Bust-ups, Off-loads And Ex-pats - Prem Talking Points

By

BBC Sport rugby national news reporter

Apparently Dean Mumm is Exeter's unofficial ambassador Down Under.

The erstwhile Australia 2nd statement spent 3 seasons astatine Sandy Park, extending his woody year-on-year arsenic he was enjoying life successful Devon truthful much.

When he returned to nan New South Wales Waratahs successful 2015, connection dispersed that if you were a Wallaby looking to make nan hop into nan Prem past nan sun and oversea of nan South West were a bully bet.

Since then, Nic White, Lachlan Turner, Scott Sio and Len Ikitau person arrived astatine Exeter, but Tom Hooper is already up location among nan champion Australian imports.

A nuggety, niggly backmost statement pinch bags of energy, he had different superb crippled against Newcastle.

The 24-year-old has said he is open to prolonging his ain stay. It would not beryllium a reliable negotiation.

Given nan Chiefs, 4th successful nan table, person a seven-point cushion complete fifth-placed Bristol, this run astatine slightest looks for illustration being longer than Hooper mightiness person expected erstwhile he signed connected successful nan summer.

Campbell Ridl was a lower-key presence successful nan Prem. The 21-year-old was calved successful Tooting successful London, but relocated to his parents' autochthonal South Africa arsenic a young boy.

He came backmost to nan UK partially to study astatine Exeter University, but an wounded to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has fixed him a chance to show disconnected his rangy moving and hot-stepping ability.

Ridl has opted to correspond England astatine under-20 level and, astatine 6ft 5in, has qualities that will person been noted by elder selectors.

Amid each nan large collisions, a gentle shove and a not-so-gentle rebuke generated nan astir headlines complete nan weekend.

Leicester caput coach Geoff Parling took objection to TNT Sport presenter Liam ‌MacDevitt kicking for extremity while his players were nether nan Villa Park posts warming up to return connected Gloucester.

Parling's angry guidance - he pushed presenter Craig Doyle and swore - was broadcast live. In nan aftermath of Leicester's 36-17 win, each parties apologised, pinch TNT sorry that nan shot was booted and Parling regretting his consequence to it.

"We want to waste our crippled arsenic a merchandise and we will activity difficult pinch TNT to get that correct adjacent time," Parling told BBC Sport.

Mid-match interviews pinch coaches, cameras wrong dressing rooms and successful nan midst of celebrations, and an F1 grid-walk access-all-areas presenting style surely sets rugby isolated from galore different sports connected screen.

It is successful everyone's interests for that to remain, and for relationships and players not to beryllium harmed successful nan process.

The fixture, which was beautiful overmuch complete arsenic a title arsenic Tigers wrapped up a four-try prize constituent conscionable aft 4th of an hour, is played for nan Ed Slater Cup.

The erstwhile Leicester and Gloucester 2nd statement has centrifugal neurone illness and nan lucifer raises costs for nan charity he group up to support families affected by nan condition.

There were tons of delicious moments arsenic Northampton shaded nan 'Showdown' against Saracens astatine Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tobias Elliott scattering tacklers for illustration a Tasmanian devil connected his measurement to nan statement for nan hosts' 2nd try; Tom Lockett, nan Northampton lock, casually plucking a one-handed pick-up from disconnected his ankles; and George Furbank and referee Anthony Woodthorpe's progressively strained conversations - "I americium not going to reason astir each determination pinch you" - were among nan goodies.

Henry Pollock, who signed a caller practice woody pinch boxing impresario Eddie Hearn earlier successful nan week, celebrating Archie McParland's match-winning people pinch a blizzard of fresh-air jabs was another.

But nary matched 21st-plus prop Rhys Carre, whose dummy, dart and creation to nan statement for Wales against Ireland was 1 of nan scores of nan Six Nations, continuing his backline side-hustle.

After bouncing Rory Hutchinson earlier successful nan game, Carre stretched and produced a sumptuous soft-hand sky-hook offload retired of interaction to group Nick Tomkins running.

Saracens, who started nan play pinch 3 wins successful their first 4 games and marked each pinch a societal media video poking nosy astatine nan opposition, person had to thin connected specified in-match action for their viral moments recently.

They person won only 2 of their past 8 matches successful nan league.

The Champions Cup returns this weekend, pinch Harlequins hosting Sale successful an all- English last-16 tie.

It is an intriguing match.

Harlequins reacted to nan getting clarity connected their coaching business by beating Bristol successful Cardiff, a measurement of revenge for nan Bears pooping their ain stadium spectacular successful December.

Had Quins not had specified a wretched season, much of nan spotlight mightiness person been connected Sale.

The Sharks, who person made nan play-offs successful 4 of nan erstwhile 5 seasons, person won only 3 of their 12 convention games this season.

Injuries person hindered them. Hooker Nathan Jibulu was deployed successful nan back, alternatively than front, statement successful nan 31-26 conclusion by Bath.

Sale's recruitment has been dependable alternatively than spectacular for adjacent season, pinch Nicky Smith, Alex Lozowski, Christ Tshiunza and Tomas Francis among those to get successful nan summer.

For owners Simon and Michelle Orange, who person sunk sizeable superior into nan club, a European tally would astatine slightest beryllium immoderate return connected nan season.

This play was nan Prem's Big Match Bonanza, pinch a full of astir 115,000 filling retired Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Villa Park and nan Principality Stadium arsenic Saracens, Gloucester and Bristol shifted location games to bigger stages.

Overall, this information of action is thought to beryllium nan third-largest successful top-flight history, pinch nan 2 supra it boosted by festive turnouts, including Harlequins' yearly Big Game fixture drafting near-capacity crowds to Allianz Stadium.

The backdrop of bigger crowds decidedly helps waste nan game, but a little often mentioned use is really nan lighting sells nan product.

Under nan best-in-class floodlights astatine Tottenham, nan finale of Saracens v Northampton played retired successful HD technicolour compared to nan comparative gloom of Kingston Park and Exeter's triumph complete Newcastle Red Bulls.

Newcastle's location is acold from nan only crushed which suffers successful comparison to football's glare.

Interestingly, Prem Rugby revealed past week that nan powerfulness of floodlights would beryllium 1 of nan criteria that clubs request to meet connected a much extended checklist for nan league's franchise-style future.