Northampton exemplifies this. Many thought their coach, Phil Dowson, had ruled out the trip to Bath as too challenging to win. Hence, he rested star players such as Alex Mitchell and Finn Smith.
Not so, I think. He obviously has faith in both his coaching staff and squad depth. Like Bristol, Northampton are offering a more progressive style of attacking rugby - a combination of flair and individual virtuosity. Henry Pollock’s on-field posturing may not necessarily make him everyone’s favourite player, but he can play rugby. He offers both virtuosity and hard work.
The players rewarded Dowson’s faith by defeating Bath 21-41 in the Gallagher Premiership on Dec 27, with 21 unanswered points coming in the second half.
I am not in the Finn Russell camp, as sometimes he is far too casual for me. I like fly-halves who dare to attack the line. This leads me on to George Ford, who plays 7s during a 15-a-side game. It can be attractive to watch, but England won’t win the next World Cup with a sevens player at 10. Sadly, Ford needed only a small part of his repertoire to beat a lacklustre Harlequins 43-17, who barely deserve a mention.
Gloucester is spending big time. They need to, and possibly on a new coach. They are currently second from the bottom and are likely to remain there for some time.
Bristol defeated Newcastle Red Bull 36-27, whose roster increasingly includes experienced Kiwi players nearing retirement or overlooked by All Black selectors. Christie and Sotutu are improving Newcastle’s performance, but not enough to win.
The re-emergence of Exeter is good for the game. Some shrewd signings, the improvement and exposure of young players and the crowd are flooding back. Beating Leicester is never easy, but doing so emphatically by 24-10 says a lot.
What of Leicester? It is noted that finances are strained, with leading players leaving; Martin for Saracens and Smith moving to Sale. However, there is a rigid backbone at Leicester, so never write them off.
The table going into the New Year sees Northampton top, Exeter second, Bath third and Bristol fourth.
Next week, we look at the URC and the Top 14, asking where is the strength in Northern Hemisphere rugby?
Wherever you live, enjoy your rugby.
The Global Rugby Coach, Mike Penistone, is a globally renowned professional rugby coach based in Phuket who is also an ambassador for the Asia Center Foundation, a charity for disadvantaged children. For more information visit: www.rugbycoachingconsultancy.com.