WATCHING Bath v Racing 92 on Sunday afternoon was hugely-enjoyable, two quality teams going with the attitude of: “If you score once, we'll score twice”; it was great stuff, and further proof, should we true believers need it, that Finn Russell is the most-influential player in the game today.
Great players do not need to do wonderous things every time they take the field. The absolute elite practitioners of any sport can influence matches, simply by being there. Their mere presence causes opponents to not pay full attention to what is happening in front of them, as they have half an eye on what the X-factor player on the periphery of the action might do.
Time and again on Sunday, The Gallus One moved, the Racing defence reacted and the space Finn's movement opened up was utilised to good effect by Bath, partifularly Cammy Redpath and Ollie Lawrence.
There is an old London football legend, of Malcolm Allison continuing the morning sessions at West Ham – where he was youth team coach – by hosting impromptu coaching sessions in a local greasy spoon. Here he encouraged young players such as the club's three 1966 World Cup winners – Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst, plus other apprentices such as Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking, Frank Lampard Senr. and 'Arry Redknapp to think more about the game, then go back in the afternoon and try some of the ploys they had discussed in the caff.
The Bath rugby players are older and more-experienced, but, I have half a notion about Finn holding court in an upmarket Avonside bistro or wine bar, before taking his centres, Ben Spencer, Tom de Glanville and the wingers, Will Muir and Joe Cokanasinga back out to try the moves they had talked about.
Maybe that's a flight of fancy, but, I would love it to be true.
It's not as if Finn is all about attacking excellence, against Racing, he put-in his share of defensive work, his tackle on the rampaging Cameron Woki, for instance, was a thing of beauty, and appreciated by the French forward, when he got up of his arse. And that wasn't the only tackle he made – so much for number tens not tackling.
Italian referee Andrea Piardi also consolidated the excellent impression he has given in big games this season. I cannot help but feel, the game of rugby needs to promote more United Rugby Championship referees, at the expense of the English and French time servers who get so-many of the big games.
Piardi had to send off Bath's Alfie Barbery, after the number eight blotted his copybook with two yellow cards. The first of these might well have been a straight red, but, to his credit, and is so-often the case with the best referees, Piardi leant over backwards to keep the game at 15 v 15.
LA ROCHELLE finally got going in Sunday's second broadcast game, putting Leicester to the sword. The absolute certainty about this match, as it unfolded, was that Will Skelton would get the Man of the Match call; this, in spite of outstanding contributions from the likes of Jonathan Danty, Gregory Alldritt, and Levani Botia. Not even a second half yellow card could deny the big Aussie his medal; he's some player.
THIS WAS FOLLOWED by yet another France v England clash, with Bordeaux entertaining Saracens. I don't think the Saracens Family, or their media cheer leaders were entertained; the rest of us, particularly we members of The ABE Society, rather enjoyed it. It won't happen, but, I rather hoped after Leicester and Sarries got roundly thumped, back to back, we would hear a bit less of the Gallagher Premiership being described as: “The best league in the world.”
After this week-end, it's not just us nippy Jocks, who are saying Aye Right to that notion.
I also feel, that result might have persuaded the decision-makers in the big French teams to reconsider spending big on Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje, both of whom were more-anonymous than you expect a marquee player to be.
It must have been a bad day for the English clubs – the evening BBC News failed to mention the rugby at all.
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