Monday 22 September 2014 17:47, UK
We had friends round for dinner Saturday night - an Irish couple, Munster supporters but long-time residents in the West Country with Bath their adopted team. When I opened the door I knew the night was going to be a long one.
They had been to the Recreation Ground where their adopted team had produced one of the most thrilling displays of attacking rugby ever seen at the old ground.
I played in a few decent Bath teams but don’t recall us ever being anywhere near that good. The thing for Bath is to keep winning when they don’t play that well. If they master that knack, Bath is back as a force in both England and Europe.
The 45-0 score-line was the headline result in what was another fascinating week of European rugby. If Bath were the team of the week, Connacht produced the result of the week. Their 10-9 defeat of Leinster was another reminder that Pat Lam is producing a competitive team; all this and Mils Muliaina waiting in the wings.
With three straight wins the men from the far west have enjoyed a fabulous start to the season although with Glasgow away next Friday it will take something special for the winning run to continue.
Ospreys are top of the table but have yet to face one of the league’s stronger teams. Nevertheless 60-plus points scored against an Edinburgh team that themselves won at Thomond Park makes their visit to Munster an intriguing one next weekend, and one we are really looking forward to making.
But Glasgow, in front of the cameras for a second time this season, is the side to beat. The balance of driving play and fluent (and well organised play) in the loose highlights them as the Guinness Pro 12 team of the opening few weeks. Gregor Townsend’s team had a 10-minute spell when a ridiculous decision to send Tyrone Holmes, their open side flanker off, rocked them but they were soon enough on an even keel. Even though the Dragons were decimated with injury a bonus point win with 14 men for half a game is not to be sniffed at.
Ospreys apart, it has been a bad start for the Welsh regions with the other three amassing two wins between them and those wins were against the Italian teams who have registered nothing. That itself is a disappointment. In the battle for the automatic Italian European Cup berth next season Zebre heads Treviso. Neither team has a point but Zebre’s points differential of -61 opposed to -85 edges them the seventh spot.
'Awkward'
Were we to stop the clocks now the qualification process would leave Leinster out of the European Cup. These are early days but it has been an awkward start for Matt O’Connor’s men. Guy Noves would settle for 'awkward'. Going into Saturday’s away game at Racing Metro, Toulouse had just lost three consecutive French league games for the first time in 36 years. Now the run stretches to four games.
There has been a steady diminution of ambition, balance and excellence through the last decade under Guy Noves. Whereas anything but a Leinster revival would be a stunning shock, it would not shock me to see Toulouse miss out on a top half of the table spot in France. They are currently behind Grenoble, Oyonnax and La Rochelle in the Top 14 table; no more needs saying about their current predicament.
At the top end it is business as usual. Clermont and Toulon are top, Montpellier are chasing the big two and Racing Metro are starting to become regulars at the top table. Only Bordeaux Begles would be seen as a surprise top-six team.
The same applies in England where the usual big four are (the Saints, Saracens, Tigers and Harlequins) filling four of the top six spots with Bath an expected challenger (fifth last season) sitting on the top of the table. Exeter are the other top six team and I for one and am not prepared to describe that as a surprise, so well are they coached and managed.
As for Saturday night, it gathered significant force into Sunday. Having Bath fans to dinner when Leicester has been beaten by 45-0 points made that the most obvious result of the weekend.
Got a question for Stuart? Email him at skysportsclub@bskyb.com or use the feedback form below.
Hi Stuart, Do you think that an already strong All Black side and the best side in the world have the best draw in the Rugby Championship in terms of travel by some distance? They get to play more games at home in a row. Do you know if this will change at all, I really don't think they need any extra advantage currently?
Simon Morris
STUART REPLIES: Simon, Last year the All Blacks had a difficult journey across Argentina and to Johannesburg for the finale to the Rugby Championship. Quietly a few Kiwis were, shall we say, ‘peeved’ with the logistics of that trip. I think there is a degree of swings and roundabouts although I shall keep a beady eye on the Championship structure from now on.
Hi Stuart, while I have been quite bemused with Mourad Boudjellal's outbursts about tearing up contracts (surely he knew what would happen when he signed this big stars?) he does raise a valid point about the legality and the fairness of players leaving their clubs to play for their country. Why should a club foot the bill for the (large) salaries of employees who are not at work?
Mike Flouton
STUART REPLIES: Mike, Clubs will not pay individuals to represent their country forever although the obvious answer here is to insert a clause where finances are dependent upon time spent between club and country. Players should be paid less if they play less for their team unless the object is to utilise their excellence in other ways, both professional and marketing. In that case a contract signed is a contract honoured but this argument cuts to the quick of what has been happening in Ireland over the years and Wales recently, who controls the players and here club and country are bound to clash.
Brive have to fix their lack of composure and excessive aggression at the breakdown quickly, or their fate will be sealed. What do you make of their indiscipline this year and what do they need to do to sort it out?
Andrew Cowes
STUART REPLIES: I don't think much of Brive's discipline Andrew and as for sorting it out... the same as any other team, you work on it. Discipline, like attack defence, line out and scrums is an aspect of the game and recognising the issues and working to address them has been the solution forever and will continue to be so. Between management and players discipline is fixable, of not the management deserves more than a lingering analysis.
