Rumours of the Premiership’s demise, it would appear, have been greatly exaggerated. If it was with tentative, apprehensive steps that England’s eight Investec Champions Cup representatives embarked on their continental campaigns after a year of worry and woe, then a weekend return of seven wins (including three on the road) suggested a league in rather ruder health than first appears.
That it was Saracens, the best side in the Premiership, who fell short came as a surprise but there were certainly promising signs here for a league in need of a dose of positivity. Some mitigating circumstances helped explain the Premiership’s opening weekend pre-eminence – the Stormers, for instance, sent something of a second-string side to Welford Road – but wins for Exeter, Northampton and Harlequins particularly evidenced quality that might not have been immediately apparent.
