Monday 2 January 2017 16:02, UK
Stuart Barnes on Nigel Owens' empathy, Leinster's academy, and Munster's trip to Paris in his first column of 2017...
First of all, a happy new year to you all. Now, back to the rugby.
1. When is news no news? When the word gets out that Manu Tuilagi has sustained an injury and has been removed from the next England training squad; the Tigers centre remains as prone to injury as the press is to hyperbole as far as the big man is concerned.
Richard Cockerill says the good news is that his groin is okay, and we'll just have to wait and see about the severity of the injury to the right knee. It shouldn't disrupt Eddie Jones's plan. You suspect he might just have a contingency in place in the eventuality of another Tuilagi setback.
2. The man called into the squad as his replacement is Bath's Semesa Rokoduguni. Left out of the initial squad, he produced a headline-making performance in defeat against Exeter. The locals in Bath are distinctly unimpressed with the original England pick.
Jack Nowell was excellent and there are no qualms surrounding that decision but the continued preference for Marland Yarde is a bit of a mystery. If the Bath man has a defensive weakness, work on it because he certainly also possesses the game-breaking tendencies of which Jones often talks.
3. This Saturday, Munster are preparing to channel their emotional energies as they head back to Paris for the Racing 92 game. Memories of Anthony Foley's death on the night before this postponed round one fixture will fill both the Munster camp this week and the atmosphere in Paris on Saturday.
Having shown a propensity to be inspired on such an occasion - think back to the Glasgow game - a famous win on French soil is definitely on the cards. Expect an exceptionally large Munster contingent of fans to cheer their team on.
4. Racing 92 are out of Europe. This will help the Munster cause. On Sunday, they fielded a full-strength team in Toulon but went down 17-11. There was no disgrace losing narrowly against a Toulon team who have also trained their sights on the Top 14, but defeat leaves last year's French champions trailing eighth in the Top 14.
In what looks one of the tightest and most intriguing pools, Munster are in prime position to emulate Glasgow and win in the French capital.
5. Also struggling at the wrong end of the table are Bristol, but they have reignited the Premiership with two wins over the Christmas period. Since the loss of Andy Robinson, acting director of rugby Mark Tainton has tapped into a winning vein of form.
Congratulations to Tom Varndell for becoming the Premiership's record try scorer Sunday, but he would acknowledge that the try was more important for the part played in the away win at Sale than for any individual glory. Isn't a bona fide relegation scrap exciting for the neutral fan?
6. With Bristol winning, Worcester's home victory against Harlequins was timely to say the least. But what is going on with Harlequins? Yet to win away from home this season, unbeaten at the Stoop, John Kingston has created a team that would be more at home in the home-win away-loss world of the Top 14.
Instead of waltzing towards qualification for next season's Champions Cup, they are taking one step forward and one step backwards in a dance going absolutely nowhere.
7. The pressure is on at Welford Road. A Munster win in Paris would make their hopes of qualification for the European knock-out stages look all the harder while on Sunday they face Wasps away. Having been hammered in Exeter and lost at fortress Welford Road against Saracens, it is time for the Tigers to leave behind their travel sickness.
8. The balance between club and country was evident in Ireland over the Christmas period as the provinces and Joe Schmidt combined to rest Ireland's leading players.
Leinster versus Munster should have been a St Stephen's Day classic in Limerick but the weakened visiting team were ground down, while absentees such as Iain Henderson and Paddy Jackson diminished any Ulster hopes of a first win in Dublin since 1999 to all but nothing.
If Ireland win a Grand Slam, no one in Ireland will care, if they fail a few people will wonder about the high wire act that Joe Schmidt and the provinces continue to walk. It does not help the cause of the PRO12, that is for sure.
9. Having said this, Leinster impressed me over the holiday period. The young side that travelled to Munster was highly competitive for a large period of play.
Some of their recent academy lads are maturing very quickly into good players, none more so than Jack Conan. High class props and back rowers... they are springing up everywhere in Ireland.
10. Last but definitely not least in the first column of the new year; a tremendous display of empathetic refereeing from Nigel Owens.
In cold and swirling conditions, he allowed the game between the Scarlets and Blues to flow as much as was possible. It didn't produce a classic but it was as good a game as the difficult conditions allow. The Welshman loves his rugby and wants to enjoy the game almost as much as the fans.
Other referees should take note. A top start to 2017 for Owens as well as players like Kristian Dacey, Jake Ball and the exciting Steff Evans who all benefited from the excellence of the man in the middle.
