Aviva Premiership Round 10: 5 things we learned

1. Enough is enough

Dylan Hartley is a wonderful rugby player and has, by all accounts, been one of the standout hookers in world rugby in 2014. But once again he has completely unnecessarily landed himself a date with the disciplinary panel with a stupid act on the rugby field. Now, some players have a bit of devil about them and that is part of their game – the Jamie Cudmores of this world are firebrands who base their game on being unpleasant to play against, and that can be an attribute. But they are not captains. They are not looked to as an example for the younger members of their club. Frankly, the decision to make Hartley captain is, once again, looking stupid. Whether Matt Smith overreacted or not is irrelevant – lashing out with your elbow like that is always likely to end in some sort of punishment. It was not the act of a club captain.

2. A Mauger fall from grace

Of course, in the end Hartley’s red card had no effect on the result and he has 14 fellow Saints to thank for that, all of whom were superb. But to be brutally honest, they were up against a side that is currently far from their equal. The Tigers look lost. They have been on the decline ever since the departure of Matt O’Connor, whose own travails as head coach of a struggling Leinster side are making that decision look like a bad one for all involved. Perhaps Richard Cockerill’s number two is the role he was made for. Either way, Aaron Mauger can’t return to the East Midlands soon enough. Leicester badly need their attacking game – what little of it is left – overhauling as their inability to finish off a team with 14 men proved. Mauger, a man who spent several happy years at Welford Road, could be the man to do just that. He arrives before the start of next season, and it is with increasing certainty that we can say that Leicester won’t be winning anything before then.

3. Goode times at the Ricoh

Andy Goode – the so-called “space-hopper with a combover” (hat tip to Mike Cooper for that description) – is having a simply sublime season. It reached a new peak on Sunday as he scored a Premiership record 33 points, including a try of his own. The argument that defences underestimate him can’t be true any more, but he still seems to find a way to break the gainline with alarming regularity for such an unconventional-looking fly-half. He is enjoying his rugby and will do so even more now his club are based in his home-town of Coventry, where they started the new era with a bang by demolishing London Irish 48-16. Wasps broke another record that day in setting the highest Premiership attendance at a designated home ground, but without throwing free tickets at everyone it will be fascinating to see what kind of crowd they can maintain for the rest of the season. More magic from Goode, however, and they’ll be fine.

4. Further into the mire

For the second time this season, London Welsh shipped 70 points, this time away at Saracens. It’s not a game they can be expected to win, sure, but to lose that heavily again is shocking. London Irish, perennial relegation zone-flirters, won at Allianz Park last season while Newcastle pushed Harlequins all the way just this weekend. Welsh are a million miles away from even being close. There are financial matters in play which they are keen to highlight, but it’s the same for most promoted clubs and it’s hard to remember a year in recent times when one has struggled so much. Just as important as financial disparity is their complete inability to communicate in defence, a problem borne of signing every man and his dog over the summer. After the difficulties they had with promotion last time round (the stadium dispute starving them of recruitment time), it was hoped that this time, with the chance to source players properly, they would do better. The opposite has been true.

5. On the radar

It may feel like the Autumn Internationals have only just ended but already thoughts are turning to the Six Nations, never more so than in the case of Mr Lancaster. It would have been encouraging, then, to see several of his potential charges catching the eye over the weekend. George Ford was virtuoso again in the West Country derby, surely proving once and for all that the demons that used to dog him in the bigger games have been banished. A finer gainline-attacking fly-half in the league there is not (although Andy Goode comes a close second). Joe Simpson and Christian Wade were typically electric for Wasps, but you suspect it is in the backs-to-the-wall, defence-oriented games in which they need to impress to convince Lancaster they are ready. It was Luther Burrell, however, who did more than anyone to send a message to the England selectors, dragging a depleted Northampton over the line against their greatest rivals. He ran and tackled hard and showed some nice touches with ball in hand. As Jim Mallinder said after the game, if Lancaster doesn’t pick him now, he never will. It would be such a waste if that becomes the case.

By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images