it was the visitors who drew first blood as Ofisa Treviranus flew through to claim an early try. This was a promising start for Irish and, although Steven Shingler missed the conversion, the visitors had certainly laid down the gauntlet.

Shingler soon made up for his inaccuracy by slotting a penalty to increase the margin. Worcester woke up after this initial period and struck back with force. The homeside chose to spurn a kick at goal for a lineout and the decision turned out to be very profitable, with Aleki Lutui crashing over for a touchdown and Andy Goode converting.

To add insult to injury, Sailosi Tagicakibau was sin binned soon after for a dangerous tackle, resulting in the visitors not only being a man down but also losing the lead from the ensuing penalty.

From what had been an encouraging beginning, the Exiles ended the half with a 10-8 deficit and some worrying signs of what was to come.

The second half was where it all went rapidly downhill for Irish as they were left scrambling by the Worcester attack. It began with Goode extending the margin with another pin-point penalty before the Warriors really turned up the heat.

Shingler responded with one of his own but could not manage a second, whilst Goode remained on target, cancelling out his opponent’s attempt. The Exiles lost yet another to a yellow, Jamie Gibson being sent marching for continual offending.

Meanwhile, Worcester were building momentum and the extra man soon saw them claiming points as David Lemi swooped over the tryline. This was the beginning of the end and he was swiftly followed by Semisi Taulava and Jon Clarke, both scores being converted by Goode to polish off proceedings.

Irish were left for dust, clambering to halt the rampaging Warriors but unable to deny them a bonus point victory. This season is looking more ominous for the Exiles by the moment; fans will be more than troubled by their current lack of performance.

15 Chris Pennell 14 Nikki Walker 13 Alex Grove 12 Josh Matavesi 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Jonny Arr 1 Matt Mullan 2 Aleki Lutui 3 John Andress 4 James Percival 5 Dean Schofield (C) 6 Chris Jones 7 Sam Betty 8 Matt Kvesic BENCH: 16 Ollie Hayes 17 Ceri Jones 18 James Currie 19 Craig Gillies 20 Semisi Taulava 21 Ollie Frost 22 Joe Carlisle 23 Jon Clarke

SCORERS T: Lutui, Lemi, Taulava, Clarke C: Goode (3) P: Goode (3)

15 Tom Homer 14 Marland Yarde 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Steve Shingler 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau 10 Ian Humphreys 9 Tomás O’Leary 1 Max Lahiff 2 David Paice 3 Halani ‘Aulika 4 Bryn Evans 5 Matt Garvey 6 Declan Danaher (C) 7 Jamie Gibson 8 Ofisa Treviranus BENCH: 16 Shaun Malton 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa 18 Alan Cotter 19 George Skivington 20 Alex Gray 21 Topsy Ojo 22 Shane Geraghty 23 Jack Moates

SCORERS T: Treviranus P: Shingler (2) Tagicakibau, Gibson

 

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BATH RUGBY 31 - 10 SALE SHARKS

RECREATION GROUND - Saturday 29th September 2012
KO: 14:15 HT: 12-3 Att: 11,073

ANOTHER poor performance saw Sale Sharks battered by Bath Rugby and unable to break their losing streak. Sale had the first chance to get their tally going, but Nick Macleod was unable to find the posts. The homeside had no such trouble, with Olly Barkley landing two early penalties to hand his side the lead.

Eventually, Macleod responded with one of his own and reduced the deficit. Neither side made great efforts to attack, both sounding each other out rather than going in guns blazing. However, it was Bath who showed the best discipline whilst the Sharks gifted Barkley a further two shots at goal, at which he made no mistake.

Things went from bad to worse for the visitors as Tom Brady was sent marching for taking a player in the air. The Sharks had a chance to claw some points back before the break, but were left wanting as Macleod failed to find the posts again, keeping the score 12-3 at the whistle.

Bath returned with fire in their eyes, unhappy to rely on kicking to clinch the victory, and so David Wilson was soon storming towards the tryline only to be halted just short. However, he was not to be denied for long, thundering over after the ball was recycled to claim a well-deserved score.

Barkley added the extras and the Sharks were looking worried. The visitors replied with full force though, and Johnny Leota pulled them back into touching distance with a try of his own. Macleod slotted the conversion whilst Barkley missed his first shot of the game.

Brady tried to redeem himself by flying towards the whitewash but was stopped before he could get in reach of the line. But Bath were growing in strength and it was not long before the game was sealed, Ben Skirving finding his way over from a precise lineout. 

Anthony Perenise was left wanting shortly after but it was clear that the homeside had now hit their stride. Sale went down to 14 men again as Andy Powell was shown a yellow for a dangerous tackle just 2 minutes before time.

This proved too much for the Sharks who conceded a penalty try in the last play of the match as they became overwhelmed by a marching Bath scrum. Barkley added his last conversion at the Rec before his move to Racing Métro 92, and it was another sad day for Sale fans.

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Kyle Eastmond 13 Dan Hipkiss 12 Stephen Donald 11 Tom Biggs 10 Olly Barkley 9 Michael Claassens 1 Paul James 2 Lee Mears 3 David Wilson 4 Stuart Hooper (C) 5 David Attwood 6 Carl Fearns 7 Ben Skirving 8 Simon Taylor BENCH: 16 Ross Batty 17 Nathan Catt 18 Anthony Perenise 19 Dominic Day 20 Will Skuse 21 Mark McMillan 22 Sam Vesty 23 Jack Cuthbert

SCORERS T: Wilson, Skirving, Penalty Try C: Barkley (2) P: Barkley (4)

15 Rob Miller 14 Tom Brady 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Mark Cueto 10 Nick Macleod 9 Cillian Willis 1 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 2 Tommy Taylor 3 Tony Buckley 4 Fraser McKenzie 5 Kearnan Myall 6 James Doyle 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Andy Powell BENCH: 16 Joe Ward 17 Vadim Cobilas 18 Aston Croall 19 James Gaskell 20 Mark Easter 21 Nathan Fowles 22 Danny Cipriani 23 Will Addison

SCORERS T: Leota C: Macleod P: Macleod Tom Brady, Andy Powell

 

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 LEICESTER TIGERS 30- 8 EXETER CHIEFS

WELFORD ROAD - Saturday 29th September 2012
KO: 14:15 HT: 16-3 Att: 19,292

LEICESTER TIGERS made easy work of Exeter Chiefs, with Adam Thompstone providing a star performance to collect a hat-trick for the homeside. The visitors were quick off the mark with an early penalty from Ignacio Mieres, but Thompstone was soon causing havoc.

It took the winger just 6 minutes to cross for his first touchdown, thanks to some great play from Vereniki Goneva, and Toby Flood converted to give the Tigers a lightening start. Mieres missed a chance to cut the deficit but the Chiefs had plenty of opportunities to add to their tally, making blistering runs into enemy territory only to be stopped short.

It was not Mieres’ match though, as the fly-half hit the woodwork with his next shot. Flood made no such mistake, whacking over three penalties before the break. The Tigers had hoped for a little more than 3 points from their final flurry in the 39th minute, but had to settle with a still very respectable 16-3 lead at the interval.

Again it was the unfortunate Mieres who left the Chiefs exposed at the restart, carelessly fumbling on his own tryline to put his side under huge pressure. The flyhalf tried to tidy up his error but was pounced upon and, before the loose ball could be made safe, it had been swiped by the Tigers and shifted to Thompstone, who casually planted it over the whitewash. 

Mieres was clearly mortified and, in an attempt to make up for this awful moment, hauled a rampaging Logovi’i Mulipola into touch with an impressive display of strength. This gutsy play would not leave Thompstone without his third try though, the winger collecting a kick through neatly to glide in under the posts.

Flood converted and the Tigers went on a hunt of the bonus point. However, the Chiefs battened down and kept them at bay before managing to grab a consolatory touchdown, thanks to Ben White coming in from short range.  

15 Niall Morris 14 Adam Thompstone 13 Matt Smith 12 Dan Bowden 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 Toby Flood 9 Sam Harrison 1 Logovi’i Mulipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Graham Kitchener 5 Geoff Parling 6 Jordan Crane (C) 7 Julian Salvi 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 Jimmy Stevens 17 Fraser Balmain 18 Martin Castrogiovanni 19 Ed Slater 20 Brett Deacon 21 Pat Phibbs 22 George Ford 23 Anthony Allen

SCORERS T: Thompstone (3) C: Flood (3) P: Flood (3)

15 Luke Arscott 14 Ian Whitten 13 Sireli Naqelevuki 12 Jason Shoemark 11 Matt Jess 10 Ignacio Mieres 9 Haydn Thomas 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Carl Rimmer 4 Tom Hayes (C) 5 James Hanks 6 Tom Johnson 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter BENCH: 16 Simon Alcott 17 Ben Moon 18 Alex Brown 19 Aly Muldowney 20 Ben White 21 Will Chudley 22 Gareth Steenson 23 Phil Dollman

SCORERS T: White P: Mieres

 

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HARLEQUINS 16 - 18 SARACENS

TWICKENHAM STOOP - Sunday 30th September 2012
KO: 14:00 HT: 13-9 Att: 14,224

SOME poor refereeing and stifled play meant a rather dull match was seen between Harlequins and Saracens, proof that just because a game was close does not mean it was interesting. Nick Evans got scoring off the mark with an early penalty; the flyhalf had a poor game in general and seemed to have had his boots swapped today for Owen Farrell’s as he managed an unbelievably low 50% success rate.

Both sides made progress into enemy territory but Quins did so with greater threat. Evans was given a chance to increase the homeside’s lead but hit the woodwork whilst his Sarries counterpart, Farrell, hit his target to equalise.

However, Sarries showed indiscipline in these opening minutes and gifted Evans another 3-pointer to regain the advantage. The game was punctuated by stoppage time for injuries and yet more penalties rained down, allowing Farrell to draw level once more. Each side had bursts of speed but neither could find a break that truly outfoxed the opponents.

Farrell soon hauled the visitors into the lead after Olly Kohn was sent packing to the sin bin and the fly-half smacked over the resulting penalty. Being a man down did not bother the Quins though, with Danny Care escaping the defence to dive over the whitewash before celebrating in the style of local celebrity & double Olympic Gold-winning Mo Farah, who was in the stands cheering on his club.

The referee missed Care’s fumble beforehand and the score stood, Evans converting. The Saracens had not shown the flair of the homeside and were left behind because of this to the tune of 13-9 at the break.

Farrell closed the gap soon after the restart, slotting another penalty to leave the visitors just a point adrift. Sarries began to add fresh legs to the match and it was not long before they were out in front again, Farrell adding a further 3 points with pin-point precision.

The TMO was called upon inconsistently throughout the game, causing the crowd to grow tired of the game and of the apparent unpredictability of the refereeing. George Kruis was shown a yellow and sent off to the sin bin leaving his side a man down. Quins received another penalty and Evans was on target to heave the homeside onto the front foot once more. With only 10 minutes left of play it was still anyone’s game and both teams knuckled down for a battle.

Evans had a shot at goal denied but this was a moment when the TMO really should have been used as it was unclear as to what actually happened. Farrell responded with one of his own and this brought an end to a particularly tedious bout between these two rugby giants. It is fair to say it will not go down in the history books, but Saracens will none-the-less be pleased with the win as they prepared to head to Munich for the Oktoberfest for some team building.   

15 Mike Brown 14 Seb Stegmann 13 Matt Hopper 12 Jordan Turner-Hall 11 Ugo Monye 10 Nick Evans 9 Danny Care 1 Joe Marler 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Tom Guest 7 Chris Robshaw (C) 8 Nick Easter BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Mark Lambert 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Maurie Fa’asavalu 21 Karl Dickson 22 Rory Clegg 23 Ollie Lindsay-Hague

Harlequins T: Care C: Evans P: Evans (3) Olly Kohn

15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Brad Barritt 11 Chris Wyles 10 Owen Farrell 9 Richard Wigglesworth 1 Rhys Gill 2 Schalk Brits 3 Petrus du Plessis 4 Steve Borthwick (C) 5 Alastair Hargreaves 6 Kelly Brown 7 Will Fraser 8 Ernst Joubert BENCH: 16 John Smit 17 Mako Vunipola 18 Matt Stevens 19 George Kruis 20 Andy Saull 21 Ben Spencer 22 Charlie Hodgson 23 David Strettle

Saracens P: Farrell (6) George Kruis

 

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LONDON WELSH 25 - 31 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

KASSAM STADIUM - Sunday 30th September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 18-9 Att: 4,548

LONDON WELSH come close but were thwarted in the final 10 minutes by Gloucester Rugby at the Kassam Stadium, though were trailing considerably at half time. The visitors began strongly, with a penalty from Freddie Burns and some confident open play.

Gordon Ross had a chance to respond but missed his first shot at the posts; luckily, the fly-half swiftly made amends, slotting one 2 minutes later. Gloucester were on the attack and Neil Briggs felt their full force as he was required to leave the pitch after a nasty collision with Sione Kalamafoni.

Burns pulled the visitors in front again with another accurate kick before breaking free to speed towards the line. Nick Scott could do nothing but deliberately knock the ball from his hands and was subsequently sent to the sin bin.

Burns took the penalty quickly, catching the defence off-guard and offloaded to Shane Monahan for the try. Ross pulled back some points with a penalty but Welsh took a hard knock when they lost Sonny Parker to injury.

The homeside kept the scoreboard moving with Tom Savage flying through to touchdown and Burns adding the extras. Ross whacked over an impressive long-range goal to leave the score 9-18 at the break. It could have been more had Tyson Keats’ tap-and-go worked out in the final minutes.

The restart saw Ross knock through a further 3 points, bringing the homeside into striking distance. This was consequential of Burns deliberately knocking on and thusly being shown a yellow.

The visitors held up well with only 14 men though, Billy Twelvetrees taking up kicking duties and adding to the tally. But something had ignited amongst the Welsh players and suddenly the points poured in, Ross adding 3 and then Frank Montanella storming through for a converted try.

This handed the homeside an unlikely lead and it was increased by yet another penalty from Ross. Gloucester supporters were anxious, they needed to be reassured and fast. Burns brought the Cherry-and-Whites within a point’s margin and the side moved up for one last push.

The visitors sparked a stunning counter-attack, James Simpson-Daniel being the initiator. London Welsh scrambled but were undone by a hurtling Shaun Knight, who stole the victory for Gloucester in the 73rd minute. Burns added the extras and from the jaws of defeat the visitors arose triumphant.

15 Seb Jewell 14 Tom Arscott 13 Sonny Parker 12 Hudson Tonga’uiha 11 Nick Scott 10 Gordon Ross 9 Tyson Keats 1 Franck Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Paulica Ion 4 Jonathan Mills (C) 5 Matt Corker 6 Daniel Browne 7 Michael Hills 8 Ed Jackson BENCH: 16 Dan George 17 Tom Bristow 18 Arthur Joly 19 Kirill Kulemin 20 Alfie To’oala 21 Nick Runciman 22 Ryan Davis 23 Phil MacKenzie

SCORERS T: Montanella C: Ross P: Ross (6) Scott

15 Rob Cook 14 Shane Monahan 13 Mike Tindall 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Freddie Burns 9 Dan Robson 1 Nick Wood 2 Tommaso d’Apice 3 Rupert Harden 4 Tom Savage 5 Jim Hamilton (C) 6 Peter Buxton 7 Akapusi Qera 8 Sione Kalamafoni BENCH:  16 Koree Britton 17 Dan Murphy 18 Shaun Knight 19 Will James 20 Gareth Evans 21 Dave Lewis 22 Henry Trinder 23 Martyn Thomas

SCORERS T: Monahan, Savage, Knight C: Burns (2) P: Burns (3), Twelvetrees Burns

 

 

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SALE SHARKS 19 - 29 LONDON WELSH

SALFORD CITY STADIUM - Friday 21st September 2012
KO: 20:00 HT: 9-23 Att: 7,479

THE woes of this season continued for Sale Sharks as they were taken down 19-29 at home by London Welsh. The visitors began with a bang, forcing two penalties, which were neatly knocked over by Gordon Ross, before collecting a try, thanks to Jonathan Mills.

The conversion from Ross gave Welsh a comfortable 13 point lead within 8 minutes of play whilst Sale were already looking lost. The Sharks were swiftly given a chance to respond but Danny Cipriani was unable to find his target with the 3-pointer.

However, the fly-half soon made amends, slotting three penalties in quick succession to cut the deficit as Sharks made the most of the tricky handling conditions. However, Ross added another of his own to increase the margin again and the pressure soon tolled once more for Sharks.

Ed Jackson dived over the tryline to finish an excellent passage of play, started by a stunning break from Tom Arscott. Ross reliably added the extras and the situation was not looking good for the homeside. Sale did press up towards the end of the half though, and came close to touching down themselves, but the Welsh dealt with the attack well and the score remained 9-23 at the break.

The second half did not start brightly for London Welsh, losing their captain, Mills, to injury after just 6 minutes, causing Kirill Kulemin to enter the fray in his place. Their score was kept ticking by the ever-present Ross though, who smacked through another penalty to raise the tally again.

The Sharks turned up the heat, switching Cipriani for Nick Macleod before heading into enemy territory and setting up camp. After a prolonged period of pushing on the defensive line, Tom Brady swooped in at the corner to score, leaving Macleod to add the extras from the tricky angle.

Sharks took a blow in the final quarter as Dwayne Peel was removed from play with a shoulder injury, leaving Will Cliff to take up his place. Sale got within bonus point range thanks to a Macleod penalty but this was cruelly denied to them by a last minute answer from Ross.

Sale will be disappointed with their opening performance and will certainly be worried that they have yet to win a match. On the other side, Welsh will be elated with another victory as the settle into the Premiership.

15 Rob Miller 14 Tom Brady 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Mark Cueto 10 Danny Cipriani 9 Dwayne Peel 1 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 2 Joe Ward 3 Vadim Cobilas 4 Richie Gray 5 Kearnan Myall 6 Mark Easter 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Andy Powell BENCH: 16 Tommy Taylor 17 Ross Harrison 18 Tony Buckley 19 Fraser McKenzie 20 Richie Vernon 21 Will Cliff 22 Nick Macleod 23 Corne Uys

SCORERS T: Brady C: Macleod P: Cipriani (3), Macleod  

15 Tom Arscott 14 Phil MacKenzie 13 Sonny Parker 12 Hudson Tonga’uiha 11 Nick Scott 10 Gordon Ross 9 Tyson Keats 1 Frank Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Paulica Ion 4 Jonathan Mills (C) 5 Matt Corker 6 Daniel Browne 7 Michael Hills 8 Ed Jackson BENCH: 16 Dan George 17 Tom Bristow 18 Arthur Joly 19 Kirill Kulemin 20 Ed Williamson 21 Nick Runciman 22 Ryan Davis 23 Seb Jewell

SCORERS T: Mills, Jackson C: Ross (2) P: Ross (5)

 

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LONDON IRISH 29 - 22 BATH RUGBY

MADEJSKI STADIUM - Saturday 22nd September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 19-13 Att: 7,324

CELEBRATIONS for London Irish fans were had as their side finally held it together to win their first match of the season against Bath Rugby. The visitors drew first blood, with the soon-departing Olly Barkley slotting an early penalty to start the scoreboard. Barkley had an excellent game and was mainly who kept Bath afloat throughout proceedings, and likely will be missed in a fortnight when he moves to Racing Métro 92 on a medical joker for the remainder of the season.

His counterpart, Stephen Shingler, soon levelled the tallies and it was clear Irish were not going to let the match slip away from them this time. Barkley managed to add another 3 points with an easy shot but it was the homeside who applied the most pressure.

Bath lacked discipline and Shingler reaped the rewards, smacking over two more long-range efforts to clinch the lead. Against the run of play, Kyle Eastmond was the first to find the whitewash, bounding Bath onto the front foot once more. Irish were caught off guard by Eastmond’s break and, as they scrambled to halt him, he offloaded to Nick Abendanon to make space before receiving the ball back for the touchdown. Barkley added the extras but Irish would not lie down and let the half finish without a response.

First Shingler found his mark with another brilliant penalty before Halani ‘Aulika stormed in for a converted try, making the most of some forceful play from the Exiles pack. Irish walked down the tunnel 19-13 up, but all knew it was down to the second half and if they could keep their nerve.

After the break, Barkley cut the deficit with a penalty just 60 seconds from the restart. However, the homeside were confident and pushed up on the defensive line again, setting up in the Bath 22 for a stint of good possession. This period finished with Jonathan Joseph racing over the tryline, thanks to some excellent linking work from Marland Yarde and Shingler created a gap.

The conversion stretched the Exiles’ lead to 10 points and Bath needed to reply with something spectacular. The visitors very nearly pulled this off as they drove within inches of the whitewash but were to be denied by a knock on from Tom Biggs. It looked likely that Bath’s moment had come when Irish went down to 14 men, losing Jamie Gibson for repeatedly infringing, but the visitors simply could not crack their opponents.

Barkley edged his side closer to a chance of stealing victory with two 3-pointers but the Irish defence was firm against prolonged attacks. However, Shingler kept his cool to slot another penalty from afar to increase the margin for a final time and seal the win.

Bath had been let down by their infringing at the breakdown too many times and it cost them dearly. The visitors tried to surge forward a final time but it was all too late and they were left clinging to a consolatory losing bonus point.

15 Tom Homer 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Stephen Shingler 11 Marland Yarde 10 Ian Humphreys 9 Tomás O’Leary 1 Max Lahiff 2 Scott Lawson 3 Halani ‘Aulika 4 Bryn Evans 5 Matt Garvey 6 Declan Danaher (C) 7 Jamie Gibson 8 Ofisa Treviranus BENCH: 16 David Paice 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa 18 Alan Cotter 19 George Skivington 20 Jon Fisher 21 Anthony Watson 22 Shane Geraghty 23 Jack Moates

SCORERS T: ‘Aulika, Joseph C:  Shingler (2) P: Shingler (5) Jamie Gibson

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Kyle Eastmond 13 Dan Hipkiss 12 Ben Williams 11 Tom Biggs 10 Olly Barkley 9 Michael Claassens 1 Nathan Catt 2 Lee Mears 3 Anthony Perenise 4 Stuart Hooper (C) 5 Dominic Day 6 Carl Fearns 7 Francois Louw 8 Simon Taylor BENCH: 16 Ross Batty 17 Paul James 18 Kane Palma-Newport 19 Dave Attwood 20 Ben Skirving 21 Mark McMillan 22 Stephen Donald 23 Jack Cuthbert

SCORERS T: Eastmond C: Barkley P: Barkley (5)

 

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NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 37 - 31 WORCESTER

FRANKLIN’S GARDENS - Saturday 22nd September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 25-3 Att: 12,114

A heroic second half comeback was not enough to save Worcester Warriors from the ferocious Northampton Saints. The Warriors opened scoring with an early penalty from Andy Goode, but then had to batten down the hatches as a Saints whirlwind began.

Stephen Myler was the instigator of Worcester’s woes, slotting two penalties to snatch the lead from the visitors thanks to a lack of discipline. Both sides struggled to keep a grip of the ball but, eventually, Luther Burrell kicked up a gear to speed over the tryline.

Myler added the extras and was swiftly teeing up again as the unstoppable Burrell found his way through Worcester ranks once more, stepping inside to cut through the defensive line and dot down for a converted score.

This ignited the homeside and they turned up the heat as a solid scrum allowed some flowing passing to see Vasily Artemyev over in the corner. The conversion proved too tricky for Myler but it was clear that Northampton were the dominant force with all the cards in their hands.

Worcester did have a final push before the break but careless hands left them with nothing to show for their efforts apart from a 25-3 deficit.

The Warriors tried again to pick up points after the interval but were left wanting due to an inability to finish the move. Meanwhile, Saints were having no such problems, pushing up into enemy territory and walking away with a bonus point try.

Courtney Lawes was too much to handle for the Worcester defence, powering through to touchdown. Myler added the extras and the 29-point margin was looking horrific for the visitors. Ken Pisi almost increased the gap with a score but it was called unworthy by the referee.

However, Worcester were not spared further embarrassment for long with Mike Haywood crossing the whitewash for a fifth try. Enough was enough; the Worcester bench emptied and had instant effect. Jonny Arr heaved himself over from close-range to finally get the visitors’ tally moving, beginning a flurry of tries for the Warriors.

Goode converted and waited little more than 60 seconds before he was having another shot at the posts. Josh Matavesi sliced through the Saints’ defence, which had suddenly collapsed, closing the previously gaping deficit further.

The points continued to flood in for the visitors, Josh Drauniniu finding his way to the tryline only to be followed in the dying minutes by Ollie Hayes. Goode held his nerve and converted both, handing his side an unexpected losing bonus point, which had looked impossible before the hour mark.

Worcester did exceptionally well to claw their way back but Northampton will be wondering where their defence disappeared to. What should have been a punishing scoreline was reduced to a mere 6 points due to a severe loss of focus.

15 James Wilson 14 Ken Pisi 13 George Pisi 12 Luther Burrell 11 Vasily Artemyev 10 Stephen Myler 9 Lee Dickson 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Dylan Hartley (C) 3 Paul Doran Jones 4 Samu Manoa 5 Christian Day 6 Courtney Lawes 7 Phil Dowson 8 Rhys Oakley BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Alex Waller 18 Brian Mujati 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Tom Wood 21 Martin Roberts 22 Ryan Lamb 23 Dom Waldouck

SCORERS T: Burrell (2), Artemyev, Lawes, Haywood C: Myler (3) P: Myler (2)

15 Chris Pennell 14 Nikki Walker 13 Alex Grove 12 Joe Carlisle 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Shaun Perry 1 Matt Mullan 2 Aleki Lutui 3 John Andress 4 James Percival 5 Dean Schofield (C) 6 Chris Jones 7 Sam Betty 8 Semisi Taulava BENCH: 16 Ollie Hayes 17 Ceri Jones 18 James Currie 19 Craig Gillies 20 Matt Kvesic 21 Jonny Arr 22 Josh Matavesi 23 Josh Drauniniu

SCORERS T: Arr, Matavesi, Drauniniu, Hayes C: Goode (4) P: Goode

 

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GLOUCESTER RUGBY 29 - 22 LONDON WASPS

KINGSHOLM - Saturday 22nd September 2012
KO: 15:15 HT: 20-13 Att: 10,782

GLOUCESTER RUGBY fended off London Wasps at Kingsholm, keeping the visitors at arm’s length throughout the match. The homeside were quick off the mark, Freddie Burns storming over the tryline pulling Tim Payne with him, but his effort was disallowed by the TMO for a knock on. Meanwhile, Stephen Jones picked up points for Wasps with a neatly struck penalty.

However, Burns was not to be denied for long, slotting one of his own to equalise. Gloucester continued to apply pressure but were held at bay by a solid Wasps defence, although eventually Burns was able to add another penalty to pull the homeside into the lead.

It was inevitable that the visitors’ would buckle in the end though, James Simpson-Daniel evading numerous defenders to dart over the whitewash. Newcomer to the Cherry-and-Whites, Sione Kalamafoni, had the home crowd on their feet as he picked up from the breakdown and stormed through to touchdown.

Burns added the extras for both scores and the situation was looking worrying for Wasps. However, the visitors awoke and responded well; Elliot Daly finishing some fluid passing to dot down. Jones slotted the tricky conversion and Tommy Bell showed even greater kicking prowess, smacking over a huge penalty to reduce the deficit to 20-13 on the whistle.

The second half was begun with a battle of the kickers, each being given numerous chances to prove themselves at the tee. Burns was, again, the first to strike his target after just 2 minutes of play, increasing the margin to 10 points.

Jones had an answer though, and so the score yo-yoed until the 55th minute where it settled at 29-19. This halt to scoreline movement caused a surge from both benches in an attempt to kick-start the points again.

Wasps took a blow as Marco Wentzel, stand-in captain for an injured Hugo Southwell, was sent to the sin bin for being offside. However, the homeside did not take advantage of their extra man and were unable to grab even a penalty for their troubles.

In the end it was Wasps who had the opportunity to decrease the margin as Bell was handed an opportunity to shoot for the posts, but was off-target. Burns also swerved an attempt wide and it was only the boot of Nick Robinson that struck true.

Robinson snatched an important 3 points in the 75th minute to seal a losing bonus point for his side. Wasps will be disappointed with their discipline in this match but are still showing far more promise this season than they did in the last.  

15 Rob Cook 14 Jonny May 13 Henry Trinder 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Freddie Burns 9 Dan Robson 1 Nick Wood 2 Darren Dawidiuk 3 Rupert Harden 4 Tom Savage 5 Jim Hamilton (C) 6 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Andy Hazell 8 Ben Morgan BENCH:  16 Huia Edmonds 17 Dan Murphy 18 Shaun Knight 19 Will James 20 Akapusi Qera 21 Dave Lewis 22 Mike Tindall 23 Martyn Thomas

SCORERS T: Simpson-Daniel, Kalamafoni C: Burns (2) P: Burns (5)            

15 Tommy Bell 14 Tom Varndell 13 Elliot Daly 12 Andrea Masi 11 Christian Wade 10 Stephen Jones 9 Joe Simpson 1 Tim Payne 2 Thomas Rhys Thomas 3 Zak Taulafo 4 Tom Palmer 5 Marco Wentzel (C) 6 James Haskell 7 Jonathan Poff 8 Ashley Johnson BENCH:  16 Tom Lindsay 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Fabio Staibano 19 James Cannon 20 Billy Vunipola 21 Charlie Davies 22 Nick Robinson 23 Jack Wallace 

SCORERS T: Daly C: Jones P: Jones (3), Bell, Robinson Marco Wentzel

 

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LEICESTER TIGERS 9 - 22 HARLEQUINS

WELFORD ROAD - Saturday 22nd September 2012
KO: 17:30 HT: 6-13 Att: 20,354

A lack-lustre Leicester Tigers side fell afoul of Harlequins at Welford Road, only managing to pick up points thanks to the boot of Toby Flood. Both sides began gingerly, seeking out kinks in the oppositions armour without exposing themselves too much. From this both kickers had shots at goal, Flood coming out on top in the early exchange knocking over two to Evans’ singular attempt.

However, in the 20th minute Harlequins broke free, Tom Williams flying over the whitewash for a converted score. The TMO confirmed the try but this was to be the last act that Williams performed, having to leave the pitch due to an injury sustained in the touchdown.

This gave Quins’ confidence a huge boost, enough to see Danny Care pull off a cheeky drop goal on the half-hour mark. Flood had a chance to reply but veered the ball wide.

The usually pin-point accurate Evans also missed out on points, hitting the upright just before half time, leaving the tally 6-13 at the interval.

The visitors continued to test the Tigers, spurning chances at the posts for opportunities to run the ball. Mike Brown nearly forced his way over the tryline but Steve Mafi managed to halt the fullback before any damage was done.

The Quins tried to create more space but could not find their way through the defensive line again, causing Evans to eventually choose the posts and added another 3 points to the scoreboard.

Leicester renewed their pack and it had instant effect, Sam Harrison being given room to run only to see his efforts thwarted; careless work at the ruck handed the Quins a penalty to clear the danger.

The homeside were on a surge now though and Ross Chisholm had to throw in a try-saving tackle to stop Julian Salvi in his tracks, injuring himself in the process. The Tigers had to make do with another Flood 3-pointer but it was not enough.

Evans sealed the game with two more penalties of his own and made sure that Leicester did not leave with so much as a losing bonus point to console their fans.

15 Scott Hamilton 14 Niall Morris 13 Matt Smith 12 Anthony Allen 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 Toby Flood 9 Sam Harrison 1 Boris Stankovich 2 Tom Youngs 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 4 Graham Kitchener 5 Geoff Parling 6 Steve Mafi 7 Julian Salvi 8 Jordan Crane (C) BENCH: 16 George Chuter 17 Dan Cole 18 Logovi’i Mulipola 19 Rob Andrew 20 Thomas Waldrom 21 Pat Phibbs 22 George Ford 23 Adam Thompstone

SCORERS P: Flood (3)

15 Mike Brown 14 Tom Williams 13 Matt Hopper 12 Jordan Turner-Hall 11 Ugo Monye 10 Nick Evans 9 Danny Care 1 Joe Marler 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Maurie Fa’asavalu 7 Chris Robshaw (C) 8 Nick Easter BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Darryl Marfo 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Tom Guest 21 Karl Dickson 22 Rory Clegg 23 Ross Chisholm

SCORERS T: Williams C: Evans P: Evans (4) DG: Care

 

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EXETER CHIEFS 14 - 12 SARACENS

SANDY PARK - Sunday 23rd September 2012
KO: 14:15 HT: 9-6 Att: 6,141

EXETER CHIEFS claimed a big scalp as they pulled off a narrow victory against Saracens at Sandy Park. The visitors drew first blood, Owen Farrell slotting an early shot at goal, but Chiefs responded swiftly with one of their own from Ignacio Mieres.

The homeside could have taken the lead earlier if Haydn Thomas’ charge down had gone to plan. Saracens also had scoring opportunities in the opening stages, but clumsy handling left them without points. However, Farrell’s boot kept the Sarries on track adding another 3 points in the 21st minute whilst Mieres could only hit the woodwork.

The visitors took a blow as Kelly Brown was sent marching to the sin bin, and Mieres made amends with an on-target 3-pointer to equalise. As the half drew to a close the Chiefs tried to make the most of their extra man but could only pluck a penalty from the period; Mieres found his mark again to put the Chiefs up 6-9 at the break.

Exeter’s lead did not last long into the second half, handing over another 3 points to Farrell due to indiscipline at the scrum. However, Sarries had little to celebrate, only just drawing level and then seeing Chris Ashton shown a yellow for dangerous play.

Mieres missed the ensuing penalty but the Chiefs punished them duly. Sireli Naqelevuki made the most of the space left by the absent Ashton off the back of a lineout to crash over the whitewash. Mieres could not hit his mark on the conversion but the tally was a little more comfortable for the homeside. The home crowd had a stressful final quarter to deal with though, as Farrell reduced the deficit to a mere 2 points.

The rain began to pour and the situation worsened for the Chiefs, who lost Chris Whitehead to the sin bin in the 60th minute. Fortunately for the Chiefs fans, who could barely look as Farrell teed up, the England kicker missed his shot and his chance to snatch the game.

 Sarries had one final burst but the Exeter defence stood strong, allowing the clock to tick down and holding on to this important win.

15 Luke Arscott 14 Phil Dollman 13 Ian Whitten 12 Sireli Naqelevuki 11 Matt Jess 10 Ignacio Mieres 9 Haydn Thomas 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Carl Rimmer 4 Tom Hayes (C) 5 James Hanks 6 James Phillips 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter BENCH: 16 Simon Alcott 17 Ben Moon 18 Chris Budgen 19 Aly Muldowney 20 Ben White 21 Will Chudley 22 Gareth Steenson 23 Jack Nowell

SCORERS T: Naqelevuki P: Mieres (3) Chris Whitehead

15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Duncan Taylor 12 Brad Barritt 11 James Short 10 Owen Farrell 9 Neil de Kock 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Jamie George 3 Carlos Nieto 4 Alastair Hargreaves 5 Mouritz Botha 6 Kelly Brown (C) 7 Will Fraser 8 Jackson Wray BENCH: 16 Schalk Brits 17 Rhys Gill 18 Matt Stevens 19 Steve Borthwick 20 Ernst Joubert 21 Richard Wigglesworth 22 Charlie Hodgson 23 Joel Tomkins

SCORERS P: Farrell (3) Kelly Brown, Chris Ashton

 

 

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BATH RUGBY 14 - 18 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

RECREATION GROUND - Friday 14th September 2012
KO: 19:45 HT: 8-12 Att: 10,462

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS narrowly beat off Bath Rugby to claim victory at the Rec. The homeside’s Simon Taylor arrived at the Rec after witnessing the birth of his second child just two hours before, which must have made it difficult to focus on the task ahead!

Bath found themselves with a very early lead as a well-timed grubber was collected by Nick Abendanon for a touchdown within 2 minutes of kick-off. Olly Barkley missed the conversion but Stephen Myler made no such mistake with his first shot at goal, cutting the deficit to 2 points. Barkley soon got his eye in though, adding one of his own to restore the score.

However, Northampton grew in strength and began to push on the homeside’s defence. Bath were lacking discipline and paid the price heavily, handing over three penalties for Myler to slot. After such a strong start to the half, it was disappointing to see the homeside slip behind their opponents due to silly mistakes, especially when Michael Claassens was penalised for dissent. However, the visitors had shown more threat in the closing stages of the half and deserved to take a lead of 8-12 at the break. Barkley tried to close the gap but hit the woodwork with his attempt just before the interval.

Myler continued to rack up the points, increasing the visitor’s advantage with another 3-pointer after the restart. However, Barkley was swiftly given another chance at the posts and made amends by slotting the penalty. The fly half set up an exciting final quarter as he added a further 3 points to leave Bath just 1 point adrift.

The visitors felt some pressure from their opponents as they surged forward to try and steal the lead. The Saints were lucky to see another shot from Barkley fall short, which he was left ruing as Northampton charged down one of his clearances and sealed the win with a Tom May drop goal.

Bath did not lie down though with Abendanon making a searing run downfield, only to be halted just out of reach of the tryline. Barkley found himself unmarked and made a run but instead of offloading to awaiting hands inside, chose to kick and the opportunity was lost. Homeside fans were left frustrated and unsatisfied after being offered hope in the final minutes, being left with a losing bonus point as consolation.

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Kyle Eastmond 13 Dan Hipkiss 12 Ben Williams 11 Tom Biggs 10 Olly Barkley 9 Michael Claassens 1 Paul James 2 Lee Mears 3 David Wilson 4 Stuart Hooper (C) 5 Dominic Day 6 Simon Taylor 7 Carl Fearns 8 Ben Skirving BENCH: 16 Ross Batty 17 Nathan Catt 18 Anthony Perenise 19 Dave Attwood 20 Josh Ovens 21 Mark McMillan 22 Ollie Devoto 23 Jack Cuthbert

SCORERS T: Abendanon P: Barkley (3)

15 Ben Foden 14 Ken Pisi 13 Dom Waldouck 12 Luther Burrell 11 Vasily Artemyev 10 Stephen Myler 9 Lee Dickson 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Dylan Hartley (C) 3 Tom Mercey 4 Samu Manoa 5 Christian Day 6 Phil Dowson 7 Tom Wood 8 Rhys Oakley BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Alex Waller 18 Paul Doran Jones 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Courtney Lawes 21 Martin Roberts 22 Ryan Lamb 23 Tom May

SCORERS P: Myler (5) DG: May

 

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WORCESTER WARRIORS 16 - 16 GLOUCESTER

SIXWAYS - Saturday 15th September 2012
KO: 13:30  HT: 3-6 Att: 8,717

NEITHER Worcester Warriors nor Gloucester Rugby could pull away from their opponents, leaving the sides to put up with a draw as Freddie Burns slotted a last-minute penalty to equalise.

The visitors drew first blood as Billy Twelvetrees smacked over a long-range penalty to get Gloucester on the scoreboard. However, Worcester were the stronger side in attack and grew in confidence as Andy Goode levelled the tallies soon after. His next attempt was not on target though, narrowly missing the posts to leave lead evading Worcester. Twelvetrees had no such problems, slotting one of his own straight after to put the visitors in front again.

The boot was the call of the day, with both sides trying to outdo each other in a game of kicking tennis, whilst Goode continued to struggle with his aim at goal. However, the Warriors were pressing on the Gloucester defence and looked to have a try in their grasp as Chris Jones flew towards the whitewash. But they were denied by some stunning tackling from Jonny May which allowed Gloucester to turn over the ball and clear.

The homeside were on the rampage now, Alex Grove burst through but again was unable to reach the whitewash. Henry Trinder intercepted to save his side from further pressure but it was clear that Gloucester had been handed a lucky escape from what should have been their deficit instead of a 3-6 lead at the break. Trinder was tackled off the ball by Goode who was subsequently sent to the sin bin, meanwhile Gloucester missed out on a score just before the whistle as James Simpson-Daniel fumbled instead of planting the ball.

The Warriors were soon back square with their opponents after the restart as Joe Carlisle took over kicking duties and slotted his shot. However, the Cherry-and-Whites hit back, defending well before Shane Monahan broke free, shipping the ball to Trinder for a try. Burns added the extras and Worcester were regretting being unable to finish so many chances in the first half.

Worcester continued to attack with force and finally found their way across the whitewash as James Currie caught a brilliant offload from James Percival and crashed over. Carlisle’s conversion drew the teams level once more and it seemed that Worcester had stolen a well-earned victory when Goode chipped over a penalty in the 79th minute. But Burns showed nerves of steel as he teed up in overtime and coolly replied to leave the Warriors wanting. The homeside will be bitterly disappointed that all their hard-work did not yield a win, especially as they are yet to claim anything more than losing bonus points this season.

15 Chris Pennell 14 Nikki Walker 13 Alex Grove 12 Joe Carlisle 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Shaun Perry 1 Matt Mullan 2 Aleki Lutui 3 John Andress 4 James Percival 5 Dean Schofield (C) 6 Chris Jones 7 Sam Betty 8 Matt Kvesic BENCH: 16 Ollie Hayes 17 Ceri Jones 18 James Currie 19 Craig Gillies 20 Semisi Taulava 21 Jonny Arr 22 Josh Matavesi 23 Josh Drauniniu

SCORERS T: Currie C: Carlisle P: Goode (2), Carlisle Andy Goode

15 Jonny May 14 Shane Monahan 13 Henry Trinder 12 Mike Tindall 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Billy Twelvetrees 9 Dan Robson 1 Nick Wood 2 Huia Edmonds 3 Rupert Harden 4 Will James 5 Jim Hamilton (C) 6 Tom Savage 7 Andy Hazell 8 Ben Morgan BENCH:  16 Darren Dawidiuk 17 Dan Murphy 18 Shaun Knight 19 Sione Kalamafoni 20 Akapusi Qera 21 Dave Lewis 22 Freddie Burns 23 Rob Cook

SCORERS T: Trinder C: Burns P: Twelvetrees (2), Burns

 

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HARLEQUINS 37 - 11 SALE SHARKS

TWICKENHAM STOOP - Saturday 15th September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 14-8 Att: 13,432

HARLEQUINS proved to be too much for an overwhelmed and outplayed Sale Sharks side.

It was clear that the visitors were going to struggle from the off, Ugo Monye crossing after only 2 minutes after finding the Sale defence lacking. Nick Evans, who had a truly excellent game, added the extras and laid down the gauntlet for the Sharks. Danny Cipriani cut the margin with a penalty but his efforts to get the Sale attack moving were firmly shutdown by Evans. However, the Shark’s fly-half could not be held off for long and soon set up Richie Vernon for a score. The conversion was missed but the visitors were suddenly in front by a point.

But Harlequins were dominant in open play and set pieces, and used their well-drilled lineout to send Jordan Turner-Hall rocketing over the whitewash. Evans was on target with the extras and Quins had their lead back. The score was not as bad as it could have been for Sale as they headed in at the break down 14-8.

Evans continued to be on superb form, chipping over two more penalties after the interval to increase Quins’ advantage. Cipriani kept the visitors afloat with two of his own whilst Evans replied duly with another. But Sale looked lack-lustre in attack compared to the homeside and it was only a matter of time before their defence could take no more.

It all began to go horribly wrong for the visitors as the match drew into the final 10 minutes. First Mike Brown crashed through the ranks before offloading to George Robson for a touchdown. The fullback then returned to cause more havoc just a few minutes later, this time seeing himself across the tryline to polish off scoring and securing another bonus point. This last flurry left the Sharks looking shabby and weak; their tackles were poor and their attention at breakdowns even worse. Harlequins strolled away with an easy win and Sale sustained their poor form, which has blighted them in these opening weeks of the season.

15 Mike Brown 14 Tom Williams 13 George Lowe 12 Jordan Turner-Hall 11 Ugo Monye 10 Nick Evans 9 Danny Care 1 Joe Marler 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Charlie Matthews 5 George Robson 6 Tom Guest 7 Chris Robshaw (C) 8 Nick Easter BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Darryl Marfo 18 Will Collier 19 Peter Browne 20 Maurie Fa’asavalu 21 Karl Dickson 22 Rory Clegg 23 Matt Hopper

SCORERS T: Monye, Turner-Hall, Robson, Brown C: Evans (4) P: Evans (3)

15 Rob Miller 14 Tom Brady 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Mark Cueto 10 Danny Cipriani 9 Dwayne Peel 1 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 2 Joe Ward 3 Vadim Cobilas 4 Richie Gray 5 Kearnan Myall 6 James Gaskell 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Richie Vernon BENCH: 16 Tommy Taylor 17 Alasdair Dickinson 18 Henry Thomas 19 Fraser McKenzie 20 Mark Easter 21 Will Cliff 22 Nick Macleod 23 Mark Jennings

SCORERS T: Vernon P: Cipriani (3)

 

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LONDON WASPS 43 - 14 LONDON IRISH

ADAMS PARK - Saturday 15th September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 9-11 Att: 5,612

LONDON WASPS made the most of a dismal second half by London Irish side at Adams Park to bag their first win of the season with a bonus point to boot.

The homeside were quick off the mark with Stephen Jones slotting an early penalty. Steve Shingler managed to move the Exiles into a good attacking position with some excellent kicking, but Irish were unable to put together anything substantial from it. However, the visitors did come close eventually, with Tom Homer producing some flowing play, only for Ofisa Treviranus to knock on at the last. But the moment was not completely wasted as Irish showed their strength in the scrum to earn a penalty, Shingler finding his mark to equalise.

The Exiles were now in the swing of the match and it was not long until Marland Yarde streaked down the pitch to plant the ball over the whitewash. But Wasps were on building up momentum, Tom Varndell finishing some excellent sweeping play only to be denied by a forward pass. Jones hauled the homeside into the lead with two 3-pointers but Shingler whacked over one of his own to leave the homeside 9-11 down at half time.

The second half was where it all fell apart awfully for the visitors, where their defence simply evaporated. Jones regained the Wasps’ one point advantage with another penalty 60 seconds after the restart. 5 minutes later Varndell bulldozed his way through Tom Homer’s attempt at a tackle to touchdown in the corner to extend the homeside’s lead, Jones converted.

Shingler kept the Exiles’ score ticking with another penalty from a weak Wasps scrum. This was not enough to stop Wasps from rampaging though, Joe Simpson storming over for a converted try in the 66th minute.

As the clock ticked down the visitors simply gave up. Jones added another 3 points before Taulafo made his way over the whitewash, finding little to obstruct him with 1 minute left of play. Play carried on after time ran out and it was just enough for Varndell to dart over for his second to cap off a firm thrashing of the Exiles. Supporters will be more than disheartened by the performance of Irish so far this season; this game showing they have potential but not the staying power.

15 Hugo Southwell (C) 14 Tom Varndell 13 Elliot Daly 12 Andrea Masi 11 Christian Wade 10 Stephen Jones 9 Joe Simpson 1 Tim Payne 2 Thomas Rhys Thomas 3 Fabio Staibano 4 Tom Palmer 5 Marco Wentzel 6 Joe Launchbury 7 Jonathan Poff 8 Ashley Johnson BENCH:  16 Tom Lindsay 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Zak Taulafo 19 James Haskell 20 Billy Vunipola 21 Charlie Davies 22 Nick Robinson 23 Tommy Bell 

SCORERS T: Varndell (2), Simpson, Taulafo C: Jones (4) P: Jones (5)

15 Tom Homer 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Sailosi Tagicakibau 11 Marland Yarde 10 Steve Shingler 9 Tomás O’Leary 1 Max Lahiff 2 Scott Lawson 3 Leo Halavatau 4 George Skivington 5 Bryn Evans 6 Declan Danaher (C) 7 Ofisa Treviranus 8 Jon Fisher BENCH: 16 Brian Blaney 17 Halani ‘Aulika 18 John Ryan 19 Kieran Low 20 Alex Gray 21 Anthony Watson 22 Shane Geraghty 23 Jack Moates

SCORERS T: Yarde P: Shingler (3)

 

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SARACENS 9 - 9 LEICESTER TIGERS

WEMBLEY STADIUM - Saturday 15th September 2012
KO: 15:30 HT: 3-9 Att: 41,063

SARACENS could not find the extra spark needed to close out Leicester Tigers, Owen Farrell missing 5 penalties before being replaced at Wembley Stadium.

Leicester began with purpose, Toby Flood snatching two early 3-pointers to give the visitors plenty to build on. Sarries were pushed back into their own half for a long period and struggled to find their feet. The Tigers’ captain, Geordan Murphy, was forced to leave the field due to injury, which was a big blow for his side. However, the inaccurate boot of Farrell, who has just returned from injury, left Saracens floundering instead of getting on the scoreboard. Mouritz Botha was called offside and Flood duly added another penalty but, unbelievably, this would be the last points Leicester could pick up.

Farrell eventually struck his target and got Sarries’ tally moving and this awoke the homeside, who finished the half with some good rugby that should have earned them more. Leicester’s defence held firm though and the score remained 3-9 at the break.

Farrell was replaced by former Sale Sharks fly half, Charlie Hodgson in the hope that Sarries would accrue some points from the kicking successful penalties. This turned out to be the saving moment for the homeside, as he slotted two 3-pointers in quick succession just before the hour mark.

Both sides made surges into enemy territory but their imagination and handling was just not sharp enough, each too worried about allowing the opposition to slip through to put everything into attack.

Each fly-half had a chance to steal glory in the close minutes but Hodgson’s drop goal was off the mark and Flood’s efforts were equally inaccurate. Supporters were left with nothing more than a draw, this was especially disappointing for Tigers fans, who had seen such potential in the opening stages of the match.

15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Brad Barritt 11 James Short 10 Owen Farrell 9 Neil de Kock 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Schalk Brits 3 Carlos Nieto 4 Steve Borthwick (C) 5 Mouritz Botha 6 Kelly Brown 7 Jackson Wray 8 Ernst Joubert BENCH:  16 John Smit 17 Rhys Gill 18 Petrus du Plessis 19 Alastair Hargreaves 20 Will Fraser 21 Richard Wigglesworth 22 Charlie Hodgson 23 Chris Wyles

SCORERS P: Farrell, Hodgson (2)

15 Geordan Murphy (C) 14 Scott Hamilton 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Anthony Allen 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 Toby Flood 9 Sam Harrison 1 Logovi’i Mulipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Graham Kitchener 5 Geoff Parling 6 Steve Mafi 7 Julian Salvi 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 George Chuter 17 Boris Stankovich 18 Martin Castrogiovanni 19 Rob Andrew 20 Jordan Crane 21 Pat Phibbs 22 George Ford 23 Matt Smith

SCORERS P: Flood (3)

 

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LONDON WELSH 25 - 24 EXETER CHIEFS

KASSAM STADIUM - Sunday 16th September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 15-14 Att: 3,150

LONDON WELSH picked up their first win of the Premiership, fending off Exeter Chiefs until the bitter end.

The Chiefs got off with a bang, Luke Arscott -pitted against his brother Tom as opposing full backs- swiping an early try in the corner after some fluid passing. Ignacio Mieres made the tricky conversion look easy and the visitors were off the mark impressively. This confident play continued as Sireli Naqelevuki broke free and shipped the ball to Matt Jess to finish the move over the whitewash. Once again Mieres was on target with the extras and the Chiefs were having a dream start.

But Welsh used their muscle to reduce the deficit, driving deep into the visitors’ 22 with a maul, which was pulled down illegally and yielded a penalty try. Soon after, Nick Scott intercepted a loose pass and stormed down most of the pitch to touchdown. Gordon Ross was unable to make the conversion stick but managed a penalty just before the interval to scrape the homeside in front, 15-14.

Exeter were strong again at the restart, bursting into Welsh territory and applying pressure. It took all of 10 minutes for Richard Baxter to heave himself over the tryline from close range after several phases. Mieres added the extras before Ross responded with a penalty to reduce the margin.

Mieres was exchanged for Gareth Steenson, who cancelled the 3-pointer out with one of his own. The Chiefs were in a good position to claim a triumph but their defence faltered in the final minutes, allowing the homeside to build intense pressure. Eventually the attack took its toll on the visitors and with 2 minutes left, Alfie To’oala battled his way through to touchdown. Seb Jewell, who had taken over kicking duties, held his nerve to slot the conversion and hand Welsh a one point win.

Welsh fans were elated to see their side finally fight their way to a positive result after a tough couple of weeks. This can only increase Welsh’s self-belief and will spur them on to bring their best game to next week’s away fixture against Sale Sharks.

15 Tom Arscott 14 Phil MacKenzie 13 Sonny Parker 12 Hudson Tonga’uiha 11 Nick Scott 10 Gordon Ross 9 Tyson Keats 1 Frank Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Paulica Ion 4 Jonathan Mills (C) 5 Matt Corker 6 Daniel Browne 7 Mike Denbee 8 Ed Jackson BENCH: 16 Dan George 17 Tom Bristow 18 Arthur Joly 19 Kirill Kulemin 20 Alfie To’oala 21 Jonah Holmes 22 James Lewis 23 Seb Jewell

SCORERS T: Penalty Try, Scott, To’oala C: Ross, Jewell P: Ross (2)

15 Luke Arscott 14 Ian Whitten 13 Ian Whitten 12 Phil Dollman 11 Matt Jess 10 Ignacio Mieres 9 Will Chudley 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Craig Mitchell 4 Tom Hayes (C) 5 James Hanks 6 Tom Johnson 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter BENCH: 16 Simon Alcott 17 Ben Moon 18 Carl Rimmer 19 Aly Muldowney 20 James Phillips 21 Kevin Barrett 22 Gareth Steenson 23 Jack Nowell

SCORERS T: Arscott, Jess, Baxter C: Mieres (3) P: Steenson

 

 

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HARLEQUINS 40 - 3 LONDON WELSH

TWICKENHAM STOOP - Friday 7th September 2012
KO: 19:45  HT: 21-3 Att: 12,550

HARLEQUINS made swift work of a feeble London Welsh side, dominating play from the off and showing the newcomers of the Premiership how tough the competition truly is. The homeside made their purpose known with George Lowe and Jordan Turner-Hall combining to cause havoc in the opening moments.  Within 4 minutes the Quins had broken free, George Robson storming over the tryline to open scoring. Nick Evans added the extras and it was clear that Welsh were going to struggle.

Soon Ugo Monye was following suit, outdoing the defence on the wing and flying through for the touchdown. Welsh were not only flustered by being out played but also ill-disciplined, making it all too easy for the referee to penalise them at rucks and set pieces. The visitors finally grabbed some points thanks to a Gordon Ross 3-pointer. However, this was to be the only time Welsh would pick up points, whereas Quins swooped in again to top up their tally. Monye rocketed through the ranks to steal his second converted try on the 24th minute and the homeside held a 21-3 lead at the break.

The situation only worsened for the Welsh after the interval, Paulica Ion being sent marching to the sin bin, leaving his team to batten down for a tough 10 minutes. The visitors barely survived, conceding another try to Robson just as Ion returned to the field; Evans duly slotted the extras.

With the bonus point in the bag both sides emptied their benches, but it made no difference to proceedings. The Quins were showing just how easy it was to evade the Welsh defence, who were scrambling to gain a foothold on the game. George Lowe added to the woes of the visitors, finishing some great play by Mike Brown. Once again Welsh lost a man to the bin as Tom Arscott made a dangerous tackle with just 5 minutes left to play.

Ben Botica had the last word, scoring his first try for Quins to finish off scoring and put the final nail in the coffin. The whistle sounded and a dejected Welsh were left in tatters, this had been a master class from last season’s champions.

15 Mike Brown 14 Tom Williams 13 George Lowe 12 Jordan Turner-Hall 11 Ugo Monye 10 Nick Evans 9 Karl Dickson 1 Joe Marler 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Maurie Fa’asavalu 7 Chris Robshaw (C) 8 Tom Guest BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Darryl 18 Kyle Sinckler 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Nick Easter 21 Danny Care 22 Ben Botica 23 Matt Hopper

SCORERS Harlequins T: Robson (2), Monye (2), Lowe, Botica C: Evans (5)

15 Tom Arscott 14 Phil MacKenzie 13 Sonny Parker 12 Hudson Tonga’uiha 11 Joe Ajuwa 10 Gordon Ross 9 Tyson Keats 1 Frank Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Paulica Ion 4 Jonathan Mills (C) 5 Matt Corker 6 Daniel Browne 7 Mike Denbee 8 Ed Jackson BENCH: 16 Dan George 17 Tom Bristow 18 Arthur Joly 19 Kirill Kulemin 20 Alfie To’oala 21 Nick Runciman 22 Seb Jewell 23 Nick Scott

SCORERS P: Ross Ion, Arscott

 

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BATH RUGBY 30 - 23 LONDON WASPS

RECREATION GROUND - Saturday 8th September 2012
KO: 14:15 HT: 10-6 Att: 10,438

LONDON WASPS could only manage a losing bonus point against a confident Bath Rugby side at the Rec. But despite the win, Bath ended the match with yet another serious injury worry as England centre Matt Banahan was forced off near the end of the match and left The Rec in a brace.

Bath drew first blood after Dominic Day was taken in the air in the lineout, allowing Olly Barkley to slot a penalty. The homeside were quick on their feet and made some piercing runs but had trouble keeping the ball in hand. Kyle Eastmond showed off some of the skills he had picked up in rugby league, swerving tackles and racing towards the tryline, causing havoc for the defence.

Wasps had a chance to level the scores but the usually reliable Nick Robinson missed his target. He made no mistake with his next 3-pointer though, making the tally even in the 17th minute. Both sides struggled with handling in the first half and made numerous fumbles, but Bath were the stronger side and eventually broke through. Matt Banahan proved too much for the visitors’ defence, steamrolling his way over the whitewash, and Barkley converted. The fly-half had plenty on his hands, working hard not just from the kicking tee but in open play, making an impressive try-saving tackle on Christian Wade to save his side’s lead. But Wasps did pick up some more points before half-time, Robinson adding another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 10-6 at the interval.

The homeside had a dream restart, firstly with Barkley chipping over a further penalty and then Tom Biggs swiftly following up with a try, taking advantage of some confusion amongst the Wasps’ ranks. The visitors responded rapidly though, Marco Wentzel producing a stunning chip that landed perfectly for Tom Varndell to touch down. Robinson made the tricky conversion look easy and Wasps were still in the game.

But the threat of Bath did not fade, Carl Fearns nearly finding the tryline but unfortunately offloading forward to Michael Claassens to halt the opportunity. But eventually, Bath claimed their third try; Eastmond finished his excellent match in the best way possible. Wriggling past five defenders the winger thrilled the crowds and planted the ball between the posts.

Wade had looked sharp all game though, and finally the winger flew through to dot down, keeping Wasps within reaching distance of the losing bonus. The homeside tried to cruelly snatch this from their opponents, Barkley landing a last-minute penalty, but Robinson just had time to reply with one of his own to cling on to the precious point.

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Kyle Eastmond 13 Dan Hipkiss 12 Matt Banahan 11 Tom Biggs 10 Olly Barkley 9 Michael Claassens 1 Nathan Catt 2 Lee Mears 3 David Wilson 4 Stuart Hooper (C) 5 Dominic Day 6 Simon Taylor 7 Carl Fearns 8 Ben Skirving BENCH: 16 Ross Batty 17 Paul James 18 Kane Palma-Newport 19 Dave Attwood 20 Josh Ovens 21 Mark McMillan 22 Ollie Devoto 23 Jack Cuthbert

SCORERS T: Banahan, Biggs, Eastmond C: Barkley (3) P: Barkley (3)

15 Hugo Southwell (C) 14 Tom Varndell 13 Elliot Daly 12 Chris Bell 11 Christian Wade 10 Nick Robinson 9 Joe Simpson 1 Tim Payne 2 Tom Lindsay 3 Fabio Staibano 4 Tom Palmer 5 Marco Wentzel 6 James Haskell 7 Jonathan Poff 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH:  16 Thomas Rys Thomas 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Zak Taulafo 19 Joe Launchbury 20 Ashley Johnson 21 Charlie Davies 22 Tommy Bell 23 Chris Mayor 

SCORERS T: Varndell, Wade C: Robinson (2) P: Robinson (3)

 

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LEICESTER TIGERS 34 - 26 WORCESTER

WELFORD ROAD - Saturday 8th September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 17-9 Att: 19,250

WORCESTER WARRIORS do not quite have enough to beat off Leicester Tigers, despite a brave performance at Welford Road.

The homeside wasted no time in collecting early points, Manusamoa Tuilagi thundering over within a minute of kick-off. The Tigers produced some beautiful open play to see the centre over the whitewash and Toby Flood added the tricky conversion.

Worcester responded well, Andy Goode slotting a penalty to get their scoreboard ticking, but Tuilagi was soon causing upset again. He powered his way through the defensive line to finish a brilliant break from Vereniki Goneva. The visitors simply could not handle the combination of strength and pace being thrown at them and scrabbled to maintain control of their ranks. Although the Warriors were clearly having trouble, Goode kept their tally moving, adding two further penalties.

Flood had several shots at goal but only manage to hit his target once, leaving the score 17-9 at half-time. The Warriors trooped into the changing rooms not just with a deficit but a man down too, Chris Pennell picking up a yellow just before the whistle.

At the restart Leicester made the most of their extra man, Goneva darting through and dotting down to increase the margin. However, Worcester picked up play and made the most of a loose pass by their opponents to see David Lemi storm in for a touchdown. Goode added the extras and the scoreline was no longer looking so bad to Warriors’ fans. This shook up the Tigers, who began to falter and hand over possession with silly mistakes.

Although Shaun Perry left the Warriors back with 14 men, being sent to the sin bin in the 52nd minute, the Warriors certainly looked more menacing. However, the homeside piled on the pressure to squeeze out a penalty try from a series of scrums to seal the try bonus point. Graham Kitchener took his chance with 6 minutes left to end scoring for the Tigers and close down chances of a losing bonus for Warriors. The visitors did not lie down though, and gained a much-deserved consolatory try by Alex Grove on the stroke of time, which Goode converted to call an end to this battle.

15 Geordan Murphy (C) 14 Scott Hamilton 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Anthony Allen 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 Toby Flood 9 Sam Harrison 1 Boris Stankovich 2 Tom Youngs 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 4 Graham Kitchener 5 Geoff Parling 6 Steve Mafi 7 Julian Salvi 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 Rob Hawkins 17 Logovi’i Mulipola 18 Dan Cole 19 Rob Andrew 20 Jordan Crane 21 Pat Phibbs 22 George Ford 23 Matt Smith

SCORERS T: Tuilagi (2), Goneva, Penalty Try, Kitchener C: Flood (3) P: Flood

15 Chris Pennell 14 Josh Drauniniu 13 Alex Grove 12 Josh Matavesi 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Shaun Perry 1 Matt Mullan 2 Aleki Lutui 3 John Andress 4 James Percival 5 Dean Schofield (C) 6 Chris Jones 7 Sam Betty 8 Semisi Taulava BENCH: 16 Ollie Hayes 17 Ceri Jones 18 James Currie 19 Craig Gillies 20 Matt Kvesic 21 Jonny Arr 22 Joe Carlisle 23 Ben Howard

SCORERS T: Lemi, Grove C: Goode (2) P: Goode (4) Chris Pennell, Shaun Perry

 

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LONDON IRISH 31 - 40 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

MADEJSKI STADIUM - Saturday 8th September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 14-16 Att: 5,828

A late burst saw Gloucester Rugby just pip London Irish to the win at the Madejski Stadium, Freddie Burns’ kicking clocking up impressive points.

Steve Shingler got Irish off the mark with a quick penalty after just 3 minutes, but Burns responded with one of his own as both sides looked for gaps to sneak through. Eventually the homeside began to pull away from their opposition, Shingler adding another 3-pointer before Topsy Ojo raced over for a try, finishing some excellent open play by the Exiles. Shingler missed the conversion but Burns’ boot had no such problems, striking true two more times to keep his sides tally increasing. Shingler did manage to find his target with his next shot but Gloucester were in the mood for a try and Ben Morgan provided just that before half-time. Morgan thundered over the whitewash and Burns duly added the extras to hand the visitors a 14-16 lead at the whistle.

The second half began well for Gloucester, Burns adding further to his personal points haul with another perfect goal. However, the situation soon turned sour, Irish turning up the heat and finding Gloucester’s defence wanting.

Halani ‘Aulika was first to crash through the visitor’s ranks, pulling his side level with Gloucester. Shingler slotted the extras and clawed the Exiles into the lead, but it did not last long. Burns, pin-point accurate as always, teed up to give Gloucester a one point advantage. Irish did not back down though, and took only 3 more minutes to find the tryline again; this time Tomás O’Leary the one to defeat the defence. Shingler converted and the gauntlet was laid down for the visitors. Burns was happy to take up the challenge, slotting two more 3-pointers to draw his side level once more.

It seemed that Shingler had stolen the match with his final penalty in the 68th minute, but the Cherry-and-Whites had a couple more tricks up their sleeve. Gloucester pulled together for one last push and some stunning work saw James Simpson-Daniel over the whitewash to grab the lead. Just to rub salt in the wound, Akapusi Qera planted the ball with only 5 minutes to go, confirming the win for an unshakable Gloucester team.

15 Tom Homer 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Sailosi Tagicakibau 11 Marland Yarde 10 Steve Shingler 9 Tomás O’Leary 1 Max Lahiff 2 Scott Lawson 3 Leo Halavatau 4 George Skivington 5 Bryn Evans 6 Declan Danaher (C) 7 Ofisa Treviranus 8 Jon Fisher BENCH: 16 Brian Blaney 17 Halani ‘Aulika 18 John Ryan 19 Kieran Low 20 Alex Gray 21 Anthony Watson 22 Shane Geraghty 23 Jack Moates

SCORERS T: Ojo, ‘Aulika, O’Leary C: Shingler (2) P: Shingler (4)

15 Jonny May 14 Charlie Sharples 13 Henry Trinder 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Freddie Burns 9 Dan Robson 1 Nick Wood 2 Darren Dawidiuk 3 Shaun Knight 4 Will James 5 Jim Hamilton (C) 6 Tom Savage 7 Andy Hazell 8 Ben Morgan BENCH: 16 Huia Edmonds 17 Dan Murphy 18 Rupert Harden 19 Sione Kalamafoni 20 Akapusi Qera 21 Dave Lewis 22 Mike Tindall 23 Martyn Thomas

SCORERS T: Morgan, Simpson-Daniel, Qera C: Burns (2) P: Burns (7)

 

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SALE SHARKS 16 - 23 SARACENS

SALFORD CITY STADIUM - Saturday 8th September 2012
KO: 16:30 HT: 9-12 Att: 7,451

SALE SHARKS made a marked improvement on last week’s performance but it was not enough to stop Saracens.

Danny Cipriani got the Sharks off to a good start with an early penalty but Charlie Hodgson soon surpassed his efforts. Saracens made some menacing runs into Sale territory and this gave Hodgson plenty of chance to slot further 3-pointers and pull his side into a comfortable lead. This advantage should have been extended by Brad Barritt, who unfortunately knocked on whilst crossing the tryline and thus was left wanting. The Saracens were unlucky to not have picked up a touchdown in the first half and, although Cipriani hauled the Sharks to just a 3 point deficit, it was clear that the visitors were in control. The half ended with a 9-12 score but all expected this to shoot up in the Sarries’ favour come the restart.

However, after the interval Sale returned with determination, quickly swinging the score to their benefit with a wonderful running try from Will Addison, who ran most of the pitch to plant the ball.  The conversion added by Cipriani jumped the homeside onto the front foot to 16-12, causing Sarries to empty their bench. This was to be the last points scored by Sale though, unable to break free despite some excellent play.

Hodgson drew the tallies to within a point with another 3-pointer before Chris Ashton crushed the Sharks’ spirit with a final blow to their confidence and a touchdown. From this moment Sale let their heads drop, barely troubling the Sarries, who added another penalty before letting time run down. The Sharks had hoped for better beginnings in their new stadium but at least their attack showed promise and there were definite positives to be taken from their efforts. Saracens gave a solid performance and were rewarded justly.

15 Rob Miller 14 Will Addison 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Mark Cueto 10 Danny Cipriani 9 Dwayne Peel 1 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 2 Joe Ward 3 Vadim Cobilas 4 Richie Gray 5 Kearnan Myall 6 James Gaskell 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Richie Vernon BENCH: 16 Tommy Taylor 17 Alasdair Dickinson 18 Henry Thomas 19 Fraser McKenzie 20 Mark Easter 21 Will Cliff 22 Nick Macleod 23 Corne Uys

SCORERS T: Addison C: Cipriani P: Cipriani (3)

15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Brad Barritt 11 Chris Wyles 10 Charlie Hodgson 9 Richard Wigglesworth 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Schalk Brits 3 Petrus du Plessis 4 Steve Borthwick (C) 5 Mouritz Botha 6 Kelly Brown 7 Will Fraser 8 Ernst Joubert BENCH: 16 Jamie George 17 Jared Saunders 18 Carlos Nieto 19 Alastair Hargreaves 20 Jackson Wray 21 Neil de Kock 22 Owen Farrell 23 James Short

SCORERS T: Ashton P: Hodgson (6)

 

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NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 24 - 21 EXETER

FRANKLIN’S GARDENS - Sunday 9th September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 12-13 Att: 12.230

IN a replay of the penultimate match from last season which saw the Saints take the final play off spot from the West Country side, Exeter Chiefs made a heroic effort but were unable to steal victory from Northampton Saints after another close match.

The homeside made surges into enemy territory from the off and managed to force a penalty. But Ryan Lamb sliced his kick and the ball soared wide to elude early points. Ignacio Mieres could not find the posts either when Exeter were given a chance to draw first blood. However, Northampton were looking far more threatening than their opponents, who were executing simple moves poorly in places, and the Chiefs were forced to make big tackles to halt a couple of close calls. Eventually the pressure told, Ben Foden and Vasily Artemyev combining to streak downfield before finally offloading to an awaiting Christian Day to dot down.

Exeter showed they had plenty of brute strength causing havoc in the scrum, but Mieres was off form and missed the ensuing penalty. The visitors were soon further in arrears as the Saints pulled together some smooth passing to see Phil Dowson over in the corner; Lamb added the tricky conversion. However, Exeter picked up their play just before the half-hour mark and, when Josh Tatupu broke down the wing, the Northampton defence were unable to stop his offload to Phil Dollman, who swooped in for the try. Mieres converted whilst fellow kicker Lamb saw a drop goal swerve wide before gifting Mieres a penalty for a high tackle. Mieres was swiftly teeing up again as Gerritt-Jan Van Velze tackled late and was shown a yellow for the foul. The 3 points gained handed Exeter a narrow 12-13 lead at the break, but it was clear that the Chiefs would have to work hard come the restart.

The Chiefs did not use their extra man to full advantage after the break and the 10 minutes of sin bin slipped by without more points being added. They then took a blow as Tatupu was stretchered off the field, although the moment was lightened by Mieres knocking through another penalty. However, Exeter’s defence now started to tire and it was not long before Luther Burrell stormed through the ranks to touchdown a converted try, regaining the lead for the Saints.

This was the beginning of the end for Exeter, Dylan Hartley soon finding his way through their lines to seal the bonus point for the homeside. The last minutes were soured for Northampton as Rhys Oakley was shown a yellow for a thoughtless trip and this gave Exeter a chance to grab a consolatory try, provided by Matt Jess. This left the visitors with a losing bonus point, which to be honest, they were fairly lucky to clinch.

15 Ben Foden 14 Ken Pisi 13 George Pisi 12 Dom Waldouck 11 Vasily Artemyev 10 Ryan Lamb 9 Lee Dickson 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Dylan Hartley (C) 3 Brian Mujati 4 Samu Manoa 5 Christian Day 6 Phil Dowson 7 Tom Wood 8 GJ Van Velze BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Alex Waller 18 Tom Mercey 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Rhys Oakley 21 Martin Roberts 22 Stephen Myler 23 Luther Burrell

SCORERS T: Day, Dowson, Burrell, Hartley C: Lamb, Myler Gerrit-Jan Van Velze, Rhys Oakley

15 Luke Arscott 14 Josh Tatupu 13 Ian Whitten 12 Phil Dollman 11 Matt Jess 10 Ignacio Mieres 9 Will Chudley 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Craig Mitchell 4 Tom Hayes (C) 5 Aly Muldowney 6 Tom Johnson 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter BENCH: 16 Simon Alcott 17 Ben Moon 18 Chris Budgen 19 James Hanks 20 James Phillips 21 Kevin Barrett 22 Gareth Steenson 23 Sireli Naqelevuki

SCORERS T: Dollman, Jess C: Mieres P: Mieres (3)

 

 

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LONDON WASPS 40 - 42 HARLEQUINS

TWICKENHAM - Saturday 01 September 2012
KO: 14:00 HT: 28-13 Att: 63,102

THE Aviva Premiership began with a bang as the first match of the London Double Header saw Harlequins make an astounding second half comeback to narrowly beat London Wasps. The sides produced a thrilling performance that entertained the crowds at Twickenham Stadium to the last.

Wasps had a truly dismal time last season but, if this match is anything to go by, they have made huge improvements and are ready to make amends. Wasps entered the match as underdogs but dispelled this label swiftly with a try from Christian Wade within 3 minutes. Wade was a key player for his side, scoring and creating plenty of opportunities too; the winger caused problems for Quins throughout. Nick Robinson slotted the conversion and Wasps looked extremely confident.

Quins, however, did not have their head in the game, giving away penalties in quick succession at the breakdown. Robinson took the chance to extend the lead with a couple of 3-pointers before Tom Varndell finished a break from Wade for further rewards; Wade showed great team spirit as he sprinted through but, instead of grounding the ball himself, passed to Varndell. And the Wasps’ advantage swelled further as Robinson found his mark once more.

Up until this point Quins had looked a strange combination of frantic and lethargic, coming in thoughtlessly in rucks and showing little imagination in open play. However, they finally gained some good possession and reaped the rewards as Tom Williams flew over for an easy try, which Nick Evans converted. But this did not break Wasps’ stride, they were soon increasing the margin again as another penalty was chipped through and then Wade stormed over for his second try.

Quins grabbed two more 3-pointers to keep their tally ticking over but Wasps were on the hunt for one final touchdown before the break. They thought they had achieved this in the final seconds but the TMO was called on to assess a pass before the try, in alignment with the new regulations, and this was deemed forward. This left the score at 28-13 and the players trooped down the tunnel. Quins had a huge amount of work to do after the interval.

At the restart Quins showed improvement, holding off pressure for Wasps with greater ability. However, Wasps were determined and Marco Wentzel eventually bulldozed his way over the tryline. He was swiftly followed by Tim Payne, whose score was confirmed by the TMO and, as Robinson added the extras, a Quins recovery seemed impossible.

However, suddenly the Quins awoke. After sitting back and watching Wasps roar off into the distance, they found focus and honed in for the kill. Tom Guest was the first in a flurry of players to find the tryline, showing that Quins were back in the game. Mike Brown finished off some excellent play from Quins by charging down an attempted clearing kick and touching down. Evans could not make the tricky conversion but it was evident that Quins meant business. It took Brown all of 4 minutes to add his second try, collecting a beautiful kick to leap over the tryline. Evans slotted the extras before finding his own way through the now struggling Wasps defence for a converted touchdown, leaving the score at a nail-biting singular point difference.

With just 3 minutes to go it fell to Evans to make the most important kick of the match. After an astonishing turn-around from Quins, all eyes were on the calm, cool Evans as he teed up his penalty kick. The ball soared through the air and between the posts as the Quins fans erupted with joy. From the jaws of defeat their team had produced some excellent rugby and Wasps were left lamenting on what might have been. The match was nothing short of extraordinary and will certainly be remembered as the season continues. What a way to start!

15 Hugo Southwell (c) 14 Christian Wade 13 Elliot Daly 12 Andrea Masi 11 Tom Varndell 10 Nick Robinson 9 Joe Simpson1 Tim Payne 2 Tom Lindsay 3 Fabio Staibano 4 Marco Wentzel 5 Joe Launchbury 6 James Haskell 7 Jonathan Poff 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH: 16 T Rhys Thomas 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Zak Taulafo 19 Tom Palmer 20 Ashley Johnson 21 Nic Berry 22 Tommy Bell 23 Chris Mayor

SCORERS T: Wade (2), Varndell, Wentzel, Payne C: Robinson (3) P: Robinson (3)

15 Mike Brown 14 Tom Williams 13 Matt Hopper 12 Jordan Turner-Hall 11 George Lowe 10 Nick Evans 9 Danny Care 1 Joe Marler 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Olly Kohn 5 George Robson 6 Maurie Fa’asavalu 7 Chris Robshaw (c) 8 Nick Easter BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Mark Lambert 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Tom Guest 21 Karl Dickson 22 Ben Botica 23 Ross Chisholm

SCORERS T: Williams, Guest, Brown (2), Evans C: Evans (4) P: Evans (3)

 

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EXETER CHIEFS 43 - 6 SALE SHARKS

SANDY PARK - Saturday 01 September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 14-3 Att: 5,568

EXETER CHIEFS gave Sale Sharks a rather shocking start to the season, leaving them for dust at Sandy Park. The visitors simply could not match Chiefs in open play or set pieces and were punished heavily for it. Josh Tatupu showed his class as a player, producing a stand out performance that left Sale reeling whenever he gained possession. The homeside were tenacious and imaginative, causing havoc for the Sale defence at every opportunity.

Although Exeter dominated from the off, it took them 12 minutes before the scoreboard began to tick, Ignacio Mieres slotting a long-range penalty comfortably to collect 3 points. It was only 4 minutes wait before the fly-half was increasing the margin, this time dashing over the tryline to finish a Tatupu break. It was already clear that Sale were out of their depth, throwing terrible lineouts and scrabbling to defend. Mieres kept the points coming with another penalty but he was answered this time, with Nick Macleod knocking one over after Exeter infringed at the scrum.

England’s prodigal son, Danny Cipriani took to the field and Sharks fans hoped the situation would brighten but, alas, the Chiefs did not bat an eyelid. Mieres added a final 3-pointer before the break to leave the score 14-3. However, both Chris Whitehead and Jason Shoemark missed out on clear chances to break over the tryline. The Sharks were lucky to have kept the deficit at just 11 points. 

The visitors made no improvement after the break and Exeter took full advantage, Aly Muldowney finishing some excellent lineout work from Richard Baxter. Mieres added the extras and all was going extremely well for the homeside. Sale provided little danger, Macleod chipping over another penalty that barely made a dent in the scoreline.

Exeter were on the rampage again, Jason Shoemark breaking ranks before offloading to an awaiting Matt Jess, who grounded the ball. Tatupu got his hands on the ball and began a whirlwind of problems for Sale before finding Tom Johnson, who ran over to grab the bonus point try that Exeter rightly deserved. Mieres’ shot at goal ricocheted off the woodwork but it made little difference, the Sharks had lost all hope of recovery. Feeling battered and bruised Sale could only watch as Exeter executed some lovely passing to see Jess over for his second try.

The final word went to Chris Budgen who found the line through a mass of players to seal the sixth try of the match. Gareth Steenson, who had replaced Mieres, added the extras and the whistle blew. Sale were relieved to see the end of what was a humiliating first game of the season. Meanwhile, Exeter were exultant and could not have asked for a better start.

15 Phil Dollman 14 Josh Tatupu 13 Ian Whitten 12 Jason Shoemark 11 Matt Jess 10 Ignacio Mieres 9 Will Chudley 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Craig Mitchell 4 Tom Hayes (c) 5 Aly Muldowney 6 Tom Johnson 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter 16 Simon Alcott 17 Ben Moon 18 Chris Budgen 19 James Hanks 20 James Phillips 21 Kevin Barrett 22 Gareth Steenson 23 Luke Arscott

SCORERS T: Mieres, Muldowney, Jess (2), Johnson, Budgen C: Mieres, Steenson P: Mieres (3) |

15 Rob Miller 14 Will Addison 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou 11 Corne Uys 10 Nick Macleod 9 Dwayne Peel 1 Eifion Lewis-Roberts 2 Joe Ward 3 Vadim Cobilas 4 Richie Gray 5 Fraser McKenzie 6 James Gaskell 7 David Seymour (c) 8 Andy Powell BENCH: 16 Marc Jones 17 Ross Harrison 18 Tony Buckley 19 Kearnan Myall 20 Richie Vernon 21 Cillian Willis 22 Danny Cipriani 23 Jordan Davies

SCORERS P: Macleod (2)

 

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GLOUCESTER 19 - 24 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

KINGSHOLM - Saturday 01 September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 6-17 Att: 11,817

GLOUCESTER RUGBY squandered their chances and handed Northampton Saints victory with churlish mistakes at Kingsholm.

Gloucester began strongly, with their opponents being scrappier in open play, but failed to make the most of their chances early on. Northampton kept calm and started to build some good phases, before a charge from George Pisi allowed them to draw first blood. The centre was an unstoppable force and Gloucester’s defence simply could not keep control; he cut through and touched down after 17 minutes of play. Ryan Lamb slotted the conversion and Saints grew in confidence.

Gloucester’s play took a turn for the worse as Billy Twelvetrees and Freddie Burns struggling to work well together. Saints made the most of this weakness and Dylan Hartley stormed over the tryline for a converted score. Burns eventually got the Gloucester scoreboard moving with a penalty but Saints were not troubled, opting to head for the corner when given the chance to reply. Burns slotted another 3-pointer before the break but Gloucester handed over an easy shot to Lamb, who punished them duly, leaving it 6-17 at half-time.

However, after the break the homeside returned with renewed vigour and swiftly cut the deficit with by further 3 points. James Simpson-Daniel caused concern for the Saints’ defensive line and Gloucester looked far more threatening. Burns chipped through another penalty and suddenly the Cherry-and-Whites were only 5 points away.

However, some poor decision making allowed Pisi to collect his second try, kicking forward and chasing to secure the touchdown whilst Gloucester scampered backwards. Lamb slotted the extras but then missed a penalty; he was swiftly replaced by Stephen Myler. Burns had the crowd on their feet as he darted towards the tryline but was stopped short. Gloucester piled on the pressure, again Burns sparking the move, as Lee Dickson was forced to make a try-saving tackle on Huia Edmonds.

Gerrit-Jan Van Velze and Paul Doran-Jones were both sent packing to the sin bin and, with only 13 men, it was not long until Saints conceded the penalty try. Burns knocked through the conversion and Gloucester gave a final push to try and snatch a win. But it was not enough, Saints managed to keep hold of the 5 point advantage and Gloucester had to make do with a losing bonus point.

15 Jonny May 14 Charlie Sharples 13 Mike Tindall 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Freddie Burns 9 Dan Robson 1 Nick Wood 2 Darren Dawidiuk 3 Rupert Harden 4 Tom Savage 5 Alex Brown (c) 6 Matt Cox 7 Akapusi Qera 8 Ben Morgan BENCH: 16 Dan Murphy 17 Huia Edmonds 18 Shaun Knight 19 Will James 20 Sione Kalamafoni 21 Dave Lewis 22 Henry Trinder 23 Martyn Thomas 

SCORERS T: Penalty Try C: Burns P: Burns (4)

15 Ben Foden 14 Ken Pisi 13 George Pisi 12 Dom Waldouck 11 Vasily Artemyev 10 Ryan Lamb 9 Lee Dickson 1 Soane Tonga'uiha 2 Dylan Hartley (c) 3 Brian Mujati 4 Samu Manoa 5 Christian Day 6 Phil Dowson 7 Tom Wood 8 Gj Van Velze BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Alex Waller 18 Paul Doran Jones 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Rhys Oakley 21 Martin Roberts 22 Stephen Myler 23 Luther Burrell

SCORERS T: George Pisi, Dickson, Ken Pisi C: Lamb (3) P: Lamb van Velse, Doran-Jones

 

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WORCESTER WARRIORS 23 - 24 BATH RUGBY

SIXWAYS - Saturday 01 September 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 15-6 Att: 7,847

OLLY BARKLEY snatched a win for Bath Rugby as his nerves held at the last kick to deny Worcester Warriors at Sixways. The visitor’s fly-half had a fabulous game; with pin-point accurate kicking and cool collection that saw his side edge their opponents in a tense finale. With referee Luke Pierce showing no mercy at the breakdown, it was no wonder that kicking was of such importance in this match.

Bath handed over early points as they were the first to incur the wrath of Pierce, Andy Goode slotting three penalties in quick succession to give Worcester the lead. Bath struggled to find their rhythm and were careless in the ruck. The points just kept coming for Goode, as he added his fourth penalty after just 15 minutes, and the situation worsened for the visitors as Matt Banahan was sent marching for a deliberate knock-on. The Warriors were unable to make the most of their advantage though and it was not long until further players were asked to leave the field. This time it was both captains, who had decided to have a scuffle, and it was clear that this match was not going to be a pretty one.

After this flurry of yellow cards, Barkley stepped up to slot his first of eight penalties. He swiftly added another but this time it was answered by a 3-pointer from Goode to keep the deficit intact. The homeside had a magnificent spurt from David Lemi, who ran most of the pitch before offloading to Goode, who flew over the tryline. However, the pass was called forward and the try did not stand, ending the half at 15-6.

At the restart, Barkley began to rack up the points smacking over three penalties in quickly to level the score. This is the moment when Barkley began to truly shine; his kicking was perfect. This gave Bath a boost and soon they began to run the ball, testing the Worcester defence. However, the Warriors did not buckle under the pressure, holding off all attacks thrown their way.

Soon Barkley had hauled the visitors into the lead, slotting his sixth penalty at the 65th minute. This was soon swept away though, as James Percival forced his way over the tryline. Unfortunately, Goode missed the conversion, bouncing the ball off the posts. Barkley reclaimed the advantage briefly but Goode soon stole it back and it looked like it was all over for Bath.

Bath, however, did not lie down and in extra time, Barkley was gifted the opportunity to seal a victory for his side. Keeping his nerve the fly-half teed up and let the ball soar over the goal to clinch the match by one point. Worcester were left with nothing more than a losing bonus point for their troubles.

15 Chris Pennell 14 Josh Drauniniu 13 Alex Grove 12 Josh Matavesi 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Shaun Perry 1 Matt Mullan 2 Aleki Lutui 3 John Andress 4 James Percival 5 Dean Schofield (c) 6 Chris Jones 7 Sam Betty 8 Semisi Taulava BENCH: 16 Ollie Hayes 17 Ceri Jones 18 James Currie 19 Craig Gillies 20 Matt Kvesic 21 Jonny Arr 22 Joe Carlisle 23 Ben Howard

SCORERS T: Percival P: Goode (6) Dean Schofield

15 Nick Abendanon 14 Tom Biggs 13 Dan Hipkiss 12 Matt Banahan 11 Kyle Eastmond 10 Olly Barkley 9 Michael Claassens 1 Paul James 2 Lee Mears 3 David Wilson 4 Stuart Hooper ( c ) 5 Dominic Day 6 Carl Fearns 7 Francois Louw 8 Ben Skirving BENCH: 16 Ross Batty 17 Nathan Catt 18 Kane Palma-Newport 19 Dave Attwood 20 Will Skuse 21 Mark McMillan 22 Ollie Devoto 23 Jack Cuthbert

SCORERS P: Barkley (8) Banahan, Hooper

 

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SARACENS 40 - 3 LONDON IRISH

TWICKENHAM - Saturday 01 September 2012
KO: 16:30 HT: 12-3 Att: 63,102

THE second of the London Double Header matches was never going to live up to the excitement of the first, but there was something missing when Saracens thrashed a barely awake London Irish side. The game left the crowd attempting to entertain themselves with Mexican waves at times as a poor defence and weak attack from Irish allowed Saracens to stroll to victory.

Sarries began with menace, Steve Borthwick finding the tryline but denied due to a forward pass, as confirmed by the TMO. The points soon began to clock up though as Charlie Hodgson got the scoreboard going with a penalty. Long before the game was done, the retired England Rugby fly half who came to be known as ‘Charge-down Charlie’ during his brief tenure under Stuart Lancaster, broke Premiership records by becoming the only player to have scored 2,000 points in the tournament.

London Irish looked lack-lustre and they were not helped by Ofisa Treviranus being shown a yellow in the 14th minute. The Samoan showed there was no love lost between these two sides, flying in to tackle without arms. Alex Goode slotted the ensuing penalty but the Sarries could not make the most of their extra man.

New arrival Chris Ashton was soon taking a trip to the sin bin too as he tackled Steve Shingler late, but Tom Homer was unable to find his target to gain the Exiles points. Homer did not appear to have his kicking boots on but, after several attempts, he finally found the posts to grab 3 points. Hodgson had no such problems however, smacking over two more penalties before the half-time whistle and breaking the 2000 points barrier in the process. His efforts left Sarries out in front on 12-3 at the break.

After the interval, Chris Ashton made amends for his mister-meaner in the first half scoring his first try for Sarries. Some excellent open play beat the Irish defence and saw Chris Wyles offload to Ashton who shot over the tryline. Hodgson made no mistake with the conversion and this was the beginning of the end for the Exiles. Ashton was soon causing problems for Irish again as he sliced through their lines and passed perfectly to Brad Barritt, who stormed through for the touchdown.

Saracens then dropped to 14 men again as Kelly Brown was sent for a spell in the sin bin. But the Sarries debutant was not finished yet, finding his way over the whitewash for a second time in the 72nd minute. Sarries then went in search of the bonus point try and were rewarded as Nils Mordt flew in for the touchdown. Irish barely seemed to be on the pitch towards the end, their heads had gone down and they roamed the field hopelessly. The whistle blew and Sarries rejoiced at their dominant start to the season.

15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Brad Barritt 11 Chris Wyles 10 Charlie Hodgson 9 Richard Wigglesworth 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Schalk Brits 3 Petrus du Plessis 4 Steve Borthwick (c) 5 Mouritz Botha 6 Kelly Brown 7 Will Fraser 8 Ernst Joubert BENCH: 16 Jamie George 17 Rhys Gill 18 Carlos Nieto 19 Eoin Sheriff 20 Jackson Wray 21 Neil de Kock 22 Nils Mordt 23 James Short

SCORERS T: Ashton (2), Barritt, Mordt C: Hodgson (4) P: Hodgson (3), Goode Ashton, Brown

15 Tom Homer 14 Topsy Ojo13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Sailosi Tagicakibau 11 Marland Yarde 10 Steve Shingler 9 Tomás O’Leary 1 Max Lahiff 2 Scott Lawson 3 Leo Halavatau 4 George Skivington 5 Bryn Evans (c) 6 Jamie Gibson 7 Ofisa Treviranus 8 Jon Fisher BENCH: 16 Brian Blaney 17 Halani Aulika 18 Cai Griffiths 19 Kieran Low 20 Declan Danaher 21 Alex Gray 22 Shane Geraghty 23 Jack Moates

SCORERS P: Homer Treviranus

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LONDON WELSH 13 - 38 LEICESTER TIGERS

THE KASSAM STADIUM - Sunday 02 September 2012
KO: 14:00 HT: 10-17 Att: 6,850

LONDON WELSH had a tough baptism into the world of the Aviva Premiership at their new home stadium in Oxford, finding Leicester Tigers just too strong to cope with.

Leicester drew first blood with a penalty from Toby Flood and were soon showing their class as some stunning open play saw Thomas Waldrom over the whitewash. Flood added the extras from a tricky angle and Tigers were looking confident. It took a mere 10 minutes before Waldrom added his second try stemming from a huge driving maul, something the Tigers showed a particular skill for during the match. However, after this very shaky start, the homeside stepped up to do battle and soon reaped the rewards as Tom Arscott managed find his way over the tryline. Gordon Ross missed his mark with the conversion but at least the homeside had settled into the game.

The break drew close as Welsh fought to reduce the deficit and, in the final minute of the half, did just that as Hudson Tonga’uiha raced downfield and grounded the ball in the corner. Again Ross could not find the posts but Welsh were happy with their efforts as they headed in for the interval down just 10-17.

Although they had work to do, London Welsh were confident as they stepped out for the restart. However, this lasted for seconds as Tigers reminded the homeside that they were definitely the underdogs. Anthony Allen’s perfectly timed pass to Geoff Parling saw the lock slide over the whitewash to plant the ball after just 60 seconds. Flood added the extras but the margin was reduced slightly as Ross finally found his aim and slotted a penalty.

The Tigers were in full flow now and Julian Salvi was the next to make his way over the tryline, picking up the try bonus point in the process. Welsh tried to withstand the pressure but with 18 minutes to go Vereniki Goneva added insult to injury with one final score.

London Welsh managed to hold their lines for the rest of the match but it was quite evident that they had been outplayed from start to finish, and were possibly missing their new fly half, Gavin Henson, out for another 3 weeks with his fractured cheekbone acquired in the pre-season friendly against Scarlets.

15 Tom Arscott 14 Phil MacKenzie 13 Sonny Parker 12 Hudson Tonga’uiha 11 Joe Ajuwa 10 Gordon Ross 9 Jonah Holmes 1 Franck Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Paulica Ion 4 Jonathan Mills (c) 5 Kirill Kulemin 6 Ed Williamson 7 Lee Beach 8 Daniel Browne BENCH: 16 Greg Bateman 17 Tom Bristow 18 Arthur Joly 19 Martin Purdy 20 Alfie To’oala 21 Nick Runciman 22 Seb Jewell 23 Nick Scott

SCORERS T: Arscott, Tonga'uiha P: Ross

15 Geordan Murphy (c) 14 Scott Hamilton 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Anthony Allen 11 Vereniki Goneva 10 Toby Flood 9 Micky Young 1 Logovi’i Mulipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Rob Andrew 5 Geoff Parling 6 Steve Mafi 7 Julian Salvi 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 George Chuter 17 Boris Stankovich 18 Martin Castrogiovanni 19 Brett Deacon 20 Jordan Crane 21 Sam Harrison 22 George Ford 23 Matt Smith

SCORERS T: Waldrom (2), Parling, Salvi, Goneva C: Flood (5) P: Flood

 

 

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2012-13...AN INTRO...

AFTER much deliberation as to which teams should be in or out of the tournament, the Aviva Premiership is finally about to kick off. Newcastle Falcons made way for the newcomers, London Welsh, who have made some interesting decisions over the past couple of months. After a battle to be accepted into the Premiership, the side have caused a stir with their signing of the notoriously unpredictable Gavin Henson, and have upset more than one or two fans by moving their playing base to Oxford to join the raft of ‘London’ teams playing nowhere even close. But apart from the new boys bringing intrigue, there are plenty of old scores to settle, points to prove, and a title to fight for.

CURRENT champions HARLEQUINS, used a truly stunning start to the season to its full advantage, gaining a huge points lead in the table, retaining the top spot for 20 of the 22 weeks, before giving everything in the final against Leicester Tigers. The Mighty Quins showed precision and skill in their play that left many sides unable to cope with a very strong set of backs who glided throughthe opposition with ease. The title-holders have held on to all their star names, re-signing many of their players including Danny Care, Karl Dickson and up-and-coming Luke Wallace. As well as this, they have added in a spurt of young talent from their academy, with a stream of fresh-faced 18 year olds joining the squad for this season. This is very encouraging for the team in terms of longevity of performance; homebred talent is extremely useful and Quins are very good at successfully transitioning their academy players into the senior squad with excellent results. But they will have even stiffer competition this year with many teams turning up the heat. On top of this, four weeks of autumn internationals will take the wind from the title-holder’s sails as many of their team feature in the international sides. This leaves a huge amount of pressure on their younger members to hold the fort over a tough period, but with such gifted young players amongst their ranks, they will still be a huge threat for all they meet.

Director of Rugby: Conor O'Shea Captain: Chris Robshaw Ground: Twickenham Stoop

THE first to take on Harlequins will be LONDON WASPS at the London Double Header. The Wasps had an incredibly tough season last year with record injuries, new management, and an owner desperate to offload the burden of the club; consequently, they were left fighting relegation towards the end. This time round, the team will be hoping to do far better with the club under new ownership through a consortium, coach Dai Young now settled, a few key signings and the experienced Tom Palmer and James Haskell returning from abroad. Hugo Southwell has been elected captain and is excited to be leading the side. He says, “There is a different dynamic at the club this year with the players we have brought in. We've added some real quality so it's going to be a privilege to lead them out.” With talented backs such as Stephen Jones, Andrea Masi and Tommy Bell all being added to the squad, Wasps are looking fairly menacing. There is great hope that the negativity surrounding last season’s performance will be banished and a renewed Wasps will hit the ground running when they step out into Twickenham Stadium on the first weekend of the Premiership.

Director of Rugby: Dai Young Captain: Hugo Southwell Ground: Adams Park, High Wycombe

OTHERS involved in the London Double Header are the Exiles and Saracens, both of whom have had their ups and downs over the summer. Several household names have left LONDON IRISH including Delon and Guy Armitage, Clarke Dermody, Nick Kennedy and Paul Hodgson, alongside stalwarts Bob Casey and Kieron Roche retiring. Irish also had a shock injury after Scottish centre Joe Ansbro fractured the C1 vertebrae in his neck during a pre-season friendly against Munster. Thankfully the injury caused no nervous damage and Ansbro did not require surgery; however, it does leave Irish without an experienced player and had to replace the front-rower with Munster’s John Ryan on short-term loan. This could leave their scrum a little shaky for the first few matches at least, but the club are confident that they can still produce an excellent performance none-the-less. The Exiles have gained some young talent in the form of Shaun Malton as hooker and returning back, Jonathan Fisher from his spell at Bedford Blues. On top of this, they have managed to secure Ireland’s Tomás O’Leary for 3 years and Shane Geraghty for 2, the latter returning to the fold after leaving in for Brive and the Top 14 in 2009. This bolsters the Irish backs and sets up what may be a very exciting year for Irish. The Exiles are ready to improve on their mediocre 7th place performance in last season’s table and certainly have the right raw materials to create a masterpiece. They will be ones to watch.

Director of Rugby: Brian Smith Captain: Declan Danaher Ground: Madejski Stadium, Reading

SARACENS have had a big change in terms of coaching staff, with Kevin Sorrell taking the reins from Andy Farrell as backs coach after his shock departure in the summer. However, die-hard Saracen Sorrell has been with the club since 1995 where he began and ended his playing career before moving into coaching the Academy and progressing to the seniors, so the players are certainly in capable hands. Meanwhile, several debutants have made the move into the Sarries elite including hooker Max Crumpton, flanker Matt Hankin and back rower Jono Ross. Add in the signing of former Springbok and Sharks lock, Alistair Hargreaves, and Saracens have got some pretty interesting newbies to keep an eye on. Of course, there are still many of the familiar faces around, a high percentage of the England squad making an appearance in the Squad list. All in all, Saracens are not to be trifled with and, after ranking third in the table last year, their sights are set on nothing but premiership glory again.

Director of Rugby: Mark McCall Captain: Steve Borthwick Ground: Vicarage Road, Watford; Allianze Park, Hendon from Feb 2013

RUNNERS-UP last season, narrowly beating out Saracens to get to the finals were LEICESTER TIGERS. This side had a shaky start but finished strongly to produce some big points and give Harlequins a run for their money for the title. However, this summer has seen the loss of Alesana Tuilagi and Horacio Agulla, big blows for the Tigers who have also suffered injuries to Tom Croft and Ben Youngs. All is not lost though; Brett Deacon and Pat Phibbs have been called upon to cover the injuries and a generally strong Tigers squad are raring to go. Their first match is against newcomers London Welsh and this should be an easy confidence builder to begin Leicester’s season. The Tigers are well-equipped to deal with the debutants swiftly and gain an extra psychological boost from winning an away match from the off. Captain Louis Deacon is determined that this year, the Tigers begin with a bang and will not find themselves playing catch-up again. This will be the key to Leicester being successful; competition is too fierce to allow early mistakes.

Director of Rugby: Richard Cockerill Captain: Geordan Murphy Ground: Welford Road

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS were another side who suffered a jolting start last year, suffering with their key players being whisked off on international duty. Though they have lost Chris Ashton to Saracens, the Saints have increased their man power signing up Dom Waldouck and Rhys Oakley, both of whom made a big impact last season for their old teams. However, the summer has had its turmoil with the abrupt termination of Brett Sharman’s contract for injury reasons (though the timing coincided neatly with Sharman making racist comments about Team GB Gold medallist Mo Farah on his Twitter account), and Cameron Shepherd’s deal being retracted due to a problem with his ankle, leading to a dispute between the club and the player’s agent. Northampton will need to put all this unfortunate bickering to the back of their minds though as they head forward into this contest with keen determination. The Saints caused problems previously with their lightning set of backs and a sturdy scrum; it is likely that it will be much of the same in this year’s tournament.

Director of Rugby: Jim Mallinder Captain: Dylan Hartley Ground: Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton

SHEPHERD has not vanished from the Premiership though; after Saints decided his ankle injury was too risky, he was snapped up by SALE SHARKS instead. The Sharks intend to work with him to ensure he returns to full fitness as soon as possible. This risky strategy will be worth the trouble if the skilled Wallaby returns to form. Another player who has hopped across from Oz is Danny Cipriani, an interesting purchase considering his patchy track record and proclivity to attract media attention for churlish misdemeanours, but a season down under has no doubt taught the young back enough to begin his battle back into the England fold.  Meanwhile, there has been a shift in coaching too, with Bryan Redpath moving from Gloucester to take up the position of Director of Rugby. This exciting development could see the dawning of a prosperous era for the club in their new home at Salford City Stadium. Sale struggled to maintain a balanced performance previously and will need to work hard to keep momentum throughout the tournament; a drop in play will see them fall down the table rapidly.

Director of Rugby: Bryan Redpath Captain: David Seymour Ground: Salford City Stadium

The Warriors, Bath and Gloucester are three teams who have had a drastic reshuffle in terms of coaching staff and are looking to improve on last season. The teams each suffered with a serious lack of form at away matches leaving them straggling.

WORCESTER WARRIORS were new to the competition and so on a steep learning curve, which sets them in good stead for the year ahead. Last season the Warriors finished 10th and scored the lowest number of tries in the tournament with just 23, but allowed twice as many against them, though they were just as guilty on this front as many of the higher ranked teams including finalists, Leicester. With signings including David Lemi, Paul Hodgson, Dean Schofield and Josh Matavesi, adding to Nigel Redman -having left his position of RFU National Academy Coach- replacing Phil Davies as the new forwards coach, assisted by England Rugby World Cup winner, Phil Vickery, owner Cecil Duckworth has great hopes for his team improving in the premiership stakes this season.

Head Coach: Richard Hill Captain: Dean Schofield Ground: Sixways, Worcester

BATH RUGBY left fans disappointed last season, failing to produce decent set pieces and looking very weak against more physical sides. This may well have been remedied though, with the signing of Paul James to harness more power in the scrum and Horacio Agulla bringing some force to the backs. A new management team led by Gary Gold, who along with his experience at international level for the Springboks and at club level with Western Province and the Stormers, who knows the Premiership well from his three year tenure at London Irish, is taking the helm at the West Country side. He has brought with him Exiles’ Toby Booth and Neal Hatley, and former England defence coach, Mike Ford from Newcastle to return Bath to their previous winning form.

Head Coach: Gary Gold Captain: Stuart Hooper Ground: The Rec, Bath

GLOUCESTER RUGBY had not expected such a poor standing either, and murmurs of discord fuelled a breakdown in performance that left them ninth in the table. The exodus of formidable players such as Brett Deacon, Rory and Scott Lawson, Luke Narraway and Alasdair Strokosch will have in impact, but with signings including All Black Jimmy Cowan, Wallaby Huia Edmonds, and England’s Ben Morgan and Billy Twelvetrees, the Cherry-and-Whites are starting with a clean slate, a new coach in Nigel Davies and, hopefully, with a more positive outlook.

Director of Rugby: Nigel Davies Captain: Jim Hamilton Ground: Kingsholm, Gloucester

Neither Gloucester nor Worcester are set to cause an upset at the top of the table, but it will be disappointing if they do not advance up the table this time around. Meanwhile, Bath offer a glimmer of possibility and should make amends for last year’s failings.

EXETER CHIEFS have been having a severe spring clean of their players, releasing six from their contracts. The Chiefs were unfortunate not to break into the top 4 of the table last season, having produced some excellent matches, and are another team who have gritted their teeth for a ferocious battle. Exeter took many by surprise last year but will not have the same advantage this time round, meaning they will not be able to make as many mistakes. They are another side who rely heavily on their backs and especially on their kickers, but this may well prove to fall short of the mark unless they can find something extra to give them the edge. Kai Horstmann and Carl Rimmer add an injection of power to their ranks, building a solid scrum. Only time will tell if Exeter will break away and truly excel; they certainly mean to put up a fight.

Head Coach: Rob Baxter Captain: Tom Hayes Ground: Sandy Park, Exeter

And finally, LONDON WELSH, on whom there is so much to say that a whole article could be dedicated solely to them. However, the key points consist of a bizarre signing, a problematic entry and a nightmare first fortnight draw. To start with, the side were left in purgatory as the Aviva Premiership decided whether they met all the criteria for entry into the tournament after their crowd size and stadium came under scrutiny. After a long, tedious and very controversial process, London Welsh found themselves thrown to the Tigers, quite literally, as they drew last season finalists Leicester for their first match, and champions Harlequins for their second. This could not have been much worse opposition for them; the Tigers are ruthless and clinical, making it extremely likely that the club will find itself unable to rise to the occasion, and Quins at home will give them an uncomfortable introduction to losing on the road. Their one saving grace in the whole palaver was that the media coverage had attracted some big names to their books, Tom Arscott, Paulica Ion and Nick Runciman all converting to the Welsh. However, one name fans would have rather had remained unlinked with the squad was that of Gavin Henson.

Brought in under the wing of his former Ospreys coach, Lyn Jones, the once legendary Welsh International has become no less than infamous over the past few years. Henson’s record includes being released from clubs for reprehensible behaviour, being regularly injured, and taking time out to partake in reality TV shows. He is definitely on his last warning and will be monitored closely but, truth be told, unless is actually true to his word this time, this probably will not be enough and he may well end up being little more than unwanted hassle for a side that has bigger fish to fry.

Head Coach: Lyn Jones Captain: Jon Mills Ground: Kassam Stadium, Oxford

All in all, the 2012-13 Aviva Premiership season is set to be colourful to say the least. There will of course be the rollercoaster of jubilation and heartbreak for all involved, but who will emerge victorious when the dust settles? For me, it is a toss-up between Saints and Tigers for the title, but with several other clubs wanting to prove a point, all will have to be revealed when the clashes begin.

 

 

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