Williams typifies Tigers’ lack of initiative
“Three weeks,” was Richard Cockerill’s reply when asked when Manu Tuilagi would be back from his latest injury. It has become a stock answer, but the England centre may actually be back on 20 November. Leicester need him as they try to inject consistency into a campaign of highs and lows and overcome the loss of the Australian midfielder Matt Toomua to a knee ligament injury. They played Jack Roberts and Peter Betham in the centre at Saracens with Owen Williams at outside-half, but there was little sense of direction and too many of Leicester’s moves went sideways. It was only when Freddie Burns came off the bench that the Tigers showed purpose and penetration, and the outside-half set up their try with a break from his own 22. Williams has reached a crossroads in his career three years since joining Leicester from the Scarlets. He is 24 and has yet to attract much interest from Wales for a reason. He stuck to his script on Saturday even at times when he needed to show initiative. Leicester were surprisingly reluctant to kick for touch even though Saracens were without their two leading second rows, and one loose punt in the first half from near his own line, which should have been put into the crowd, gave Alex Goode the opportunity to create his side’s second try. Burns showed how when he came on, but it was too late. Williams has talent, but he needs to start running games and using his head. Paul Rees
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Te’o takes his latest chance to impress
We’re often accused in the media of talking up more players than can possibly be accommodated in a squad, let alone a team, and it’s fair enough. So let’s not get carried away by touting Worcester’s Ben Te’o as a shoo-in for England’s midfield. Jonathan Joseph has the No13 shirt sewn up, and if he doesn’t play there then it has to be Eliot Daly. The Ford-Farrell thing is working well, too. If it ain’t broke and all that. Then there’s Henry Slade. But … (here we go) we haven’t seen the best of Te’o yet in England, and now the glimpses of a talent Eddie Jones is clearly excited by are becoming bolder. He had a blinder on Saturday, his pace and power too much for Harlequins on more than one occasion. It took him a while to settle at Leinster, but by the end of his time there, they swore by him. Now that he has recovered from the concussion that disrupted the start of this, his first season in England, he is starting to find some form again. In the absence of Manu Tuilagi, if England want to go with a punchy ball-player in the centre (and why wouldn’t they), then … Stop it. Ben Te’o’s an excellent player. Let’s leave it at that. Michael Aylwin
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Exeter are making a habit of late defeats
The major fire in Exeter’s historic city centre has caused rather more serious and lasting damage than the local rugby team are currently experiencing, but the Chiefs also face a rebuilding phase having won just two of their nine games so far this season. That might sound harsh after they lost in the game’s final play for the second successive weekend, but a common theme is now emerging: they have either been ahead in the second-half or had a late kick to win against Wasps, Northampton, Gloucester, Ulster and Bath in the season’s opening two months and did not win any of those games. Rob Baxter made it very clear afterwards that all concerned need to raise their games, rather than lamenting the absence of the injured Dave Ewers, Don Armand, Jack Nowell, Luke Cowan-Dickie et al. Bath, in contrast, are winning games they would have lost last season, clearly enjoying the understated regime of Todd Blackadder and defending with a collective spirit that makes them tough to beat. George Ford, Semesa Rokoduguni, Dave Attwood and Jonathan Joseph will skip off the plane when they arrive in Portugal for England’s training camp, with all four set to feature in some capacity against South Africa on Saturday week. Robert Kitson
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Unlucky Henson and Bristol look down and out
When you are down, your luck tends to be out. Bristol had been anticipating the return of Gavin Henson from a dead leg for weeks, but his comeback lasted 11 minutes before he hit the ground on the point of his right shoulder following a tackle by Sam Bedlow. Henson stayed down, felt his shoulder and slowly got back to his feet before a member of Bristol’s medical team came on to the pitch. Henson, who is able to self-diagnose after a 16-year senior career that has contained its share of injuries, lingered before leaving the pitch, slowly trudging to the changing room.
The centre, who is 35 in February, was told to brace himself for surgery and it may be that one of the most talked about players in the game has made his last comeback. When the Bristol team was read out before the match, Henson’s name received the loudest cheer; a team stuck at the bottom of the table needed his creative touch and long-range goal-kicking, but a player who started a 15-month sabbatical from the game in 2009 may feel that he has now suffered enough. Bristol are workmanlike without him, but their unit skills need more time than the Premiership allows, mistakes costing them in defence and attack. After seven defeats out of seven, their cause would appear to be hopeless, but they do not resemble the London Welsh of two years ago. They attracted more than 14,000 spectators for the visit of Sale and have a foundation on which to build. They need some players who are better than good – captains to steer the ship. Henson was one such player but he has been reduced to 40 minutes this season, his mind and body taking him in different directions. The game has not seen enough of a player whose attitude and ability mark him out. Paul Rees
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