6 things we learned from the weekend’s rugby

1. English stock rises at the Ricoh

At the Ricoh Arena on Sunday evening we witnessed a fitting finale to the weekend’s action as Wasps destroyed the defending champions, Toulon, in a display of terrier-like defence and clinical finishing.

Most pleasing for English rugby fans that have endured a miserable few months was the contribution that the English players made to the win.

Joe Simpson was like a hungry badger at the base of the scrum and the breakdown, smothering the likes of Steffon Armitage and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe before they had even raised their head above the parapet.

Elliot Daly went around people with his quick feet but also brought people into the game with his ball handling. Add his ability to put the ball between the sticks from his own half and it can only be a matter of time before he wins his first England cap.

Joe Launchbury’s performance was the biggest talking point, however, as he led a superior pack to lineout and breakdown dominance that had social media in a frenzy calling for him to be the next captain of his country.

2. The gap between the PRO12 and the rest is getting wider

As the Aviva Premiership teams completed a clean sweep of victories, the PRO12 sides did the exact opposite. Not one win between them and aside from a very spirited Ospreys come back and resolute Leinster defence, their performances as a whole were sub-standard.

Glasgow’s core skills deserted them at home to Northampton while the Scarlets, also at home, were out of their match against Racing 92 before half time. Ulster were out played in the second half by both Saracens and the conditions, whilst Treviso conceded five tries to Leicester despite the appalling conditions in Italy.

There is no real need to panic as there is unlikely to be a repeat of this kind of weekend, but nevertheless it is what is causing these poor performances that is most disheartening.

The initial idea was that the league would present more of a challenge for those involved by playing across Europe week in week out. But instead, teams are having to change their style of play every week to suit difficult pitches in half-empty stadiums. The difference in quality between the top and the bottom of the league is also a concern.

This weekend’s result in Europe will hopefully be nothing more than a blip, but it will nevertheless be of concern to fans and administrators of the PRO12 alike.

3. Exiles test Eddie Jones’ resolve

The new England head coach has clearly stated that he supports the RFU’s stance on selecting foreign-based players, but when Nick Abendanon put David Strettle away for the first of his two scintillating tries at the weekend you do have to wonder under what circumstances Eddie Jones has decided not to fight this policy.

Later on in the second half, Strettle repeated the trick as his dancing feet saw him skip over for his second try of the match.

Every time Strettle had the ball, he beat a defender or made yards and for once we can’t say that it was due to a nice, hard pitch in the southern half of France because the surface was, quite frankly, terrible.

4. Sealing off is rife at the breakdown

This is one for the referees to keep an eye out for as the tactic of sealing off, which was outlawed only a few years ago, has crept back into general play and the referees are not all on the same page. Over the weekend we saw numerous occurrences of this, mainly in games involving the French sides.

Clermont scored a wonderful try against the Ospreys that saw Aurelien Rougerie dive over under the posts but in two of the rucks leading up to it, a Clermont forward planted his hands straight on the ground over the tackled player which ensured lightening quick – but technically illegal – ball to play with.

Ospreys would probably have struggled to turn the ball over as the men from the Marcel Michelin were so far on the front foot but they didn’t have a chance in the first place and rules are rules. We want a contest at every breakdown and the opportunity to fight for the ball, so just because teams may be going forward at pace, the referees still need to penalise them.

5. When playing the French you must counter and not contain

So far in this tournament, the teams that have had disregarded the star-studded nature of the French teams are the ones getting the best results.

In the past we have seen too many teams overawed by their opposition from across the Channel, attempting a damage limitation exercise, but in both the competitions this year we have seen tea,s genuinely believe that they go to France and get a result.

If a team is of an attacking mind-set it generally means there will be gaps in their defence. It’s just down to you to find them, something the Ospreys managed over the weekend. They ultimately came up short, but to go to the home of last year’s finalists and come away with two points is testament to the way that they played.

Wasps, however, epitomised this best. They countered in defence as well as attack. Patience played a big part in this but ultimately, their belief that they could open up their perceived better opposition was key to their success.

6. The Barbarians still have a place in rugby

Away from the European Cups, the Barbarians faced off against Argentina at Twickenham and in true Baa Baas style, a festival of exciting, running rugby ensued; hardly surprising considering the global stars that had been assembled to face off against Argentina’s best available XV.

It was also the perfect way for one Barbarians legend, Jonah Lomu, to be remembered and he would certainly have approved of the style of rugby that was played.

Argentina warmed up in shirts sporting the All Black hero’s number on their backs, whilst the Barbarians whited-out the same number on fellow giant wing Nemani Nadolo’s shirt.

The biggest tribute of all was left to Nadolo himself, though, as he bounced numerous defenders off in true Lomu style and barrelled his way over for a score befitting of the occasion and the great man himself.

By Andy Daniel (@scrum5ive)

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images