After a try-filled round of action, Premiership scoring has reached extraordinary levels. Ten seasons ago, Northampton beat Bath 24-6 in round three, with four tries and only two penalties from Bath. This weekend, the same fixture produced a 71-48 scoreline, with 18 tries between the teams. The 119-point aggregate was the second highest in English top-flight history, behind Northampton's 94-33 win over Bristol in May. Five of the 10 top-flight games to pass the 100-point mark have come since the start of the 2023-24 season.
The numbers tell the same story. This weekend's five games produced 50 tries, an average of 10 per match, compared with 4.33 per game in the same round in 2017-18. The first two rounds of this season averaged 9.3 tries per game, the highest-scoring start to an English top-flight campaign since Opta began collecting the statistic in 2007-08.
Northampton head coach Sam Vesty believes the spike reflects both the laws of the game and how teams now approach it. He pointed to stricter refereeing of the offside line, lower tackle heights that let teams keep the ball alive, and the speed of play that leaves defenders more fatigued. He also cited a greater intent among teams to go out and score. "I don't want to watch basketball, but we saw some fantastic rugby on both sides," he said.
Saracens offer a different story. Under defence coach Adam Powell, the club has set out to make defence a hallmark again, as it was in their last-decade heyday. Only Gloucester have conceded fewer points, and their 30-7 win over previously unbeaten Bristol was their most impressive defensive display of the season. Bristol's absence of three players on the artificial surface at the Stonex Stadium also points to how much surfaces may shape selection in the months ahead.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing