ContinueIt's only two games gone in the Aviva Premiership but have you noticed that this year, as opposed to this time last year, the league table already has a familiar ring to it.
The four teams who played out the end of season play-offs occupy the top four places again, with Quins, the Tigers, Sarries and the Saints all unbeaten. So too, to be fair, are Bath, but games against Worcester and Wasps may present a slightly false claim as they currently sit in 5th place.
Last year Leicester and Northampton were close to the bottom and stayed there until Christmas when, finally, their returning World Cup stars could make a difference. This time the East Midlands giants have hit the ground running, and what all this means is that any pretenders to their cartel - and I'm thinking Exeter, Gloucester and, so it appears, Bath - may not even get a sniff unlike last season.
The big boys will still lose more players than any other teams during the four week Autumn Test series and the six week Six Nations period next year but at least they have begun the season showing their intent. So far Northampton and Saracens have faced the toughest fixtures and emerged impressively. It was my tip in this section that the Saints will finally make the Premiership final where, possibly, they will face a wounded Leicester who have lost the last two finals but, once again, it will all be decided by a mistake here and a flash of brilliance there, it will all go down to the wire, and the margins will be ridiculously thin. I also predicted that London Welsh will finish bottom, with Worcester and then London Irish above them.
Early days, as I say, but that's how it's looking. Still, bearing in mind how overshadowed rugby has been by the magnificent summer of sport in London, the Aviva Premiership has made an entertaining start. Long may it continue that way.
