Eight things we learned from the opening round of the Gallagher Premiership
The Gallagher Premiership has finally returned to stadiums and screens for the first time since June this weekend; after a lengthy pre-season, the ten best teams in the land are back to fight it out for the ultimate prize in English club rugby.
With five games across the weekend and some very interesting results, here are eight things we learned from the opening round of fixtures in the 2024-25 Gallagher Premiership Season.
1) Bath hurt from the final:
Under the Friday night lights at the Rec, Bath certainly put on a show for their fans in the opening fixture of the weekend as they secured revenge for June’s final. They beat the reigning champions, Northampton, 38-16. Whilst it wasn’t the complete performance, a dominant showing from back row Miles Reid on his 100th appearance for the club personified the game. There were also glimpses of England winger Joe Cockansiga back to his once unbeatable best with a solid try to start, shoving off the attempted tackle of Tom James to finish in the corner. However, it is hard to look past the man of the match performance from the immense captain Ben Spencer. He controlled the game perfectly, marshalling his troops around the pitch and definitely deserved all of the plaudits at full-time. With that performance, it’s clear to see why so many have them as favourites to go one step further and take the title this year, with Spencer certainly putting his hand up for that England nine shirt this autumn.
2) Micheal Chieka’s Tigers are here, and they’re roaring:
It was a tight affair down in the South-West on Saturday. Tigers went in with a 3-0 lead at halftime, only to go two tries down by the 60th-minute mark. With 20 minutes left, somehow, despite a 70th-minute red card, the Micheal Cheika era at Leicester Tigers started with a famous win over the Exeter Chiefs. It was far from the performance he would have wanted out of his side, but the fight and determination to go out and win with a try in the final minute of a game is what makes championship-winning teams. Chieka had said in the week that we were going to see a Leicester Tigers side that returned to its DNA, and that was truly the case with a physically dominant performance, especially at the set-piece. They set the tone early, in the 9th minute, after a cagey start, the Tigers pack ripped apart the Chiefs scrum. Cheika was clearly proud of his men, given his reaction to that Tommy Reffell try with the clock in the red, and he will hope they take that momentum back to Welford road next Sunday as they host a red-hot Bath side.
3) Dupont law no more:
The Dupont law caused a lot of controversy in the game last season. Most poignantly, it was highlighted in the second half of the Six Nations fixture between France and Scotland. Whilst not quite a law, more of a loophole, it was first exploited by the world’s best player, Antione Dupont. In simple terms, the law stated that any player in an offside position from a kick would be played onside once the player that caught the ball moved five metres. Dupont, and then other teams, exploited that by ensuring that everyone, including the catcher, remained still, allowing them all the time they liked to choose what to do next. The loophole, whilst a brilliantly clever identification, caused outrage with players just standing completely still in the middle of an intense game. However, over the summer break, World Rugby made required changes to the law, meaning that all players must make an effort to retreat if they’re offside when their teammate makes the kick. As is well documented in the rugby world, any time a new change is made to the laws, you can guarantee that for the first few games, the referees will have a mandate to ensure that it is enforced in a strict fashion. Despite this, it seems that some teams over the weekend may need a couple more games to get out of the habit. Multiple sides across the weekend were caught out and conceded ‘coach killer penalties’, with Northampton falling foul twice in the first half to Bath as well as Exeter to Leicester Tigers. It will surely be a strong focus for teams in training over the coming weeks to ensure these mistakes don’t happen again.
4) Saracens keep their edge:
There was a lot of discussion throughout the offseason on what type of Saracens side we would see this season. After 16 years of driving the standards at the club both as player and captain, with six premiership titles and three European titles to show for it, Owen Farrell left Saracens at the conclusion of the season to pursue opportunities in the Top 14 with Racing 92. As well as the departure of the Vunipola brothers, it feels like the beginning of a new era at the North London club. However, Friday night’s result was the perfect start for Mark McCall’s men, as Farrell’s replacement, Fergus Burke, was able to control the game and see out the 26-35 win despite a late resurgence from Gloucester spurred on by their loyal support at Kingsholm in the ‘shed’. There was a man performance from Andy Onyeama-Christie as well as a standout performance from the ever-present Tom Willis who topped the carry count as well as turnovers. It’s early days, but Saracens could still be a threat for the title that they always have been.
5) Under 20’s stars shine:
Many will remember that back in July, the England Under 20’s squad emerged victorious in the Under 20’s World Cup for the first time in the tournament since 2016, and in the process denied their opposition, France, a fourth title in a row. After winning the Six Nations earlier in the year, Mark Mapletoft’s men had completed a historic double. Since then, there has been an outcry for the RFU and clubs to capitalise on the success of the pathway and ensure that these players’ talents are not wasted. This weekend, we saw the first glimpses of some of the stars of this summer’s tournament on show for Premiership clubs. One of the key components to the success of that England side was their dominant front row, and two of those stars started for Premiership clubs this weekend. Afolabi Fasogbon started for Gloucester, as well as Asher Opoku-Fordjour, who made his first start for Sale Sharks. Fasogbon won an early turnover for his side in a statement performance as well as maintaining a 100% success rate at scrum time. Opoku Fordjour equally had a strong performance, winning two early scrum penalties up against a strong Harlequins pack. There was also a 20-minute appearance off the bench on Friday night for Newcastle Falcons winger Ben Resdhaw, who was a standout performer in that England backline across the tournament. There will undoubtedly be plenty of other opportunities for the other stars of that championship-winning squad to make their mark on the Premiership, such as fly-half Ben Coen, who signed a new deal with Exeter Chiefs this week, as well as the man who lifted the trophy, Finn Carnduff, at Leicester Tigers as well as fan favourite Henry Pollock at Northampton Saints.
6) Sharks manage to keep their fins above the water:
It was a tight affair in the North East on Sunday afternoon as the great entertainers, Harlequins, made the long journey and travelled to Sale Sharks. Whilst fans may have been hoping for an exciting fixture, it’s safe to say that it was far from it, as four penalties from the reliable boot of George Ford denied Harlequins a win on the road as the Sharks edged a one-point victory. Harlequins scored the only try of the game off the back of a rolling maul with Jack Walker going over. However, a missed conversion from the legendary kicker and former Welsh international Leigh Halfpenny on his debut from the club. It would prove to be a costly miss come full-time. The game was far from pretty for both sides. The conditions surely played a part; however, both were plagued by simple errors that will certainly be scrutinized in Monday morning’s review sessions. It could prove to be a vital win from Alex Sanderson’s men, who edged the win, but major improvements will need to be made if they hope to make another top-four.
7) Newcastle’s struggles continue:
It seems a tale as old as time at this point: Newcastle Falcons lose another game. After a winless season last year, the Steve Diamond era up in the ‘true north’ didn’t start much better as Bristol Bears secured a bonus point win on the road with a 24-3 victory. It was tight at half-time as Newcastle were still close in the game, only two points behind with the score at 5-3; however, three second-half tries for the visitors meant it was the same old story come the final whistle. Bears dominated possession and territory at 67% for both stats as well as making 523 metres across the game compared to Newcastle’s 94. If there’s any coach who can turn around the hopes of a club in a position like Newcastle, Steve Diamond is that man. However, if Friday night’s performance is any indicator of where this young squad is currently at, then Diamond has his work cut out for him.
8) Chiefs littered with mistakes:
Despite their opposition going down to 14 men, Exeter Chiefs lacked the proper game management to see out a tight contest with Leicester Tigers. Whilst Rob Baxter may have said in the week that his side was maturing, out on the pitch, they looked like the young squad, many expected them to be last season. They faced disruption early on with multiple injuries, which forced players to play out of position; however, it was no excuse for Baxter’s men, who had the opportunity to secure an important win at home. Before Saturday, Exeter Chiefs had never lost an opening-round fixture at Sandy Park and will have to carry that burden with them for the rest of the season. Looking at the statistics, they were poor in a lot of areas, with 15 penalties conceded and 8 turnovers lost on top of 21 missed tackles. With a difficult trip to the reigning champions next weekend, a stern assessment by Baxter will be required and can be expected given his harsh words at full-time.
So, with round one completed, the table looks slightly different from what it will be by the time we reach Round 18. There will be lessons learned for sides across the league, with some shocking results. The Gallegher Premiership continues to prove why it is the most entertaining league in the land.
