RUGBY MATTERS
A weekly look at the game’s other talking points
BRENDAN GALLAGHER

THE other weekend – although it could probably be any weekend – I watched two entertaining games in the space of 48 hours as the Gallagher Premiership cranked back into action. There was Bristol letting rip against Northampton with a seven-try barrage on the Friday night and then Bath finishing strongly to put Sale away at The Rec on Sunday.
At various stages in both games forward passes seemed almost mandatory. Bristol’s first try by Harry Randall came off a clear forward pass from AJ MacGinty while at least...