WEEK ONE OF the Guinness Pro12 and the Aviva Premiership is over and done with and it was a decidedly mixed weekend for the Irish provinces with Connacht winning, Ulster drawing and Leinster and Munster losing.
But there was a lot more rugby played outside of the Irish sides, and we have devoured every minute from the Pro12, Aviva Premiership and Top 14 to give you an idea of who should be feared going forward and who should be fearful after their start to the season. Our definitive power rankings:
8. Connacht
It is only fair that the only Irish team to get a win this weekend get a place in these rankings. Pat Lam had a host of injuries to contend with and had to pick a young side as a result. But the Dragons at home is a game that Connacht absolutely should be winning so we shouldn’t be wheeling out the documentary crew to film “The West’s Awake Part Two” just yet.
But there were bright spots for Lam. Debutant Niyi Adeolokun showed some nice flashes on the wing and Danie Pooleman was impressive once again on the opposite side of the pitch. The backline looks exciting and with Mils Muliaina to come back, Connacht fans have reason to be hopeful.
Next up: away to Edinburgh on Friday at 19.35
7. Harlequins
The Quins nucleus of Mike Brown, Nick Evans, Danny Care, Chris Robshaw and Joe Marler is as strong as any in Europe and with a coach like Conor O’Shea, they will always be well drilled. They only beat London Irish by five at Twickenham in their opening game but first half tries from Ugo Monye and Ollie Lindsay-Hague meant the game was effectively over at half-time.
Leinster fans in particular will be weary of Harlequins, as they will be their opponents in the crucial back-to-back European Champions Cup fixtures in December.
Next up: home to Saracens on Friday at 19.45
6. Bath
Who is a better father-son rugby duo: Andy and Owen Farrell or Mike and George Ford? Okay, so it is obviously the former but the younger Ford enhances his reputation almost every time he takes the field. Granted, as a young player he has had some off days (the Amlin final against Northampton springs to mind) but he is a very able conductor of a backline that play a style of rugby that is very easy on the eye.
Bath recorded a convincing win away to Sale last weekend to give them a perfect start and Ford was exceptional, kicking 19 points. If Ford can keep calm at the helm of the backline, then Bath will be a difficult side to beat. They also have a very potent centre partnership in Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph.
Next up: home to London Welsh on Saturday at 15.00
5. Glasgow
Okay, so Glasgow pulled a bit of a Clermont in the final stages of their 22-20 win over Leinster, with scrum half Niko Matawalu being one of the biggest culprits in trying to give the game away. Glasgow had a penalty in front of the posts to win and Matawalu tried to take a quick tap! That is an offence that warrants being committed to a sanatorium. Luckily, ref Nigel Owens saved the scrum half from himself, and judged that Matawalu didn’t take it from the mark. I haven’t seen such an ill-advised quick tap since Gloucester outhalf Ludovic Mercier cost his side the Miracle Match against Munster.
But the late game buffoonery aside, Glasgow played some great rugby, especially in the first half, and cut through Leinster with ease. Gregor Townsend has got them playing a great brand of rugby and captain Josh Strauss is a destructive ball carrier from the back row.
Next up: away to Cardiff on Sunday at 16.00
4. Saracens
Last year’s Aviva Premiership and Heineken Cup runners up started their season strongly again, with a 34-28 win over an underrated Wasps side. Their back three was as clinical as ever, with David Strettle grabbing a hat-trick and Chris Ashton also touching down. They also have supreme control at ten from Owen Farrell and one of the northern hemisphere’s best no 8′s in Billy Vunipola.
But it is at centre where they fall down. Duncan Taylor and Brad Barritt started against Wasps, and they aren’t creative enough to trouble top defences. Saracens couldn’t manufacture any try scoring opportunities against Toulon last year and the lack of options in midfield was one of the major reasons why.
Next up: away to Harlequins on Friday at 19.45
3. Montpellier
There is no way to say it other than this: you need to be watching Montpellier every week. Francois Trinh-Duc has been pulling the strings expertly and the sight of Rene RearRangering people will get you jumping out of your seat. They lost narrowly to Racing in week one but have since beaten Clermont on the road and walloped Castres.
They have a fierce pack too, with Nicolas Mas, former Aussie captain Ben Mowen and French flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo all involved. They look like one of the class teams in the Top 14, and with a European pool of Glasgow, Bath and Toulouse, a fight on two fronts is definitely possible.
Next up: away to Bordeaux on Saturday at 18.00
2. Northampton
Last year’s Aviva champions opened their campaign in dominant fashion, annihilating Gloucester 53-6. George North scored three tries and Luther Burrell grabbed two and Northampton basically played the perfect Northampton style game: physicality from the pack that the opposition can’t live with, and clinical efficiency in attack to convert the dominance into seven pointers. Lesson from this week: you don’t ever want to be in Samu Manoa’s crosshairs.
They too could be set up for a European run, given they have probably the weakest pool with Racing, Ospreys and Treviso.
Next up: away to Wasps on Sunday at 14.00
1. Toulon
Their first two wins against Bayonne and La Rochelle were suitably spectacular and even though their last two games, a loss at Racing and a win over Bordeaux, weren’t that impressive, they still look a class above the competition, both at home and in Europe.
Just watch these highlights from the La Rochelle game and ponder this: with Giteau at the helm over Wilkinson, how much more devastating can a backline with Bastareaud, Armitage, Habana, Mitchell, Halfpenny, O’Connor, David Smith and Maxime Mermoz be with a playmaking outhalf?
It is a scary thought, and that is before you even get to their pack. Ugh, everyone else might as well give up now.
Next up: home to Stade Francais on Saturday at 18.00
And now, the biggest losers in brief:
It couldn’t have been a worse week for Munster: first you had the leaked dossier incident and then the fifteen starters, who people hoped would rise to the coaches criticism, laid a complete and utter egg at home to Edinburgh. CJ Stander aside, Munster were very insipid in attack and had Ian Keatley kicked that late penalty, it would have just papered over the cracks of a poor showing. Going by that game, Duncan Williams probably made up 50% of that report.
Leinster weren’t a whole lot better, spotting Glasgow 19 unanswered first half points before making a late charge that was about 50% Leinster and 50% gross incompetance from Glasgow. What will be a real worry for Leinster was that the defence, which is usually airtight, gave up three first half tries. It is obviously early in the season, but Cian Healy’s performance was so poor that he came off for Jack McGrath earlier than usual.
In fairness, they didn’t concede a five pointer in the second half, but like Munster, if Leinster had held on to win it would have been a very flattering result.
Toulouse have more money at their disposal than any other northern hemisphere club, so why do they smell like a rotting carcass? They followed a comprehensive loss to La Rochelle with another defeat to lowly Brive. Their starting team is still packed full of stars, which tells you that maybe Guy Noves’ message is wearing thin after so many years.
Did the Gloucester owners keep their receipts for the purchase of David Humphreys and Laurie Fisher? Obviously, that is a joke but a 47 point defeat in your first competitive game is the worst case scenario. They have a home game with Sale to get back on track this Saturday, and another loss would really ratchet up the pressure on the newcomers.
But Humphreys has already proven himself as a great DOR and Fisher did a nice job at the Brumbies, so we should wait a few months before jumping to any more conclusions.
