Salty celebrations, questionable signings and Test bolters - Prem talking points Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Only three teams - Gloucester, Bristol and Bath - have won both their games after the opening two rounds of the Prem By BBC Sport rugby union news reporter The stats piled up after a car-crash performance by Harlequins in a 48-0 shellacking by Gloucester. The biggest league defeat in 26 years. Seventeen penalties conceded.
Only two entries made into the opposition 22m. Not one of their starting forward pack making more than four carries. It was a desperately under-powered display.
Boss Jason Gilmore described it as "totally unacceptable" in the aftermath. The Australian has overseen a few eyesores during his time in charge; a 38-0 reverse at Sandy Park and a 40-14 reverse at the club's festive fixture at Allianz Stadium come to mind. Gilmore says turning around the tanker will take time.
Contracts have to run down and money reassigned to different areas of the squad. Full-back George Furbank was this summer's big investment. The 29-year-old marked his Prem debut for his new club with a couple of trademark breaks, slicing up from backfield.
He is a classy addition, but is he the signing they needed, with little room to manoeuvre under the salary cap and a creaking forward pack limiting the supply of ball to the backline? England loosehead prop Fin Baxter has been out for 10 months with a foot injury, but should be back soon. South African tighthead Sampie Swiegers is in contention for selection after his arrival in London. Chandler Cunningham-South and Guido Petti may be due a run from the start.
But, with Alex Dombrandt expected to miss the majority of the season with a knee ligament injury sustained in June, Quins will need them all to hit the ground running. Snarl up front, rather than style out back, is where they are lacking. Unbeaten Bristol draw a crowd Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Rees-Zammit tops the early-season try-scoring standings, having crossed four times Bristol chief executive Tom Tainton caught some flak earlier this year for saying the Bears needs to think like a marketing agency, rather than a traditional rugby club,, external to grow its fanbase.
The image of Louis Rees-Zammit mimicking Northampton star Henry Pollock's 'pulse-check' celebration, and the delight it sparked among fans, were evidence in his favour however. A 20,756-strong crowd at Ashton Gate – up 5,000 on their win in the same fixture last year, partly helped by football's international break – relished a spiky performance all round from Rees-Zammit. The Wales international could easily have had a hat-trick in a 34-26 win over Saints, but was body-checked by Tommy Freeman in pursuit of a final-play chip ahead, earning a penalty try and sending his opposite number on his way with a few blunt observations.
Rees-Zammit, restored to the wing after dabbling at full-back on his return from American football, has four tries already this season and Bristol, who were well in last year's play-off hunt before a dip in form after the Six Nations, are looking ominous. The next four rounds of action – Saracens (a), Exeter (h), Leicester (h) and Bath (a) – are a big chance to dent some other top-four hopefuls. Rees-Zammit was not the only wing on a wind-up this weekend either, by the way.
Adam Radwan's gleeful celebration of his try for Leicester against former club Newcastle, marking his territory by pointing to the pitch below his studs, drew jeers from the Kingston Park crowd. Obano and Stuart stake claim for England's 'bomb squad'Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Bath took some measure of revenge after losing a Prem semi-final at home to Exeter this summer England boss Steve Borthwick was at The Rec on Friday night. He will have taken particular...
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing