A week off and the rugby world refused to sit still. We kick things off with the headlines: R360’s two‑year delay and why the money never looked real, a quietly improving Premiership balance sheet that’s letting clubs hand out deals to 2029, London Irish stirring again, and ITV nabbing England tests for free‑to‑air. Great for reach—so long as the coverage upgrades from remote sofas to real insight on the touchline.

From there, the pitch does the talking. Newcastle’s Red Bulls era already hints at identity: Stephen Jones in, marquee links circling, real endeavour against Leicester—but the Tigers were clinical where it counted. Sale looked set only for Exeter’s bench to reverse the tide, with Jack Yeandle and Scott Sio turning the scrum and Daf Jenkins roaming everywhere. At Kingsholm, Gloucester finally found some rhythm: Redshaw bright, Atkinson and Joseph mean at the gainline, Trenholm a revelation. Quins fought their own selection—Evans at 12 blunted threat, Cunningham‑South under‑used—and kept kicking to a plan that wasn’t working.

Then Bristol arrived with a statement. James Williams and van Rensburg dominated midfield, Marmion ran the show, and Northampton’s rotated backline couldn’t breathe. There’s context—England rest windows, injuries, kids learning on the job—but the Bears suffocated and then sprinted. Saracens vs Bath delivered the lesson of the month: Bath’s pack looks inevitable. Miles Reid swiped turnovers for fun, the maul mauled, and their back‑row pace stretches teams in ways that feel unfair. Arundell reminded everyone why pace terrifies defences; Caluori won plenty in the air and needs more ball elsewhere to keep growing.

We close with Europe on the horizon—Bath and Saints well‑placed if they get bodies back, Exeter’s squeeze built for knockout rugby, and Bristol a nightmare when they control chaos—plus the Wales vs South Africa flashpoint and a hard line on discipline. In the PWR, Gloucester‑Hartpury surge on, Saracens warm into form, and we tip our hats to Abby Dow’s outstanding career and the choices the women’s game still demands.

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