Dawn of a new era - who will rise and who will fall?

With Eddie Jones officially starting work in Twickenham and arriving in England this week, questions inevitably start to roll out about the  selection of his first EPS in January. Today though, news broke informing us all that Jones is only allowed to change 10 players from the World Cup squad. Well, 11, but we aren't mentioning the B word. It also transpires that Northampton duo Calum Clark and Luther Burrell were on standby and therefore technically are part of the EPS. Even stranger, Jones has to name a Saxons squad of thirty-odd players... Who have no games this season. We'll leave the insanity of a second string side that never plays to one side for now and instead, focus on who I believe likely to be ejected from the EPS in favour of different players. This is not to say those removed will be, or should be, only my opinions. As always, I welcome debate and conversation so if you have any opposing views, please let me know! Only four weeks left before the selection. Who has said #PickMeEddie?

Out: Rob Webber. In: Dylan Hartley.

Webber's inclusion has become more and more obscure as his popularity with his club coaches has slowly diminished. It's hard to justify not including a player as highly rated in his position as Hartley in favour of a man who doesn't start for his club. Ignore his discipline issues, since Eddie Jones seems to be about to, but if you can't or you feel the concussion injuries sway you, then consider Mikey Haywood, Hartley's understudy. Man of the match last week against Gloucester, 100% lineout accuracy in the last three weeks having played 237 minutes. All of the same skills, none of the discipline issues. Worth considering.

Out: Brad Barritt. In: Elliot Daly.

Jones seems to be hinting of a new era for England, a flowing, attacking era which utilises the backs creativity. Barritt does a job, he defends but he doesn't seem to fit the mould of a Henry Slade or a Daly. Besides, who wouldn't want to have a player who can handily chip in penalties from anywhere in their half? With Slade and Daly, you cover both sides of the field. 

Out: Calum Clark. In: Jamie Gibson

This is fairly straightforward: Clark hasn't played since the preseason games in September. Gibson has made the shirt his own since he made the switch to Saints. Clark is the closest to an out and out 7 in the Premiership (in my opinion) at his best, but Gibson has a balanced ability to play across the back row. His turnover stats are impressive and being named player of the month in his first month is quite the achievement.

Out:... In: Joe Simpson.

This is an interesting puzzle. Simpson is one of the best scrum halves in the Northern hemisphere and injury cost him his place in the World Cup. Now he's due his chance, possibly in the starting shirt. The question is who to drop. Ben Youngs, Richard Wigglesworth and Danny Care. The latter fell from grace with Stuart Lancaster, though not with much explanation. I have never been a fan of Youngs: his odd habit of holding the ball before he passes is dangerous enough at club level and potentially downright suicidal on the international stage. I'm surprised the fly halves haven't throttled him. Perhaps that's my choice to drop.

Out: James Haskell. In: Dave Ewers.

Haskell is a very strong player, but I think there's a chance for Ewers to overtake him and hold the position heading to the next World Cup. Ewers is a very effective ball carrier and a powerful scrummager. I wouldn't rule out Haskell, but Ewers has been impressive in the last couple of years and deserves his chance.

Out: Courtney Lawes. In: Maro Itoje.

Like Clark, Lawes hasn't played for a while, and whilst he's normally first on the team sheet, he'll need time to recover from his injuries. Itoje has a real potential. Able to pack down in several positions, just like Lawes. A former U20's captain, he's one of the players tipped to take the armband from Robshaw, but his flexibility and turnover stats are very impressive for a second row.

Out: Dave Wilson. In: Paul Hill.

The under 20's winner has massive potential to be a highly capped tighthead and could develop very quickly if given the chance. He has already proven himself at the Gardens behind Kieran Brookes (who will probably oust Dan Cole for the starting shirt.) Wilson, on the other hand, has not managed to settle to the new scrum engagement sequence. He has a high cap number but most of them from the bench behind Cole. The best move would be to bring the youthful players into camp and mould them to what you need.

Out: Chris Robshaw. In: Luke Wallace.

Robshaw has been a great servant in the Lancaster era, representing everything the head coach has stood for. Unfortunately, his position as England captain forced things at Harlequins. Luke Wallace was stuck in the 6 shirt whilst Robshaw seemed to have "7" tattooed to his back. Now Lancaster has left, Robshaw and Wallace have switched to their preferred sides and both are playing better rugby. However, Jones has previously stated that Robshaw doesn't add anything internationally, though he has since doubled back on himself. For me, without Jon Fisher or Clark, there are no other choices for a traditional openside and Wallace is a stunning player at his best. 

Out: Sam Burgess. In:...Wildcard.

This last spot is traditionally given to a front row player, in which case a third loose head prop would be summoned up. If this is the case, you would do well to consider Alex Waller. Understudy to Soane Tonga'uia and Alex Corbisiero at the Gardens, but now a fully fledged starter in his own right and a part of the Saints pack dominating in Europe and at home. 100 consecutive games does not come easily. If you wanted something more in the backs, Ben Foden is coming into his form missing in recent years and Semisa Rokogunduni and Chris Ashton are likewise building to impress. 

On a side note, yesterday's injury to Slade could spell a call up for Ollie Devoto or Sam Hill. Both are decent carriers and can cover a range of positions. There could be reason to call up George Lowe as an extra outside centre. The youth of the Premiership should be given their chances and allowed into camp to be nurtured. I personally think that Jones should break the protocol and call for all of his EPS and Saxons players to meet for camp before the Six Nations, so he can talk to each individuals concerned and see them train. Maybe even arrange in-camp tests to allow players to compete for a place in his team. We all look forward to seeing what's going to happen when the Six Nations rolls around and more importantly, who will #WearTheRose.

Premiership Launch - A chat with Saints

As the World Cup enters the knock out stages, something a touch more familiar is stirring. Across the road and in the shadow of the home of English rugby, the twelve representatives of their respective clubs show their faces and shirts for the first time. Save for Gloucester and Harlequins, all teams have brought their captains who stand together in the sunshine in the traditional preseason picture of unison. Welcoming back GJ Van Velze and Worcester to the Premiership, the captain's assemble before the press with their Directors of Rugby, prepared to answer whatever comes their way. 

I sat down with Jim Mallinder and Lee Dickson to discuss the upcoming season. I first wanted to know how they were feeling about it all.

"Very excited." A simple reply from Mallinder, so I asked about preseason.

 

"Preseason's so been good, different preseason for us because generally the teams that are successful at the end of the season, your preseason’s short. But this season has been a little bit longer, so been a chance to recover a little bit, do some extra conditioning, and hopefully give time for some of the new players to intergrate into the squad."

 

With new players joining the team, I wanted to know who's impressed? Dickson replied: "Jamie Gibson, he's come in from Leicester, London Irish as well, very intelligent player, good with ball in hand. He’s a grafter as well which we like at the club. He’s impressed me and not a new player, but Jon Fisher has really impressed me as well. He had a very good preseason this year. People with niggly injuries at the end of the season have got themselves fit, got themselves excited,  and in the last two games (against Saracens and Wasps) he’s been exceptional."

Has there been any stick for Gibson, coming from Leicester? 

"No, hasn't been mentioned. That’s just you lot!"

 

Saint have a rotation policy at scrum half, which Mallinder had previously mentioned won't be affected by Dickson's captaincy. But with the arrival of JJ Hanrahan, I was curious if there would be rotation around fly half?

Mallinder said "the season's now set out so that it’s very demanding with the league and Europe,  just every single week now with no weeks off. You can't win a premiership with just 15 players, you’ve got to have a squad where you’ve got strength in depth in every position and that’s something that we’re always looking to achieve and hopefully we’ve been getting stronger in that area."

 

Finally, the World Cup players came up. 

Jim said "it's been a massive target and focus for them for the last few weeks, months, that they’ve been looking forward to. But that’s now gone, and one of the good things about professional sport is that there’s always other challenges. For them, they’ve now got to put that behind them and got to really refocus and hopefully focus on Northampton Saints and starting well."

 

The England and Samoa players have returned earlier and there are plans to bring them back sooner:

"We’ll be taking everybody individually. Clearly some players who have played every week and played 80 minutes, and some of our other players who have hardly played, even though they’ve been travelling with the teams. We’ll take everyone individually and see how they are physically, but more importantly mentally." This weekend will see the first examples of this, with the Pisi brothers, Fotuali'i and Kieran Brookes in the match day 23 for this weekend against Worcester.

 

Calum Clark came off against Wasps with what looked like a shoulder injury, but Mallinder said "he's fine. Obviously very disappointed to not make the England squad, like Luther, like Dicko. But they've put that behind them and are determained now to prove to the England selectors that they’re good enough to be in that squad."

 

With so much uncertainty over how the Premiership will play out, one thing is clear: this is the biggest season yet. Players will be competing harder than ever for their shirts, knowing they will have no respite until April (the European Cup quarter finals) and for two teams, the end of May. The goal is the same, the squads are bigger than ever before and with the return of the England players earlier than expected, prepare to see something amazing this year.

Re-writing the Law Book part 1

World Rugby has a way of coming full circle. Every four years, the World Cup rolls around and then the laws are tweaked. Remember when you could throw the ball back into the 22 and kick it away to touch? Now the powers that be are running law trials over a whole host of topics and I'm going to try to explain what the variations are and how they're going to improve the game. 

Law 3.5(h) Front Row Replacements and Substitutions.

This variation is designed to discourage teams from going to uncontested scrums. In the event of teams losing suitable front row players due to sending off or injury, the match continues with uncontested scrums with both teams supplying eight players. This would force one of the backs to come in as a flanker and would leave the defensive line reduced. Bath almost had to play with 14 men last season against Northampton when both hookers were injured. Instead the reserve tight head stepped up, and scrums continued contested. This variation would hopefully cause more of the same. 

Law 5.7(e) Other Time Considerations.

Currently, if a penalty, free kick or mark is given when time has expired, play goes on until the ball next goes dead. The problem comes when a penalty is given too far away from the posts to have a shot or you're more than 3 points behind, and you want to go for touch to have the lineout. The lineout would be killing the ball so the game is over. The variation will let the lineout take place and the game continues until the ball goes dead. 

Law 8.1(a) Advantage in Practise.

Law 9.A.1 Points Values.

We all love watching tries being scored and get bored with teams just endlessly kicking at the posts. So now the trial is to alter the points scored. Now the scoring will be like so:

Try - 6 points

Conversion - 2 points

Penalty kick - 2 points

Drop Goal - 2 points.

Further, in the event of a penalty try being awarded, the kick is ignored and an automatic eight points is awarded. 

Law 13.3, 13.7, 13.8, 13.9 Kick-off and Restarts.

To keep the ball in play as long as possible and to punish poor kicking, as in Sevens, a kick which does not go the necessary 10 meters or goes directly into touch, a free kick at the centre spot is awarded. No scrum option is given, which means the ball goes live immediately rather than waste time on a scrum.

Law 19 Touch.

Law 20.1(g) Forming a Scrum.

The success of a reduction impact to the front row after the change in scrum commands have lead to another change to be trialled. The completions rate still remains low at the top level, despite a reduce in impact and injuries. So now the following will happen:

The referee calls "Crouch" then "Bind."

At "Crouch" the front rows will be shoulder to shoulder with their opposite number, stable and supporting their own weight without pushing. 

"Bind" will call the props to position their arms in the correct position as per the current laws.

All players tighten their binds and set for the throw in.

Law 20.5 Throwing the Ball into the Scrum.

This one is designed to encourage the hooker to hook. The hooker gives a signal to his 9 saying he is ready for the ball to go in, giving an advantage to the team throwing in. But there's another change...

Law 20.6 How Scrum-half Throws the Ball into Scrum.

The scrum half must throw the ball in straight. (Side note - yes I know, it doesn't really happen, but stay with me.) The trial keeps the straight rule, but where it previously was "any part of the ball must touch the centre line," the scrum half can now align his shoulder with the centre line and put the ball in straight. This means that any crooked feed would go straight underneath the second row and would be glaringly obvious. It may also bring the rare beast of a scrum half with excessively broad shoulders.

Law 20.11 Wheeling the Scrum. 

Law 22.13 Attacking Infringement with Scrum Sanction.

Basically a knock on/forward pass in goal. This variation is giving an option to the defending team - either the traditional scrum 5 metres out or a 5m drop out, with the same rules as a 22 drop out. This is interesting, as it takes away the risk of successive penalties going against the defending team, and it means the ball can be cleared away from the goal line. This also affects Law 22.16 (Infringements in Goal) which would say the same thing as above. 

There are some more variations with the ball going into touch, wheeling the scrum and advantage in practise which I have alluded to, but not gone into detail. This is because this post has had a lot of detail about the minor ones and the other variations took me and my dad (who is also a referee) half an hour to pick out the specifics and how these would affect the game. So to save my typing fingers, I will publish another article later today which will also tell you where these trials will take place. We won't be seeing them in the Premiership but you may want to follow them because we will see them in the Under 20's World Cup next year.  See you soon!

Have England prepared correctly or has a trick been missed?

Yesterday, Stuart Lancaster revealed his thirty one strong side to take on the world. Many people will go into "why has he chosen X and left out Y?!" "Is he the right fit for the team?" or "where is that guy?" I'm more interested in the preparation aspect of the selection. Lancaster and his team picked the squad, partially aided by an old fashioned closed door in-house contest. Obviously, we haven't been able to follow the team all the way to the States and back, but we have been able to make judgements based on opinion and how players played in the warm up tests. But I think more could have been done and the RFU and management teams have missed a trick. 

If you want supporters to get behind a team, you need to see them play. Club supporters will have wanted to support their national side and watch them improve.  The World Cup prices have had people moaning about being priced out of the game so the RFU could have done something about it. Perhaps they SHOULD have done something and given the fans a chance to watch their England side play live. 

My thinking is this: we have twelve Premiership teams sitting idly by, training for next season. They can't start fully until mid-October, so give them something to do. So to give them a chance to run out against an England side, I would have suggested creating five Barbarians sides, one for the five Premiership regions. Ok, I know we aren't divided into regions but stay with me. If we wanted to divide up the teams to create Barbarians sides, there's a great way to do it. Compass points and then London. Up in the North, Newcastle and Sale could take over the AJ Bell stadium for a day. In the West, Wasps and Worcester can hit the Ricoh Arena. The huge stadium could also host Northampton and Leicester as the East Midlands side for a double header over a weekend. The South West is dominated by Exeter, Bath and Gloucester who have a choice of three stadiums to go to. Finally the London group of London Irish, Saracens and Harlequins who could go to Twickenham but would be better off using the Madejski Stadium. 

How much fun could we have had watching Lancaster trial combinations against the best of the Premiership not selected for international duty? Many of the club mates of the international players have been pressing on the heels of the wider squad. Who wouldn't have enjoyed see if Alex Waller against Alex Corbisiero would show a need to get some extra scrum drills that week? Or if Christian Wade would outpace and tackle harder than Jack Nowell? Or even if Chris Pennell and Ben Foden could recreate their magic from the Crusaders game? A grand opportunity was missed in my view. But what I'd like to know is... If you were to pick a regional Barbarians squad, who would you have chosen to play against England? And would you go to those matches? Get in touch and let me know. And finally, this September and October, make sure you #WearTheRose!

Singha 7's Pool C - Harlequins, Northampton, Saracens and Wasps Part 2

If you've just joined us, you've missed out on some exciting fixtures, so feel free to go back and check Part 1 here. For those who are desperately seeking the final three matches of Pool C's matches in the Singha 7's last Friday, you're in luck!

Wasps v Northampton.

Wasps seemed intent on settling the Premiership clash against Northampton from the trip to the Gardens in March. A well worked 1-2 between Wade and Daly set the former in for his fourth. From there, Saints looked rattled with a frantic passage which ended with a turn over to allow Macken in. The flood gates opened, with the dancing feet of Wade avoiding two defenders on his way to the line, and Macken’s vision on the outside gave Wasps their bonus point before the half. Lozowski’s boot proved he is the man to replace Andy Goode next season.

Wade departed at the half, but the flow of tries kept going with Bassett scoring early on in the first minute. There is some overconfidence as passes are fired amongst Wasps players, forcing a fumble. Northampton tried to counter-attack but some loose play gave a scrum to Wasps, from which Lozowski scored his only try of the evening. He dutifully converted his own score, but Northampton decide to at least get a consolation score. An over-lap goes begging but it is worked back the other way as Alex Moon takes the ball and dives for the line. The final try goes to Thomas Young, with Lozowski finishing off the game 49-5. Wasps were now guaranteed to head to the Stoop the next week for the finals.  

Northampton v Harlequins.

The final game for the Midlanders and the Londoners started badly for the Northamptonians. Two early tries through Marchant and Nairn put Quins ahead, but an interesting tactic was deployed by the Quins to utilise a sweeper. This meant they stood as 6 men in a line, with the seventh player as a full-back. A risky move, and proved costly as Northampton utilised the space on the wing, allowing Emery to score his second try of the evening. Olver converted, reducing the gap to just 5. Magical feet from Calum Waters showed the talent in the Quins academy. Neither team were able to complete moves from chips ahead, with Harlequins opting to end the half after a scrum.

In the second half, Northampton tried to use the defensive strategy of Harlequins to their advantage, but in an attempt to force the overlap, a powerful tackle against Emery left Northampton a man down. As Harlequins turn the ball over, Northampton were penalised and in a fit of pique, Alex Mitchell was sent to the sin bin. During the two minutes depleted, Northampton pressurised Harlequins but Sam Aspland-Robinson eventually broke through the defensive line to score. Mitchell returned to the pitch, but his return did not stop Harlequins from scoring again with Waters using his footwork again to pick a line through the Northampton defence. Undaunted, Northampton attacked in the dying minutes, using their offloading abilities to gain a consoling score through Hutchinson. The final result – 26 v 12 to the hosts of the finals.

Wasps v Saracens.

The final match of the evening started as all the others Wasps matches started – with a try from Christian Wade. He received a wide pass and sprinted around the defender to finish the score. Saracens tried to counterattack after the score, but a loose ruck meant Wade could pinch the ball. 40 metres up the field and the very next phase saw Wade targeted and floored. However, he offloaded to Young who finalised the move. Saracens tried furiously to keep hold of the ball, but eventually were forced to kick ahead through and into touch. A quick lineout and a counter kick downfield gave the ball to Matt Gallagher who forced his way over the line. The conversion went wide, giving a half time score of 12-5 to the hosts.

A far closer contest than Wasps were used to so far did not last long, and Robson quickly got his name on the scoreboard for this match. Saracens were desperate to take the spot at the finals day from Harlequins and Dom Morris managed to evade Wade’s speed to dot down, closing the cap to 9 points. The try was almost replicated moments later, but a fumbled pass found only touch. From a penalty, Wade receives the ball where, surprisingly, only the referee kept up to watch Wade score his seventh try of the night. As Wade left, the stadium rose to their feet to wave him off, clearly Man of the Round in my eyes. Saracens, meanwhile, were struggling to break the gainline. A dogleg in the Wasps defence did give them a chance, but the final pass went forward. Apologies in advanced for the upcoming pun. The Wasps substitutes swam the field (I warned you) and the fresh legs take advantage. Conor Dolan turned the ball over and offloaded to Bassett who sprinted along the wing to score the final points of the day. The final result was a clean sweep for Wasps and 33-10 to the hosts. 

So the final victors are Wasps and Harlequins who head to Twickenham Stoop to compete with Newport Qwent Dragons, Scarlets, title holders Gloucester, Exeter Chiefs, Newcastle Falcons and Sale Sharks for the first silverwear of the season. For Northampton and Saracens, there are some bright stars waiting for their opportunity and they did well for their clubs. The class Wasps were able to call upon put them beyond the other clubs though and it will be interesting to see if the other teams choose to rotate their squads. But hey, that's 7's for you! Ciao for now!

Singha 7's Pool C - Harlequins, Northampton, Saracens and Wasps Part 1

I love a bit of 7's. I was born in Hong Kong and my first experience of rugby was the shortened form of the game. For those who don't know otherwise, 7's is to rugby as 20:Twenty is to cricket or 5-a-side is to football: a shorter and quicker version of the game. 7 players on a team, 7 minutes each way and much, much more space to run around in. From a referee standpoint, the game is essentially the same, with the exception of time-wasting being an instant yellow card and scrums are only 6 man contests. This particular 7's contest was the Midlands based round, with Wasps hosting Northampton, Saracens and Harlequins at the Ricoh arena. 7203 people flocked into the Ricoh, the smallest audience they've had since moving as a fun fact! And boy, were they entertained! Now, because there's so many games in one go, I've had to split the games up into two parts. So here are the first three matches kicking off with:

Harlequins  v Wasps.

Quins and the hosts Wasps started us off. An very early yellow card against Guy Thompson for throwing away the ball gives Quins a 2 minute advantage. They fail to sustain the pressure however and they knock the ball on. Wasps take the scrum, then give away the ball to Christian Wade who sprints for the line, virtually the length of the pitch, with Alex Lozowski converting the try.

Harlequins retaliate and a dubious pass to captain Joe Marchant sees him in on the left hand side. Luke White evens the scores, and further tries by both Wade and Marchant, and a conversion each side kept them level. The game showed a lack of defence from both teams as all the tries seemed to come from second or third phase ball. Proving this point, Brendan Macken darted over on a second phase, taking the score to 14-19 to the hosts at half time.

Wasps kept up the scoring in the second half, working from a 5 metre scrum with Wade finishing off for his hattrick. Despite a golden opportunity for Harlequins, Wasps added to their tally with a try utilising the dancing feet of Dan Robson and a final score through Josh Bassett gave Wasps a final score 40 – 14. The boot of Lozowski kept the scoreboard ticking over and the clinical attack kept the hosts away.

Saracens v Northampton Saints.

Saracens opened their account early, moving first left then right after a lineout and captain Tom Whitely finished the move. Saracens kept up their poor kick offs, giving a free kick to the Saints. With the Midlanders unable to keep hold of the ball, Matt Hankin broke away then offloaded to Dom Morris. Whitely converted the score, but from there, Northampton decided to fight back. Will Allman started the comeback by tying up several defenders, creating the space for Tom Emery to crash over the line. Sam Olver took the next try for himself, having previously converted Emery’s score. A beautiful dummy and a high rate of pace, despite the chasing Nathan Earle, give Northampton the lead at half time.

Winning the kick off, Northampton ship it to Rory Hutchinson, the Scotland U20 fly-half finishing off a team try. His second try came shortly after as Olver mimicked Brian O’Driscoll’s antics when he last visited the Gardens – a pass through the legs to set the Scotsman up for the double. Inaccurate passing from both teams shows the stain the shortened format puts on players, but eventually after a sprint from James Grayson and a penalty against the Premiership Champions gave a final try to Alex Rayman. The conversion hit the uprights, so the final score ended with 12-31 to the Saints.

  

Saracens v Harlequins.

Saracens opened the scoring account, despite both teams showing early intent. Whitely finished off a well worked move on the right hand side and converted his own try. From there, the characteristic defence of the Champions held the Londoner’s away from the try line. A XV’s style chip and chase from Saracens was a gamble, but as the last Quins defender fails to release, Kevin Barrett takes the quick tap to finish the move. A final score before the half off the back of the Saracens scrum has Nathan Earle add to the tally.

With a 19 point gap to overcome, Quins attacked early, taking advantage of a Saracens fumble and using clever hands of Luke White gave Marchant his third of the evening. Reclaiming the kick off on the left, Quins work across the field allowing Robbie Nairn to cross for his first of the evening. With conversions off the table for Harlequins for now, both teams gave away penalties before James Tirrell darted down field with Marchant chasing. The Saracens man wins the foot race however, and stretched the lead again to 14 points. The final points would go to the men in white, as Nairn sprinted away before allowing Senitiki Nayalo the chance to finish in the next phase. Too little, too late for the Londoners as Saracens run the clock down. Final score 24 – 17 to the Premiership champions. 

As we go into the interval, of my own writing, Wasps are leading the way on points difference and have a game in hand before they face up to their new neighbours. Stay tuned for more 7's excitement!

England v France - An Overview on those Wearing The Rose

So 23 players have been selected to #WearTheRose this weekend. The first match these players will have in a competitive sense since May. Wales played against Ireland last week, and this will inevitably lead to a major cull in the ranks. Stuart Lancaster's approach to trim the fat last week and then the interesting decision to name his squad yesterday not only messed my plan to speculate on the squad this week, but has also allowed for some theories to form in my head. More on that in a minute, for now, I want to take in this squad.

Let's start with the captain. Tom Wood is a fine leader and probably would have been picked as Lancaster's captain before his injury back in 2012. Still, he's back in the driving seat, set up to be the stand in skipper in case Chris Robshaw takes a knock. And I think he has earned it, he is an obvious leader on the pitch, holding the respect of his teammates and spectators. His work rate is high, but he does have to watch his back, because on the other side, his Northampton teammate is making his debut. Calum Clark has been both a hero and a villain in the eyes of supporters, predominately split along the Northamptonshire border. But his turn over stats have outshone even the England captain, and his presence on the field means he is a hassle to the attacking sides. To complete the back three, Ben Morgan returns and we will wait to see if he is back to his best. He was very unlucky to break his ankle back in January, after such an excellent autumn series so it will be nice to have him in wearing the rose again. Nick Easter's exclusion from the squad suggests his injury is likely to have him behind Billy Vunipola and Morgan. 

Moving forward in the scrum, George Kruis and Geoff Parling buddy up in the second row, with Mako Vunipola, Rob Webber and Kieran Brookes up front. This looks like the second string pack that would sit on the bench against Fiji, with the leading men rested this week. Ah, theory number 1! Yes, I think this set of forwards is the second string as it stands. Those on the bench this week are just behind them, and will need to make a strong impact off the bench to challenge. Corbisiero and Wilson will be particularly worth watching as they would presumably be contesting for the last front row spot. Corbisiero has the advantage of playing both sides of the scrum, whereas Wilson has been with England all year, even following Dan Cole's injury. 

Half backs would similarly be the second string players, but some relief for the scrum halves in that their rivals have been removed, so the three are safe. Danny Care needs to find his form again, with Wigglesworth and Youngs leading the way. Owen Farrell is certainly behind George Ford, and where Cipriani fits in, I don't know. Theory number 2 might shed some light on this, but I'll save that for later.

Centres next, and I'm going to be blunt and brief. The press and social media have their opinions and a certain elephant in the room is central (tee hee) to the debates and news. If I'm honest, I'm bored of it and so are many Bath supporters as I found out on Saturday at Bath's open day. Instead, I'm going to veer off and go to the bench first. Billy Twelvetrees is at his last chance saloon. He has to perform if he is to stand any chance, and even then, Henry Slade offers so much more. He fits the mould that Lancaster wanted Twelvetrees to be in that he is an extra kicking option but offers a left foot option none of his competitors have. His ability to be a fly-half or a 12 in a pinch means he is far more valuable than a convert with a number that seems to double when it's in white. Shall I move on? No? Oh alright then. Sam Burgess has his first chance to play a full international union match, but it's in his worst position where he was outplayed by the Irish Wolfhounds back in February. Was that match too early? Is the World Cup? We shall see. I'd love to be proven wrong... Well that's not true. Anyone who knows me knows how pedantic I am and being right is a massive benefit. That aside, Burgess needs to learn the game more. I hear Japan is lovely.

Finally the back three, and this is where the theories come in. Alex Goode, Jonny May and Jack Nowell are the fullback and wings respectively, and May, who has been reported as the best in training, has been given a reprieve. Let's see if he can recreate his special skills used to score against the All Blacks. Defensively, the three aren't the biggest, but they work hard and will do their best to defend against the attacking French forces. 

Now some conspiracy theories! Theory 1 is already out there: our front row rankings. 

Theory 2: Cipriani and Slade will be tested in two positions. I think Slade will see himself playing at fly half for at least 10 minutes, and Cipriani will replace Goode at fullback. Slade needs to demonstrate himself across the midfield to maximise his chances, and Cipriani has a need to prove his extra string because of theory 3...

Theory 3: Mike Brown isn't quite fit enough. Something about Chris Pennell and Ben Foden joining in with training suggests the fullback isn't as settled as we might think. Both might feature next week in France, reprising their roles from against the Crusaders, with Anthony Watson on the other side. 

These are just theories. Do you have any theories of your own? Keep an eye out on Facebook and Twitter for more about those who #WearTheRose!

Who Will #WearTheRose Against France? Part 2

The countdown to the World Cup continues. For those who missed the last post, here's a quick recap. With the upcoming selection cuts, I have taken the task of predicting who will be selected for Stuart Lancaster's match day squad against France on August 15th. Now since the first post, I have found out that Lancaster intends to cut a further 9 from his squad before the France game. So if I have to, I will enter updates to the previous appointments if it turns out they have been left to one side.
Today is the day of the centres, and these positions are already being wildly speculated as two stand-outs who will contest for a position in the World Cup squad.

#13. Henry Slade. 

The Exeter fly-half was forced to play outside his comfort zone all season. Pushed out wide by Rob Baxter, the decision has opened up Slade to a world of new possibilities. His kicking ability offers the extra option that Lancaster seems to have adored in Billy Twelvetrees, as well as a left footed kicking option for the tricky shots at goal, and for getting the team out of trouble. Following his outstanding performance during the Six Nations, Jonathan Joseph has cemented himself into the 13 shirt for the opening fixture against Fiji, and Luther Burrell has proven himself at both centre positions in the 2014 Autumn internationals. Slade has the ability to play as a fly half, centre and a full back, and has his previously mentioned kicking prowess. He offers something that the other centre options don't have. Baxter sees it, and he begs for Lancaster to select Slade over the next option to be picked at...

#12. Sam Burgess.

The Bath based League convert seems to dominate opinion polls, newspaper articles and the internet. He divides opinion between those who love and adore everything he does, and those who think he is not ready. My personal feeling is irrelevant here, though it may be made clearer as this post goes on. If you've been living under a rock for the past 9 months, Burgess came over from Sydney in October, following a Man of the Match performance in the Super League final. His debut in a Bath shirt was massively delayed by a fractured cheekbone, and when it came, a game of Burgess Bingo was a popular drinking game. His debut came as an inside centre, and was unremarkable. Which was to be expected; no-one picks up this game in less than 5 months. He was soon selected for the Saxons game against the Irish Wolfhounds, squaring up against the likes of Gordon D'arcy and Keith Earls. And he was targeted, so much so that he made very little impact on the game. His best games for Bath have come since then, where he was switched to the forwards. And he has looked better, but not the complete article. Which is why Mike Ford seems to be wanting to state his players case.
Since Lancaster categorically stated that Burgess's immediate future in an England shirt is as a centre, Ford has done everything he can to sway the public opinion. Including the strange statement of "if he had been with us, he would've learnt about the lineout." Odd propaganda aside, Burgess will likely be given a chance to play against France. My worry is he will be found out as a positional concern. Defensively, the safer bet is Brad Barritt, and he will be most likely joining Burrell and Joseph in the inked in side of the ledger. Sadly, this means that Twelvetrees and Kyle Eastmond will be left to head back to their respective West Country clubs, with the single remaining slot left for the two who will  #WearTheRose on the 15th.

So that's the centres. Burgess and Slade squaring up against the French. We shall have to wait and see if this is the correct prediction, but this squad will be crucial in the Lancaster decision. Let's look forward to the next installment, where we will challenge the tricky consideration of the Half-Backs.

The Squad So Far...

#15 - Mike Brown/Ben Foden (Depending on fitness)
#14 - Chris Ashton
#13 - Henry Slade
#12 - Sam Burgess
#11 - Semesa Rokogunduni
#10 -
#9 -
#8 -
#7 -
#6 -
#5 -
#4 -
#3 -
#2 -
#1 -

#16 -
#17 -
#18 -
#19 -
#20 -
#21 -
#22 -
#23 - Jonny May

If you want to recap, here is the link for Part 1.

Who Will #WearTheRose against France? Part 1

We are very close now. The 50 day countdown began, and England’s first warm up match against France is just over the horizon. Annoyingly, I will have to watch that match on the Sunday, what with my brother inconveniently arranging his wedding on the Saturday, but no matter. This is when Stuart Lancaster starts to show the world the squad he will unleash on Twickenham on September 18^th. With 14 days until France are welcomed (perhaps the wrong word, but never mind) to the home of English rugby, I want to throw out some speculation of who I think Lancaster will select in the various positions. This post is about the back three, both wings and the full back.

#15. Mike Brown. 

Most likely to be the starting fullback in the World Cup, he has masses of credit in the bank. But he does have one drawback – he hasn’t played since February, which is exactly why I expect to see him in the squad on the 15^th. He needs the match time, something that Alex Goode and Anthony Watson don’t, with both playing in the Premiership final. Albeit, briefly for Watson. (Which wasn’t a red card offence by the way, Ford Snr, but that’s a debate for another day.) The other possible is Ben Foden. Like Brown, he’s been out for a while, but his recovery has finally come to an end, and Lancaster would have been chatting with Jim Mallinder whilst pre-season training has been going on in Northampton. But the likelihood is that Brown will be pulling on the shirt. Giving Foden a chance here though would increase the wing options if it works well. Goode offers an alternate as a fly half, but he doesn’t add the same options to the back three that Foden, Watson and Brown offer. All of the aforementioned offer greater attacking lines, but have different kicking options. But this isn’t about what will come in September. This is who will play against France, and that is most likely to be Brown.

#14. Chris Ashton, and #11. Semesa Rokogunduni. 

Wing options are pretty full here. Even with the withdrawal of Ashton’s former Saracen teammate, David Strettle, a replacement was found in a matter of days. With speculation that Marland Yarde is on his way back to Harlequins when Lancaster makes further changes to his squad, these two are the most likely to be selected against France. They are the ones with the most to prove, perhaps with Jonny May sitting on the bench. Rokogunduni hasn’t pulled on the white since his test debut against New Zealand last year, Ashton has had even longer in the cold. With Watson as a strong wing option, Jack Nowell offering an alternative as a centre, and even Brown offering himself as an extra winger, these three players will need to give a strong showing to push their way into the final 31, and this will be their last chance to do it. Some even question the reasoning behind their inclusion when Wasps flyer Christian Wade has been left in Coventry. Time to stand up and be counted.

Next time, I will be casting an eye over the centre partnership likely to be selected, and a chance to weigh in on the ongoing argument of the selection process. Yes, that elephant in the room is going to be challenged. Stay tuned to find out who I think should #WearTheRose. 

God Bless America... But Let's Play Rugby

A while back, I went to Washington DC and Maryland on a referee exchange trip with the Potomac society. The people I met were wonderful, friendly, open and welcomed us to their homes and pitches and I thank everyone for their support and making the trip such a memorable one. I joined the Navy College for a training session, which was great fun, and I refereed fixtures between high school kids and adults. Separate games, of course, but I was seriously impressed with the standard of rugby there. I could make no real differentiation between players and games at this side of the pond of the same level. The only difference is the high school games have to rent pitches from universities and the adult sides have to rent the pitches in the middle of nowhere. 

Which brings me neatly to the development of the game. The high school and women's games are booming, as is Sevens, and with both the men's and women's sides reaching the Olympics next year, the usual national pride will ramp up excitement. A lot of parents I spoke to found rugby a safer alternative to American football, despite the reduced amount of safety gear. Surprisingly, the Catholic schools have a huge following, with one having over 200 pupils in their rugby program. The best thing for the sport in the States is the development of the professional game. USA Rugby started things off with the match against the All Blacks last year in Chicago, and they continue the build up to the World Cup with a match against Australia and Harlequins in Chicago and Philadelphia respectively. They won the bid for the Sevens World Cup in 2018, and are currently in the run to host the 2023 World Cup.

But now we have something of a complication. The National Rugby Football League (NRFL) appeared, backed by a company called RugbyLaw. With the sole task of creating a professional league, the NRFL arranged two fixtures, one between Saracens and the Crusaders in the Hemisphere cup, and one between Leicester and the Rough Riders, one of the new professional teams. There was some real excitement about both these fixtures but this past week both fixtures have been cancelled. A real shame for the supporters of all three clubs who have already bought tickets.

"Three clubs?" I hear you ask. Yes, three. As far as USA Rugby are concerned, the Rough Riders don't exist. They would've been a scratch side who were uninsured by their respective unions. I had to fill a form to referee over the pond, which covered me if I'd been injured. And that's to referee! In the litigious nature of America, USA Rugby couldn't risk it. They stated publicly that they couldn't sanction the game due to the Rough Riders non-standing with USA Rugby, which isn't helped by the NRFL repeatedly stating they're outside of USA and World Rugby. 

Here's a compromise though. Since it would have been a scratch side anyway, why not host the traditional Leicester/Barbarians match in Philadelphia? That way the Leicester fans would still be able to see the city and enjoy a holiday, plus some legends of the game could tag along for good measure. 

As for the Hemisphere Cup, I don't know why the match was canceled. For the moment, I can only speculate that it was due to the pitch not passing the World Rugby inspection. This was given the all clear from USA Rugby, but if the pitch was deemed unsafe, then there's nothing anyone can do. Ticket sales were not particularly high, according to some reports, which may have led to the game being called off but I don't know at this point. For USA Rugby and the NRFL, though, it's not good. The best thing for both of these entities would be to come together as one, as the RFU and the PRU have done in England. Let the clubs and the national side work together to create a league. Professional rugby needs to be a reality for the States before they can host a full XV's World Cup. Japan have their league and now a Super XV side (or Super XVIII, as it'll now be known.) America needs to utilise the college and high school players. Develop them and create something tangible. I find it hard to believe that there isn't the money for rugby in the USA. But we shall have to see. For now, we have the Eagles against the Wallabies and Harlequins to look forward to. Let's hope this gives everyone a kick in the backside. 

European Champions Cup Play off Gloucester v Bordeaux-Begles: As Sir Saw It

Recently, I have started every new challenge, or prospective blog, with an internal monologue, a strange introduction inside my head to get myself ready to what's to come. today, it went a little like this: "Welcome to Sixways, home of Worcester Warriors… and today, Gloucester Rugby. Gloucester have been forced to play this fixture at Sixways, after some pessimistic planning had the Kingsholme pitch occupied by a stage. Gloucester fans turned this into a truly home stage, bringing the enthusiasm to the home of the newly promoted Worcester. Gloucester were forced into a late change. Henry Purdy is on the left wing for England hopeful Jonny May, who’s out because of illness, and McColl takes Purdy’s place on the bench. Had Bordeaux won last weekend, they would have been spared this play off, coming in 6^th place instead of Oyonnax. Could that be playing on their thoughts?" Perhaps that's the performer in me, perhaps I'm just mad. I'll let a psychologist work that out for me in a few years, but for today, we had rugby to watch. 

Gloucester kicked off the first half. An exciting opening five minutes saw sustained pressure from the home side, and Gloucester turned possession into a penalty with an offside by Bordeaux. Twelvetrees pointed to the posts, and Laidlaw lined it up to score the opening points. Gloucester lost the first scrum against the head, but Le Bourhis was penalised for not releasing. Bordeaux appeared to have the stronger scrum, and a huge threat from Metuisela Talebula after a quick penalty was taken quickly. The net gain of the play though leads to a Bordeaux lineout on the half way line.

Billy Meakes impressed early, lining up a tackle, then claiming the ball at the ruck.  The scrum had been good, so our first reset was unfortunate. Jefferson Poirot looked to me to have his elbow down very low and almost took it down first. Next scrum, he’s penalised for taking it down, and Twelvetrees points to posts again. Laidlaw scored the points, 6-0, with just 10 minutes gone.

Handling by Bordeaux looks very loose, as two badly handled passes forced Bordeaux into their own 22. Neither team were particularly threatening the lines, but as soon as I wrote that, Purdy showed his pace, and looks to have set Ross Moriarty for a try, but a tackle on Purdy found he had not released it and referee Hodges says no try, and penalty Bordeaux.

Sharples stared again, gathering a kick that went loose and sprinting along the right wing. The ball was worked to the left and Hook chipped over to Purdy into score. Hodges goes to the TMO, and for my money, Purdy’s left foot hit the chalk. But it was given, and the conversion scored so 13-0 at 16 minutes. Another penalty a minute later gave Laidlaw a chance to kick a long range attempt, but it went wide, despite having the distance. After the kick, Gloucester had a scrum and the backs set up in a diamond, leaving the right wing undefended. A tactic like that could be risky if nothing comes from Gloucester’s scrum, but Laidlaw took it down the blindside against four Frenchmen. Hibbard ended the move after dropping the ball as he was tackled. Ball retention is not a skill for either side today, proven when Bordeaux lost control at the base of a ruck, then gave away a penalty for diving off their feet. Laidlaw looked to make up for his wide attempt earlier and made the score 16-0 after 24 minutes. Blair Connor looked to be in with a chance, after receiving a switch pass and cutting through the Cherry defence. His grubber kick was stopped by a Gloucester wall, and the ball was knocked on by a supporting Bordeaux man. Gloucester’s scrum collapsed under the pressure, something that has plagued them of late, and Bordeaux opted to take the three points on offer. 16-3, as Pierre Bernard put Bordeaux on the board after 28 minutes. Laidlaw nullified the score in the 32^nd minute. Bordeaux want to play a good game, and knowing a free shot was there, Bernard kicked across to Connor, who did very well to keep it in play. The attempt comes to nothing though, as Hodges gave the penalty. Bernard scored the points, narrowing the gap to 13.

Not wanting to be out done for flair, Hook broke through the defensive line, but his pass back inside gets turned over. Gloucester now looked to be playing good attacking rugby, but when the offloads don’t go to plan, Moriarty spilt it to Talebula, who ran from his own 22 to score under the posts. Bernard kicked the extras, making the score 19-13 as we went into half time.

A new tactic was on show from the Bordeaux men, as they opted not to compete at any rucks. Bordeaux were sustaining an attack on Gloucester, but struggled to get past the 22. The back row and Connor were particularly impressive, but a big hit from Hibbard forced the ball into a turn over. The scrum mess hasn’t been sorted out, so Afoa and Poirot were both shown the yellow card just five minutes into the second half. Hodges was rapidly losing patience with the men on the other side of the scrum as well, warning Wood and Gomez Kodela to sort things out. The scrums were sorted long enough for the ball to be ripped out of Laidlaw’s hands by Saili playing at 6, but he knocked it forward, and Gloucester attacked in the confusion, sending Moriarty down field. Purdy supported, but eventually the ball was bundled into touch.

Sharples was once again looking sharp, but a forward pass from him to his support ended yet another attacking move. Bordeaux attempted to run the mini-maul game plan, which worked well, giving a fabulous try for Talebula. The ball worked through the hands, with the offloads from the forwards working well and a long looping pass from putting Talebula over. The conversion from Bernard made the score 19-20.

Both teams seemed desperate for the Champions Cup pooling, set to be drawn on June 16^th and the chances were being spoilt. The frantic midfield action gives way to a blistering run from Sharples, who just failed to gather his own kick. Bordeaux infringe, however, and Laidlaw scored the penalty making it 22 – 20 with six minutes to go.

Bordeaux were having to try things to get out of their own half, kicking over the Gloucester lines, but the defence of Gloucester kept the ball in Cherry and White hands. Gloucester set up for one more attack on the Bordeaux lines, but the defence of the French side eventually turned the ball over.

The scrums have been a right mess, particularly in this second half. Neither team has been particularly dominant, but needless penalties have sealed the fate of the front rows. As Gloucester wear down the clock, and the Bordeaux defence, I wonder why they don’t set up for a drop goal, but the Gloucester faithful roared in their support. Bordeaux did very well to force the Gloucester players back, and eventually force the penalty. From the line out, the ball was won by Bordeaux, and a penalty looming, Bernard lined up a drop goal to seal Gloucester’s fate. The final score 22-23 to Bordeaux-Begals, who will take on the challenge of the European Champions Cup next season. Congratulations to them!

Bath v Saracens - My Review

And so the final has passed us once again. A new champion has been crowned and another team has had to leave Twickenham disappointed but determined. There's been no doubt who the better team has been this season but today, when it mattered, Saracens delivered. All the talk of salary caps floated into the ether as two teams came to play rugby. 

The first half was not Bath's best. Their usually free flowing style, which excites crowds and puts tries on the board, seemed to struggle under the Wolfpack defence. The opening two minutes saw a high challenge from Owen Farrell on Antony Watson, which later saw the Bath fullback removed for a head injury assessment from which he never returned. It was an incident which Mike Ford reckoned warranted a red card, and many supporters around me thought at least a yellow, including the one Saracens fan I could find in the entire west stand. Admittedly, I only looked in the immediate vicinity but still! Having watched it back, the BT camera work could've shown it live, which might have helped! There might be a citing involved for a swinging arm, but I think the call was just. When questioned about it later, Farrell admitted he had apologised to Watson because, even though there was no intent, he still did it. A fair and mature comment, I thought from the man of the match. 

Aside from the moment in the opening minutes, the momentum was purely in the Saracen's favour. Bath's kicking from hand and handling coughed up possession to the Sarries, even though the overall possession turned out to be 50:50. Bath seemed to have a fully attacking side, but the want to put pressure on the Saracens seemed to force Bath into risky decisions. A fumble from Ross Batty opened the door for the new England camp inductee Jamie George to run in from about 30 metres to score the second try, and it seemed that that was something that Bath were not able to come back from. Semesa Rokodunguni tried, and so did Sam Burgess, making 85 and 52 metres respectively, and 12 and 13 carries. Rokodunguni had a great chance down the right wing, but an off the ball incident from Alex Goode meant the try turned into a penalty. There was no chance of a penalty try, but the risk Goode took showed the passion and commitment the Saracens wanted to make. 

A spirited Bath side looked to counter in the second half, and a Jonathon Joseph try, coupled with two George Ford penalties seemed to warm the crowd up for a classic comeback match. But the mean Sarries defence kept the boys in blue out. And so they rose the trophy after the final whistle blew.

I missed the interview with Ford after the match, the bowels of Twickenham are like a labyrinth with no directions, but listening to Mark McCall and Farrell, they sounded fairly humble. McCall emphasised that last year had been painful and it had been used to push them forward this season, whilst trying to emulate the Wasps of old, who were able to time their runs. He also praised Farrell as being exceptional and remarked that England are blessed with two very special flyhalves. Farrell added that the teams has had to struggle this year, and the fight for fourth place and now to beat Bath gave him and his teammates a huge sense of relief.

For me, I’m always looking out for something of the future. McCall pointed out that his pack is still very young, and they are developing, whilst some of the backs are older. I wanted to know if there was anyone that we should look out for, following the wins of the Under 18 finals and the LV cup earlier in the season. Much has been said about Maro Itoje, but Farrell praised the young lads who’d made the U18 side. “They will need to get used to what we do in the first team” he said, as the Premiership has to wait for the World Cup to finish, and the inevitable rest period for the internationals returning. Farrell highlighted Nathan Earle, a young winger who has struggled with an Achilles problem this season, but is of the same generation as Itoje. Farrell thinks that Earle could have shown what he can do this season, but he definitely will next year. Perhaps in the place of David Strettle, as McCall cryptically responded “no comment” to a query if this would be the last game we would see of Strettle and Chris Ashton. Although, he did say “definitely not of Chris,” which suggests an announcement is imminent.

But enough of the future, let’s look to the final, and another incredible epic that we have enjoyed for the Aviva Premiership Final. I think we could see somehting more from Bath. After all, the last few finals, the winners have been the losing finalists from the year before. Tigers lost to Quins before beating Northampton, who in turn beat Saracens last season. Now Saracens have done the same, beating Bath. Join us again next year, where I think we will see a change in the force. But for now, and as much as it pains me to say this, Congratulations Saracens, Aviva Premiership Champions 2015.

Bath v Saracens - Aviva Premiership Final. Second Half As Sir Saw It.

Part two then, and after a chat with some random supporters, the question to ask is “Will Bath overturn the deficit of half time?” Doubt from fans from both camps, but with the announcement of the permanent replacement of Hargreaves, can Bath take advantage having lost Watson in the first half?

Saracens seemed to be showing their power game early, taking advantage of a set maul to march up the field. But the move faltered, with the ball going forward into Bath hands, and a scrum being the result. The first scrum penalty of the half went to Bath, with Du Plessis collapsing the scrum. The tight heads appear to be the ones under most scrutiny in this fixture.

A little later, Farrell was once again penalised for a high tackle, but since Joseph was falling over, Barnes deemed it to be no more than a penalty. Ford kicked the points, making the score 6-25 six minutes into the second half. Immediately after the kick, Bath looked to emulate the Sarries driving maul, but were held up off the ground, turning possession over.

Whilst scrums are being reset, I look over at the flags and notice the Bath flag is the smallest of the three flying over Twickenham. After a free-kick is awarded to Sarries, James and Batty were replaced by Auterac and Webber respectively, and Sarries opted for the scrum. The gamble pays off for Mike Ford, with Barnes awarding the penalty to Bath in the very next scrum.

Saracens and Bath both make substitutions, both switching their tight heads with half an hour to go. Figallo and Thomas replaced Du Plessis and Wilson respectively. Bath looked to want to play smash-and-go with a dance remix, and eventually were awarded a penalty, with Ford kicking into the Sarries 22. The maul goes back, but the backs dance their way through the line, forcing the over-lap. Eastmond was held short, and, although there was space out wide, the ball stayed tight. Bath were losing yards, but a look from Ford to Joseph and the try was certain. Joseph used his footwork to step the Saracens defence and slammed over the line. With the conversion, the score at 14 minutes was Bath 13 – 25 Saracens. Sarries replaced George with Brits before the restart.

Captain Hooper is replaced by Day at the 25^th minute, just before a line out, but a fumble in the midfield turns possession to Saracens. Wigglesworth left the field for De Kock before the scrum, and the whole rotten scrum saga continued with both front rows losing their feet. After nearly 60 minutes of rugby, not one scrum has completed successfully… and nor will it, as Bath infringed with an early push.

A bit of respite with Attwood being replaced by Garvey and Figallo down looking somewhat winded after a hard tackle. Kruis is penalised for contact in the air, and Bath decided to go for the posts. Ford kicks the points, and Bath were clawing their way back in. Ashton replaced Barrett on a blood replacement, and Fearns replaced Huston for a permanent stay with 18 minutes left to go. 16-25. Tense moments! Bath were then penalised for a side entry at the ruck, giving Farrell an opportunity to kick the points. Farrell scored, making it 16-18, and 17 left to go. A true battle of the 10’s this afternoon.

After some midfield play, Barrett returns to the field, but Strettle left, making the Ashton replacement permanent. (26 minutes) Bath turned over from a Saracens lineout and Rokodunguni looked to be in, but a cover tackle from Wyles pushed him into touch. The lineout was won by Bath, and they were pushed back further until a penalty for a side entry by Figallo took Bath back up field. An exciting attack by Bath, and a fumble from Saracens brought up the tempo and excitement until a forward pass ended the drive. Meanwhile, subs were made, Itoje off and Hamilton on, Stringer in his last Bath game was removed for Cook. Just 11 minutes left, the score still 16-28. Would Bath be able to win this game? Would we see a completed scrum? The answer to the latter is no, with a penalty given to Saracens for driving at the angle. Barrett left the field again, this time being replaced by Hodgson. As we watched the game go, I thought there would need to be a drastic change in the Bath game plan to overcome the two try deficit. As I said that, Saracens mistimed a pass, and gifted Bath a scrum. A later penalty failed to find touch, as Wyles kept it in play. He cleared, but only as far as his own 10m line. A worrying commentary on the game in the form of a Mexican wave broke out, always failing to get past the posts. An unnecessary distraction, as Bath conceded another penalty. Seven minutes left.

It all looked to be going horribly wrong for Bath, as a midfield ruck was turned over to Saracens. Hodgson saw the space out wide, and kicked ahead for Ashton, who showed great composure to hurl the ball back in field to his teammate before a desperate tackle forced a knock on, and a scrum five metres from the Bath goal line. 5 minutes remaining.

Once again, the scrum resulted in a penalty for Bath, but it looks to be too little, too late for the boys in blue. 80589 supporters of rugby were present, and they saw another Bath penalty at the line out for contact in the air. A minute after a panicked scrum, and Bath were in the Sarries half, though poor handling at the line out turned the ball over to Saracens. The Saracens bench looked to be ready to get a party started, as Mako Vunipola is replaced by Barrington. Ford wanted to get away from danger, but his cross-field kick failed to find Banahan’s hands cleanly. Just four minutes left and the multitude of Bath supporters seemed to have accepted the inevitable. The Man of the Match was chosen to be Owen Farrell, which prompted a series of boos from the Bath faithful.

 The clock appeared to have been stuck on 4 minutes and suddenly went to 0. Both teams were oblivious, and Saracens kept marching forward, though a drop goal attempt by Farrell went wide. Just time for the restart and another scrum. Can this one be finished cleanly? Yes, but the game is over. Saracens have won. 16-28. Congratulations to Saracens, the 2015 Premiership Champions.

Stay tuned for my review of the match.