It was quite the weekend for our West Country sides as the Gallagher Premiership made an enthralling return, packed with giant killings, stunning debuts and enthralling comebacks.
Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday night, Bristol Bears and Bath’s curtain raiser at Ashton Gate was bafflingly delayed by 22 hours, but the rugby certainly did not disappoint when it got underway as the hosts marginally defeated their derby rivals 31-29, with both teams looking vastly improved from their disappointing 2021/22 seasons.
Exeter Chiefs meanwhile hosted defending champions Leicester Tigers at Sandy Park, overcoming their visitors 24-20 with a score in the final play, with hopes this season will right the wrongs of the past 12 months..
At Kingsholm, Gloucester clashed with Wasps for a barnstormer that saw the Cherry and Whites recover from a 21-0 halftime deficit to secure a 27-21 victory to kick-off what they hope will be a play-off clinching season.
After three exciting contests, rugby reporter Nathan Russell picks a team of the week comprised of the best performers from our South West clubs.
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15. Charles Piutau (Bristol)
Perhaps the classiest player in the Premiership continues to showcase his frankly absurd skillset, characteristically reminding us he still holds the mantle of Bristol’s most dangerous player in the backline.
His brutal hand-off on Matt Gallagher in the lead up to the Luke Morahan try looked like child’s play to the now Tongan international.
He showcased his ridiculous offloading ability with three successful passes out of contract, beat seven defenders with his footwork and showed his talent for simply running over people who refuse to move.
14. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester)
The fact that 90m tries of the ilk he scored on Sunday are becoming customary for the Wales international is a terrifyingly hilarious predicament – you just can’t help but laugh at his unparalleled ability to jetpack his way up a pitch.
Rees-Zammit has to be the fastest man in the Premiership and there’s little to nothing defences can do if he finds a gap, regardless of where on the field.
His jarred back and boots falling apart only made his score more impressive – as Austin Healy said: “I don’t think there’s any other player in the league that scores this try.”
13. Piers O’Conor (Bristol)
A more understated week for our region’s 13s, but O’Conor had a trademark game with a couple of neat breaks that put the vastly improved Bath defence on the back foot.
Did a great job providing quick service to the wide men despite skin-tight pressure from Bath alongside some key tackles and turnovers in the breakdown.
12. Solomone Kata (Exeter)
The South West’s answer to an infantry tank made a marvelous first impression at Sandy Park, marking his debut with a five-pointer, finding a gap between Jimmy Gopperth and Hosea Saumaki to give Exeter a half-time lead.
I was surprised to see the Tongan injected into the starting side so quickly, and at centre as well having been signed as a winger, but with Ollie Devoto and Tom Hendrickson injured, he made his case with punishing carries, while also proving himself as a quality hard line runner at the back of the lineout.
11. Rich Lane (Bristol)
The fullback by trade made a good impression in his maiden Premiership appearance at left wing for Bristol, looking at home with the number 11 on his back.
98 metres to his name led the charts, as his punishing carries repeatedly placed Bath on the back foot, utilising every available inch on his flank.
10. Piers Francis (Bath)
I’d categorise myself as someone who has always rated Piers Francis as a player, but had justifiable doubts that utilising him as a fly-half may not be the best option for Bath in terms of squad depth.
Oh how I have eaten my words!
100% off the tee as he racked up 19 points accompanied with some quality tactical kicking and solid organising of the back line has jumped him to the front of the 10 shirt queue, shockingly stealing the starting fly-half slot from under Orlando Bailey’s nose, or at least for now.
Had he made that last play drop goal he would’ve been a hero to Bath’s rampant fanbase in an instant.
More to come from the England international.
9. Ben Spencer (Bath)
If dummying was an art form, Ben Spencer would be a visionary.
The pressure of captaining one of the most storied clubs in rugby union may have been a lot to take in for many, but this man had no such problems, carrying the burden of leadership effortlessly.
If daring to dummy Ellis Genge wasn’t enough, the scrum-half proceeded to also send Charles Piutau on his holidays on his way to the try-line.
A classy player who has been criminally underrated his whole career, play on.
1. Ellis Genge (Bristol)
Our expectations of Genge are particularly lofty following his success Down Under in England colours, but the world’s best loosehead well and truly exceeded them as he made his triumphant return to his beloved home city of Bristol.
Scored with a quite frankly disgusting 30-metre carry with his first touch, dummying and steamrolling before hammering his chest as he charged over the line to get Pat Lam’s side’s season off to a dream start.
If Genge had done nothing for the remaining 79 minutes he still would have been written in Bears’ folklore, but the Baby Rhino boldly opted to tap and go in the second half, barrelling his way over Ben Spencer on his route to the try line.
There aren’t many props that can lead an attack, but this guy manages it, topping the Premiership for defenders beaten in Round One with eight men bypassed. Bravo.
2. Tom Dunn (Bath)
The fan favourite powered over fantastically with a short-range pick-and-drive for a score, only overcoming Joe Joyce, Magnus Bradbury and Chris Vui on his way to the line.
The lineout looks vastly improved after last season’s pitfalls, with Dunn consistently hitting his targets.
A big hitter both offensively and defensively, the hooker threw his weight around to a lot of success in an enticing contest.
3. Patrick Schickerling (Exeter)
With murmurings of Kyle Sinckler considering moving across the channel following the world cup next year, the England tighthead shirt could be up for grabs in the near future, and Schickerling certainly put his hand up in this match-winning performance on Saturday.
From the second he entered proceedings just following half-time, the England-selected prop made use of his barnstorming carries, fatiguing the Leicester defence with each punishing drive.
After spending large portions of the second half in the champions’ 22, Schickerling broke the deadlock once the timer had gone red, beating the defending Olly Cracknell to the try-line to put a tick in his side’s winning column.
4. Freddie Clarke (Gloucester)
The converted second row continues to demonstrate that the engine room is his home, making some gut-busting hits in a massive shift.
Ultimately scored the try that made the difference, securing Gloucester’s largest ever comeback as they somehow clawed back the deficit to secure a win in what could be a stunning season for the Cherry and Whites.
Also led the game in tackles (14) with some crunchers in his highlight reel.
5. Dave Attwood (Bath)
Had Ellis Genge not blown everyone out the water, the talk of the South West would be Dave Attwood’s magnificent return to Bath.
Hyped from the moment he stepped on the field for his personal most anticipated match-up of the season, the second rower defensively mauled to perfection, steadying the ship for Bath following a season packed with set-piece mishaps.
His passion is unrivalled, and the Blue, Black and White will reap the benefits. Bravo.
6. Dave Ewers (Exeter)
Bosh.
One of the stand-out carriers in Exeter’s second half onslaught on the defending champions.
To repeat something John Evely once told me: “he’s never not been dominant in a collision”, and that record remained on Saturday.
Pretty sure this man is made of granite, specifically designed to punch holes in defences until they succumb.
And Leicester ultimately succumbed on Saturday, I’m confident if Ewers hadn’t come off the bench when he did on Saturday Exeter would be a fair bit lower down the Premiership table right now.
7. Richard de Carpentier (Bath)
A simply stunning shift for the former sevens man, I find myself jaw-dropped at his Herculean work-rate.
His best game in Blue, Black and White was headlined by some punishing carries, tireless breakdown work and formidable tackles.
Watching the back rower run from one side of the field to another makes me want to cough up a lung, play on.
8. Albert Tuisue (Gloucester)
In a weekend of incredible debuts and returns, Albert Tuisue may have perhaps fallen by the wayside.
Stunningly drew in two defenders before offloading to Charlie Chapman for a gorgeous assist as the Cherry and Whites mounted their comeback.
The Fijian established himself as a fan favourite at Kingsholm in his 50 minutes on the pitch, as stunning offloads and shattering hits demonstrated what this man is all about.
A shrewd acquisition from Gloucester.
READ MORE:
- Gloucester Rugby player ratings from comeback win against Wasps - 'Made the Shed crackle with excitement'
- Bristol Bears player ratings from Bath Rugby win: 'Living up to the massive hype'
- Bath Rugby player ratings from Bristol Bears defeat: 'A masterclass' with scores from 10-0
- Exeter Chiefs player ratings from Leicester Tigers win: 'Super subs star'
