Bath defeated Sale on the road for their first win of the year. Carraro had two tries and Banahan had one. It was my first exposure to Carraro, and I already documented my fondness for Banahan. Bath’s kicking game appeared improved also.
London Irish firmly crushed newly-promoted Leeds Carnegie. The exiles scored 7 tries. This prompts two questions: is the gap between National Divison One and the Premiership so large that a quality team like London Irish ought to be expected to pounce on ND One’s last champion? And two, I’m curious if there is any unwritten rule in rugby as to running up a score when a game has been reasonably put away? London Irish were leading 35-7 with 30 minutes left – and THEN scored three more tries. I understand that tries scored is a distant tiebreaker in the fixtures, but at what point do rugby fans feel that enough is enough?
Gloucester lost at home to Northampton. The game featured seven penalty tries! Two observations from the highlights. One, Gloucester has (had?) a flanker, Akapusi Qera, who scored a try. I could see myself rooting for that guy. Two, after the loss at home, the crowd was audibly cheering, suggesting a decent Northampton fan presence. Is Northampton a good road draw, or do Gloucester fans not show up adequately?
London Wasps took care of business against Worcester at home. It doesn’t appear that the Wasps ticket is a hot commodity, which is a bit disappointing. And, of the four finalists, the Wasps’ website forum is the only one I’ve struggled to log in to.
Next week’s match between Bath and Leicester at the Rec is televised in the US. I’ll be tuning in.
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