Pretty this wasn’t, but it still held enough tension and temper to qualify as a rugged local derby. Gloucester lost their captain, Adam Balding, in the seventh minute. In fact, it was just about who had the biggest players to bash open the spaces for the likes of Fr?ric Michalak, Yannick Jauzion and Gareth Thomas.”Llewellyn would have enjoyed the sight of Irish’s Rodd Penney sprinting 40 metres to score the try that answered Tom Biggs’ opening score for Leeds.But he would not have enjoyed it as much as Magne, who also witnessed Delon Armitage and Justin Bishop crossing the line to put Irish ahead before his back row colleague Kieron Dawson finished off the job in style.Yet the most entertaining moment belonged to the referee Sean Davey, who added insult to a penalty award by telling a ball-killing Leeds forward: “It’s not a beach. London Irish: Tries Penney, Armitage, Bishop, Dawson; Conversions Everitt 2; Penalty Everitt.Leeds: I Balshaw; A Snyman, C Jones, R De Marigny (T Stimpson, 50), T Biggs; G Ross, J Marshall; J Isaacson (M Cusack, 64), G Bulloch (R Rawlinson, 40), G Kerr, S Hooper (capt; C Murphy, 64), T Palmer, S Morgan, R Parks, J Dunbar.London Irish: D Armitage; S Staniforth (S Geraghty, 55), R Penney, M Catt (capt), J Bishop, B Everitt, B Willis; N Hatley (M Collins, 40), R Russell (A Flavin, 76), R Hardwick (R Skuse, 40), B Casey, K Roche (R Strudwick, 76), O Magne (Hatley, 62-70), K Dawson, P Murphy (JM Leguizamon, 55).Referee: S Davey (Sussex).. Don’t lie on it.”Well, he cannot say he was not told.Leeds: Try Biggs; Penalties Ross 2. I imagined it would be fast-flowing rugby with width, but in fact it’s pretty brutal and direct.

The third came when Alesana Tuilagi scooped up a pass spilled by Daniel Browne and ran 75 metres to score.With two Bruce Reihana penalty attempts sailing wide, that made it 17-0 at the break. Saracens: Try Skirving; Penalties Jackson 2.Wasps: M van Gisbergen; P Sackey, A Erinle (F Waters, 65), S Abbott, T Voyce; A King (J Brooks, 38-40), E Reddan (M Dawson, 59); T Payne, R Ibanez (B Gotting, 56-77), P Bracken (J Dawson, 40), M Purdy (T Rees, 22), R Birkett, J Hart (capt), J O’Connor, J Worsley.Saracens: T Castaign?; R Haughton, B Johnston (D Harris, 65), K Sorrell, D Scarbrough; G Jackson, A Dickens (M Rauluni, 58); K Yates (N Lloyd, 33), M Cairns (S Byrne, 51), C Visagie (Yates, 72), K Chesney (I Fullarton, 46), H Vyvyvan (capt), B Russell (A Sanderson, 15), D Seymour, B Skirving.Referee: D Rose (Warwickshire).. The Ospreys opened the defence of their Celtic League title by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in the first competitive match at the New Stadium. Matthew Jones stroked home a penalty from 45 metres after his side had lost the lead for the first time in the match. Warm-up defeats in Toulon and against the English champions, Wasps had not caused the Ospreys coach, Lyn Jones, any sleepless nights, he said, and he continued to pursue his investment in youth.
In contrast to the English clubs’ problems over player availability the Ospreys rested four Lions and two of last season’s Grand Slam winning Wales side joined them on the sidelines.A youthful team showed no signs of missing them as the centre Andrew Bishop provided the first try of the season after only 20 seconds. At the same time, however, he might well have been pondering some confusing facts encountered during his side’s four-tries-to-one triumph, most notably that both sides attempted to display their attacking skills and, allowing for a bit of early-season rustiness, played with width and pace.Contrary to common belief, French club rugby is rarely as adventurous as the stuff Mike Catt and Co employed to see off the Tykes, a factor that another international traveller, the 92-cap Welsh lock Gareth Llewellyn, now of Bristol, has touched upon.Llewellyn spent last season at Narbonne and left with this thought: “I was surprised at what French club rugby is about; it’s different to what you imagine from the French national side. Unlike Justin Marshall, Olivier Magne had a little too much time to think things through as two of world rugby’s star performers strutted their stuff in the familiar surroundings of Twickenham.

Marshall had to act on instinct on his introduction to the Premiership and used a considerable array of his tricks as Leeds battled manfully to dig themselves out of the hole they had a large part in creating.
But for Magne, who looked rather bemused at times, it was almost a case of watch and wait for what was to unfold as he attempted to get to grips with the ploys and patterns of his new team-mates, who were putting a fresh game plan into practice.At least the player who left Clermont Auvergne to see out his career in England had the satisfaction of victory. After it Tuilagi made the break to send Dan Hipkiss in and Carlos Spencer – Saints’ All Black summer signing – was shaking his head in disbelief.Goode’s conversion, a penalty, and a try from Tom Varndell made the truth even harder to bear for Saints.Leicester: Tries Hamilton, Holford, Tuilagi, Hipkiss, Varndell; Conversions Goode 2; Penalty Goode.Leicester: S Vesty; A Tuilagi, D Hipkiss (L Lloyd, 48-58), D Gibson (Lloyd, 58), T Varndell; A Goode (R Broadfoot, 68), H Ellis (A Healey, 68); M Holford (J White, 59), G Chuter (E Taukafa, 70), A Moreno (M Holford, 78), J Hamilton, L Cullen (B Kay, 55), W Johnson, S Jennings, M Corry (capt; L Abraham, 49).Northampton: B Reihana (capt); J Rudd (S Lamont, 71), J Clarke, S Mallon, B Cohen; C Spencer, M Robinson; T Smith (C Budgen, 59), D Hartley (D Richmond, 78), B Sturgess, M Lord, Damien Browne, A Rae (S Boome, 40), D Fox (B Lewitt, 61), Daniel Browne.Referee: R Maybank (Kent).. Before the interval, Goode had squandered 19 points by missing four penalties, two conversions and a drop at goal.Two of the Tigers’ first-half tries came while the Saints prop Tom Smith was in the sin-bin for tipping Leo Cullen out of a line-out. This meant an afternoon summarising on local radio for their Lions hooker Steve Thompson. Whether his considerable on-field presence would have made much difference is questionable.Leicester, rebuilding now the Martin Johnson and Neil Back era has ended, did not just front up, it was up front where they were so in command. Given that Saints had won four of the previous five Premiership matches against the Tigers, this was a loss going well beyond what could be considered acceptable.At least they adhered to the Rugby Football Union’s stricture about an 11-week rest period for their Lions and England players who were on summer tours. Two of their five tries came out of the Johnson textbook on how to execute a forward drive, while the others bore testimony to their superiority in broken play.If Goode had been in anything like prime kicking form this would have been a rout rather than an embarrassment for Saints.

“It’s going to take some time for our newcomers to settle in. I know from experience that Welford Road is a very difficult place to come and play well.”What Pountney did not say was that it would be difficult to imagine how they could play as poorly again. Can it be too early to make a prediction of that sort? On the evidence they offered on Saturday – in a game which could have finished in a record defeat in the series of East Midlands derbies that began 111 years ago if Andy Goode’s goal-kicking had been up to scratch – Saints have much more to do than their director of rugby, Budge Pountney, suggested afterwards.
“We can take some positives from that,” said Pountney. At this early stage of a new season expectation, like optimism, comes packaged in several different sizes Northampton can slip both packs in a jacket pocket.

Leicester’s is jumbo-sized and available only off the top shelf It is for adults only. Unless Saints can produce something more convincing than this, they will very soon be on starvation rations, with a repeat of last term’s struggle against relegation in prospect. Australia: Tries Chisholm, Gerrard, Tuqiri, Johansson; Conversions Rogers 2.New Zealand: M Muliaina; D Howlett, T Umaga (capt), A Mauger, J Rokocoko; L MacDonald (L McAlister, 48), P Weepu (K Senio, 76); T Woodcock, K Mealamu, C Hayman (G Somerville, 65), C Jack (J Ryan, 54), A Williams, S Lauaki, R McCaw, R So’oialo.Australia: D Mitchell (L MacKay, 74); M Gerrard, C Rathbone (L Johansson, 66), M Turinui, L Tuqiri; M Rogers, G Gregan (capt; C Whitaker, 73); B Young (M Dunning, 48), B Cannon (A Freier, 76), A Baxter, M Chisholm (A Kanaar, 68), N Sharpe, R Elsom (J Roe, 48), P Waugh, G Smith.Referee: C White (England).. They may have found a replacement for Stephen Larkham at No 10, such was the conviction of Mat Rogers’ play in an emergency role. And the wing Mark Gerrard, who made one try and scored another, looked good.Nevertheless, a rebuilding job lies ahead for Eddie Jones’ men, starting with their own northern hemisphere tour this autumn.New Zealand: Tries Howlett 3, McCaw; Conversion MacDonald; Penalties McAlister 3, MacDonald. There might have been one, too, but for the indiscipline of a couple of the Wallaby forwards, notably the replacement prop Matt Dunning, who conceded two vital penalties.Luke McAlister, on for the last half hour, calmly slotted three penalty goals to steady his team’s nerves and restore their authority. But the chinks in this New Zealand side’s armour were very apparent, the defensive line falling apart at times to wave the Wallabies through.