FIVE THINGS WE LEARNT ON RUGBY’S FIRST WEEKEND BACK

All that glitters is not gold

Sale restarted the season with Manu Tuilagi headlining their list of summer recruits and much expectation from both inside and outside the club. However, the cream of Manchester failed to turn up at Harlequins, falling to a 16-10 defeat without firing a shot.

Steve Borthwick has his work cut out

It will not come as a newsflash to Leicester’s new boss, below, but the man who swapped Eddie Jones’ England for the Premiership’s fallen giants has a serious job on his hands. Defeat at Exeter was Tigers’ ninth of the league campaign. A day cannot go by without Welford Road bosses thanking their lucky stars for Saracens’ demotion.

It’s rugby, but not as we know it

Twice-weekly Covid testing, pre-match temperature checks, empty stadiums, mid-half water breaks and a ban on try celebrations mean rugby is a different beast from five months ago. Some things do not change, however. Exeter keep winning, Leicester are still losing while Bristol and Wasps improve with every outing.

You CAN counter the sound of silence

The theory was home advantage would be lost without fans but in smaller stadiums (than football) and with more backroom staff in attendance (than the Premier League permitted) home teams created a significant sound. The result: four home wins from six. Worcester blew their ‘advantage’ against Gloucester with a first-half red card while Wasps’ travelling contingent somehow out-shouted hosts Northampton.

Eddie Jones is still a workaholic

Three days back and the England boss, left, has not let the grass grow under his feet. After Harlequins-Sale on Friday, he headed to Exeter-Leicester on Saturday and yesterday up the M1 to Northampton-Wasps. Just 486 miles.