Gallagher PREM Round-Up: Round 2 Delivers Drama, Dominant Displays and Surprise Results

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Round 2 of Gallagher PREM rugby proved to be another fascinating weekend, with some intriguing results, standout individual performances and plenty of talking points across the league.

Bath 40–34 Exeter Chiefs

Bath saw off local rivals Exeter Chiefs to go some way towards avenging last season's play-off semi-final defeat.

Exeter found themselves trailing 26–10 at half-time before producing an impressive comeback to take a 33–31 lead. However, a yellow card for scrum-half Stephen Varney proved to be a turning point in the contest.

It was a mixed evening for Henry Slade, who initially took on the kicking duties for Chiefs before a poor penalty attempt saw the tee handed to Harvey Skinner.

Manny Feyi-Waboso impressed for the visitors, crossing for two tries, while Finn Russell enjoyed another strong performance in Bath colours as the hosts held on for victory.

Bristol Bears 41–26 Northampton Saints

It was the Louis Rees-Zammit show at Ashton Gate, as the Welshman scored twice to help Bristol Bears secure a well-deserved bonus-point victory over the defending champions.

George Hendy crossed twice for Northampton, but in truth, Saints simply couldn't match Bristol's physicality throughout the contest.

Despite the defeat, Northampton did manage to secure a try-scoring bonus point, although there will undoubtedly be plenty for the defending champions to reflect on following this performance.

Gloucester 48–0 Harlequins

It was nothing short of a horror show for Harlequins at Kingsholm.

Gloucester produced some sensational attacking rugby, particularly through their backs, with Charlie Atkinson among the standout performers.

The hosts had already secured the try-scoring bonus point before half-time and went on to add a further four tries in the second half, completing a comprehensive demolition of their visitors.

In truth, there wasn't a single positive for Harlequins to take from this performance, other than perhaps managing to keep Gloucester below the 50-point mark.

Gloucester appear to be finding some impressive form, while Harlequins currently look like a side lacking a clear identity.

These are two teams seemingly heading in very different directions, and the contrast between them could hardly have been clearer.

Newcastle Red Bulls 19–26 Leicester Tigers

An intriguing contest between two sides in a game that could easily have gone either way.

Newcastle took an early lead before two tries in the space of ten minutes put Leicester ahead, including one from former Newcastle winger Adam Radwan, who was quick to celebrate against his old club.

Both sides added further tries to keep the contest competitive before Cam Jordan crossed for the hosts, setting up a nervy final five minutes.

However, Leicester managed to hold firm and secure the victory.

Newcastle are still searching for their first win of the new campaign, but with performances continuing to improve, there are encouraging signs that a breakthrough victory may not be too far away.

Saracens 17–21 Sale Sharks

Sale struggled with discipline. Saracens simply struggled.

Jacques Vermeulen was shown a red card after just 19 minutes, while Alex Lozowski also spent time in the sin bin early in the contest. Yet, despite the disciplinary issues, Saracens struggled to cause the visitors any significant problems.

Sale were dominant in the second half and deservedly came away with the victory, with Saracens unable to find any meaningful answers to the pressure they faced.

Charlie Bracken crossed for Saracens' second try with less than ten minutes remaining, offering some hope of a late comeback, but by that stage, the damage had already been done.

It's an interesting time to be watching Saracens. The club appears to be going through a period of transition, both within the playing squad and the coaching setup.

Brendan Venter's apparent lack of enthusiasm for media duties has arguably added an unnecessary off-field distraction at a time when the club needs stability and clarity.

For a side accustomed to setting the standards in English rugby, there are certainly questions to be answered.

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