After the first few weeks of domestic rugby, Paul Williams singles out five stories that surprised him
We are a few rounds into the Gallagher Premiership, United Rugby Championship and Top 14 seasons, so let’s see who has delivered the unexpected…
Gloucester’s broad smile
Gloucester started the season with two bonus points. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
There is one statistic that is never recorded in professional rugby: the pre-season jitters of every group of Gallagher Premiership supporters. If it had, Gloucester supporters would surely have made the play-offs.
Outside of Welsh regional rugby, few fan groups are showing the same level of uncertainty ahead of the season. That feeling is not necessarily wrong. Gloucester sits in the traditional heartland of English rugby, where the play-offs often feel like they should be a given rather than a wish.
Yet despite several top-five finishes in recent years, the club’s overall trajectory has tended towards the dregs of the league rather than its frothy top.
This season could hardly have started differently. After two games, Gloucester is the best, with a point difference of +69 and two bonus points.
They beat Exeter 45-24 at Sandy Park before draining all the color out of Harlequins in a 48-0 home win. Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan were arguably the two best players of the season and significantly strengthened the Gloucester pack. If both can stay fit, a top four finish will be achieved. Well played, Gloucester.
Related: Get a copy of our Jac Morgan Gloucester special now!
Castres Olympique 7 – 8 Stade Toulouse
Castres v Toulouse was a low-scoring affair (Photo by Valentine CHAPUIS / AFP via Getty Images)
It might seem strange to include one result as a surprise early season, especially when Toulouse were victorious. But such a low score is highly unusual in modern professional rugby.
Last season, the Top 14 averaged 58.7 points per match, the Gallagher Premiership 58.9 and the URC 51.3. Seeing two teams combine for less than 15 points is therefore a real rarity.
It was an atavistic throwback to the darker days of rugby, when a single-digit score was worn as a badge of honor and celebrated as a glorious triumph of tenacity and strength – not only by the players, but by the fans as well. An oddly low-scoring game can, of course, be a lot of fun, but that’s unusual.
At the highest level, creating and completing attempts is the hard part; defense is simple in comparison. As a general rule, the more attempts, the better. And don’t let anyone over 65 tell you otherwise, because they will – ad infinitum.
Leinster winless
Leinster were beaten by the Sharks in week two. (Photo by Shaun Roy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
After two rounds of the URC, Leinster are winless. They lost 27-26 on the road to the Lions in the first round and 26-20 on the road to the Sharks in the second round.
Those defeats should, of course, come with an asterisk the size of the sun, as Leinster fielded experimental teams in both matches. You couldn’t even call them ‘Diet Leinster’; they were way above that – this was Leinster on a water and lemon juice fast. Even so, seeing Leinster lose twice in a row is always strange.
The two-round tour of South Africa was not without advantages. Leinster gave young scrum-half Fintan Gunne a chance at nine and Caspar Gabriel at outside-half, with Gunne scoring a hat-trick against the Lions in a bonus-point defeat.
If you’re one of those people who likes to see Leinster lose, especially twice in a row, this might be your last chance.
Read more: Here are all upcoming matches from all domestic leagues…
Sale of stunning Saracens
Ben Bamber of Sale Sharks scores his side’s third try during the Gallagher PREM 2026/2027 match between Saracens and Sale Sharks at StoneX Stadium on October 4, 2026 in Barnet, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images for Sale Sharks)
It’s the season of political party conferences in the UK, with parties releasing announcements designed to chart their progress over the next twelve months.
But if you want to see a real statement of intent for the coming months, look no further than Sale’s second round win over Saracens at the StoneX Stadium.
A 21-17 win after picking up one red card in 20 minutes and one yellow takes something away. It was a performance built on resolute defending: Sale completed 86% of a remarkable 173 tackles. To illustrate the effort required to hold out for Saracens as the cards flew, outside center Joe Marchant had to make 20 tackles.
Add in the constant threat of Tom O’Flaherty, who attacked from deep like a megalodon, and you have Sale’s blueprint for victory. Well played, Sal.
Sharks are fast
Eben Etzebeth of Hollywoodbets Sharks during the United Rugby Championship match between Hollywoodbets Sharks and Leinster at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on October 3, 2026 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Sharks as a species are notoriously fast off target.
The shortfin mako has been recorded accelerating from a standing start to cover 100 feet (30.5 meters) in just two seconds, a burst speed in excess of 46 mph (74 km/h).
The same cannot be said for the Sharks of Durban in recent URC seasons. In their early URC campaigns and again in 2025/26, they struggled mightily in the opening rounds.
However, their current 2026/27 campaign marks their best ever start, with back-to-back wins with bonus points at home to Ospreys and Leinster. Both wins came at home, of course, but it’s still very promising to see the Sharks perform well in the opening rounds. Well played, Sharks.
