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That was the Aviva Premiership season that was

'Difficult' doesn't begin to describe Bristol's season in the English Premiership

The 2016/17 Premiership season is over, bar the playoff shouting. James Harrington runs the rule over the 12 clubs’ campaigns.

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Yes, there are three matches left before Saracens* are crowned Premiership champions again, but now the regular campaign is over, it’s time to issue those end-of-season report cards, in table-finishing order…

Wasps

Five seasons ago, Wasps avoided relegation by the skin of a Tom Varndell tackle, and bankruptcy by the width of a crisp new £5 note. Now, they finish the regular season at the head of the table, beat the defending champions at their relatively new home in front of more than 30,000 fans – and they are even starting to add some defensive devil to their attacking dare. This is the new Wasps, nothing like the old Wasps.

Exeter Chiefs

The RFU will be watching Exeter coach Rob Baxter, with one eye on the England job which is due to become vacant after the 2019 World Cup. Finishing the season with eight maximum-point wins and nine try bonus points in their last nine outings tells you what they’re all about. Only the rugby gods know how good they could be when everything clicks and they have a full complement of players to choose from.

Saracens

From the outside looking in, self-belief is often mistaken for arrogance – and the fact that Saracens rested plenty of first-choice players, including five Lions, for their final round trip to Wasps smacks of the latter. But the fact is they don’t care where they play, and that is all because they have boatloads of the former. They have Clermont in the Champions Cup final in Edinburgh next week, and Exeter at Sandy Park in the Premiership semi-final the week after. It will be a stupidly brave punter who bets against them winning both matches, then going on to lift the domestic title at Twickenham against either Wasps or Leicester. But, most likely, Wasps.

Leicester Tigers

Amid backroom carnage, Leicester still managed to make the Premiership play-offs for the 13th straight season. And that needs to be recognised. But they’re are not the perennial champions-elect anymore. And they should recognise that. New head coach Matt O’Connor arrived in April after the Tigers dumped their second head coach of the season. But his work really starts at the end of the season.

Bath

Yes, Bath are in next season’s Champions Cup. And, yes, they can point out that injuries have played merry hell with their season – but all is not entirely well at the Rec, and Todd Blackadder will have his hands full working to ensure that the quo’s status is much improved next season.

Harlequins

A mixed bag from Quins, who could hit the heights of their match against Wasps and the plumb the depths of their performance against Exeter in a matter of weeks – but there’s plenty of promise from the London side. And the signs are promising of more to come, as they return to the Champions Cup after a season away. But they’ll have to do it without either of the Nick Es – Evans and Easter – who called time on their careers during this campaign.

Northampton Saints

The cruellest of positions for the Saints, after the cruellest of final weekend matches. Seventh means no automatic Champions Cup place, but the possibility of a shot at a playoff, if Top 14 side Stade Francais beat Gloucester in Friday’s Challenge Cup final. In truth, it’s about the best Northampton deserve after a season in which their attempts at flattering to deceive flattered to deceive.

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Newcastle Falcons

When eighth out of 12 is a sign of progress, you know things haven’t been great at Kingston Park. Eighth is the Falcons’ best finish since 2006, and the first time they have finished outside the bottom two since they returned to the Premiership following a year-long Championship hiatus in 2012/13. But, in getting to eighth, they played some seriously good rugby. And their signings for next season suggest more serious rugby is on the cards. This may be just the start of something.

Gloucester

The Cherry-and-Whites now are where Saracens were in 2009. With the prospect of added Challenge Cup gilt to hide the problems. But they were the first visiting team to win at La Rochelle since, well, forever, and that man Johan Ackermann is on his way. Beating Stade Francais in Friday’s Challenge Cup final in Edinburgh will give Gloucester an unlikely route into next season’s Champions Cup. Whether that would actually be the right place for the club right now remains to be seen.

Sale Sharks

The Champions Cup was a competition too far for Sale this season, as they struggled for large portions of the campaign on not one but two fronts. For a brief period, they even risked being sucked into the relegation dogfight. It’s to their credit that they duked their way out of it, but Steve Diamond will expect better next season.

Worcester Warriors

No lack of effort this season from the grandly named Warriors, certainly not after Gary Gold arrived in January. And they could – on occasion – be inspired. But such moments were nowhere near enough to hide the fact that they were generally struggling up front. Gold will have to work hard over the summer break to build a functioning pack around prop Nick Schonert and old-timer Donncha O’Callaghan that will be worthy of the Warriors name.

Bristol

Megarich owner Steve Lansdown admitted recently that the other clubs in the Premiership were ‘miles ahead’ of Bristol this year. He’s right. He has also said he should have acted earlier. That would have made no difference. It’s not entirely their fault, but they struggled to reach the standards necessary for this class of rugby. A short spell in a newly playoff-free Championship to allow those big-name signings to bed should mean they’re better prepared the season after next when they, inevitably, return.

*probably

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O
Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 3 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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