1) Set pieces separate New Zealanders
Two New Zealand coaches presided over an old-school British game in which the set pieces shaped the outcome. Todd Blackadder is in his third season in charge at Bath while Chris Boyd moved to Northampton in the summer. Bath’s supremacy up front plus their lineout mastery gave them the platform for victory. Boyd noted how the scrum, a means of launching attacks in New Zealand, is more a means of establishing control in England. Blackadder said he could detect subtle changes in Northampton’s style under Boyd, but after slipping to 10th in the table the basics will be the Saints’ immediate priority. Paul Rees
• Match report: Bath 17-15 Northampton
Black is the colour to end red-card muddle over misjudged tackles | Robert Kitson
2) Marler’s lucky escape
Most agree there are a lot of red cards these days, so let’s not complain when one is not shown. We can, though, muse on how lucky a player has been in this climate. Joe Marler’s forearm to the head/neck/shoulder of Andy Uren was raised unnaturally high. It did not look good. He escaped with yellow because they reckoned first contact was made on the shoulder, but, if there have to be reds, these acts of extracurricular violence are the sort they should go after. Marler looked more culpable than Will Spencer, who was shown red by the same referee the week before for an honest attempt at a tackle. Michael Aylwin
• Match report: Bristol 20-13 Harlequins
• Saracens’ McCall wants solution to ‘complicated’ high-tackle situation
3) Leicester face test of character
If the 37-44 scoreline hints at a vintage game of cut and thrust, the reality was different. Leicester were trailing 37-11 with 22 minutes to go and, despite clawing their way back to 37-37, the Tigers still contrived to throw away all that good work by conceding their sixth try of the afternoon, scored by the highly promising debutant Ted Hill in the left corner in the dying minutes. The Warriors won at Leicester last season as well and there is no longer the same forbidding aura attached to Welford Road. Defensively the Tigers appear to be all at sea and their interim head coach Geordan Murphy must now pray that Sale do not cause a similar upset next weekend. Another disappointing home defeat and the Leicester board will be under huge pressure to change tack again. Robert Kitson
• Match report: Leicester 37-44 Worcester
4) Newcastle make Exeter dig deep
Richard Wigglesworth: ‘We should be pretty proud of the Premiership now’
Newcastle’s league position after the opening four rounds may look uncomfortable with three defeats, but they became the first team to prevent Exeter from securing a try bonus point when the Chiefs opted to kick their first penalty of the campaign. The Falcons forced Exeter to dig deep and in Simon Hammersley and Zach Kibirige had players whose quick feet took them out of tackles and into space. But Newcastle’s indiscipline allowed Exeter to kick deep and drive mauls, prompting the home side’s director of rugby, Dean Richards, to lament refereeing inconsistency at the breakdown in the league. PR
• Match report: Newcastle 17-24 Exeter
5) Le Roux sets heady pace
There is a thesis to be written on the subject of southern hemisphere players commuting back and forth between the Rugby Championship and the English Premiership and whether the clubs concerned would, from a longer-term perspective, be better off resting them. Not many players could do what Willie le Roux did last week: beat the All Blacks in Wellington before flying halfway around the world to help steer Wasps to a bonus-point victory at Sale. His part in Nizaam Carr’s splendid try was further proof that, at this precise moment, the Springbok is rugby’s ultimate Martini man: anytime, any place, anywhere. RK
Eddie Jones says old foe John Mitchell will get England thinking differently
• Jones says old foe Mitchell will get England thinking differently
6) Vunipola’s absence no cause for concern
Mystery surrounds Billy Vunipola’s absence from the Saracens side on Sunday but their director of rugby, Mark McCall, did at least deliver the news that he is not injured and will be available next weekend. He was also fine to report for England duty on Sunday night and it must be said that Saracens did not really miss him – Ben Earl impressing at No 8. “He’s not injured, he was having a medical procedure which has been in the diary for the last two months,” McCall said. “We knew he was missing this game. He’s fine and he’ll be back next week.” Considering his run of injuries over the past 18 months that has to be seen as good news indeed. Gerard Meagher
• Match report: Saracens 38-15 Gloucester