Ben Jaycock talks to former Harlequins and England winger Ugo Monye, below, now a pundit for TNT Sports, about the state of play in the Premiership as the league takes a six-week break for the Six Nations
How do you reflect on the opening 12 rounds of the Premiership season, barring Newcastle there aren’t many points between teams across the league?
If you look at the table the competition has never been higher right throughout the league. There are nine points separating first and fifth which is wild and as a fan or for someone who works in it like myself all you want is jeopardy in sport and you want that to last as long as possible. Five doesn’t go into four but it feels as if the competition is going to carry on right until that final round.
How impressed have you been with the league leaders Northampton Saints, who have shone in the Premiership but also in Europe progressing through their pool campaign?
They probably don’t want the break to come, do they? They were fantastic in the Champions Cup and going to Franklin’s Gardens or even playing them away they look so formidable as a team. I’m full of admiration for what they’ve been able to do with Phil Dowson, Sam Vesty and the rest of the coaching staff. They are a young group of mostly English-qualified players who play a great brand of rugby and are so pleasing on the eye. They’ve got a real steel and maturity about them, their result away at Thomond Park was extraordinary going down to 14 men with Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell standing up.
I’m thinking about putting together a petition to try and get Courtney Lawes out of international retirement but I’m respectful that he’s done so much and served his country by being a Test centurion, captained the team and now is taking time away to spend with the family and deserves it. From a Northampton perspective how great is it to have his sole focus on trying to compete on two fronts.
Champions Saracens look to have turned a corner but they have been a bit off the boil this season sitting outside the top four, have you been surprised with them?
The characteristics that you often associate with Saracens haven’t consistently been there. One of their super strengths in recent years has been their consistency but it hasn’t been there. Mark McCall said they’re a team in transition and with the news Owen Farrell is off to Racing, Billy and Mako Vunipola and a few others possibly departing may mean they are going through a transitional phase.
But the one thing they are good at is responding well, against Bordeaux a few weeks ago they had the most points put on them in the European competition and while the first half against Lyon wasn’t perfect they find a way to win. For many a season they were your finalists, so it will be intriguing to see how they respond in the second half of the campaign.
Regarding England’s Six Nations, which players were you pleased to see receive a call up?
.You’ve got the obvious call ups for people who have been there and done it before providing a great clutch of experience but I’m always excited about thee ones that are given new opportunities or a second opportunity. Someone like Henry Slade, who missed out on the World Cup, has become the clutch king in the Premiership with the amount of moments he’s scored late tries or kicked last minute conversions. To have that magic within him to navigate his way through shows how much he’s stepped up in a prominent leadership position within Exeter and I’m glad he’s been given another shot.
His teammate Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, as a former winger, I’m really excited by what he’s doing but perhaps more excited by his potential because he has all the raw characteristics and ingredients to be a top level winger. The challenging thing is when you achieve a lot in a short space of time in his breakthrough season, you also need patience but he seems a very smart player that is well coached at Exeter. I’ve been impressed with Tom Roebuck up at Sale, watched him against back-to-back European champions La Rochelle recently in what was another litmus test and I thought he was excellent.
The top teams in the Premiership – Northampton, Quins and Bath – are the ones playing expansive exciting rugby, do you think that’s the blueprint for clubs going forward?
Rugby’s a bit of a copy cat sport and it goes through these cycles. It’s the same in most sports, you’ve got teams in the Premier League that want to play like Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City because his side have been the most successful team in the last few years by playing from the back with inverted full-backs, false nines etc. Rugby’s no different and for me what’s pleasing is the teams that are playing expansive rugby, scoring lots of points, lots of tries are the successful ones. Teams have been very successful with ball in hand in attack and that is the common denominator from the top four teams and if that’s the trend then I’m here for it.
As a former backline player I love seeing ambition, people express themselves and if that’s the new trend then players, fans, commentators will certainly enjoy the sport more. And no doubt help get bums on seats and create a new audience during these testing times People sometimes forget that sport is entertainment and entertainment can look like different things to lots of different people but the number one thing people want to see are tries. Yes there are fundamentals to the game like the scrum, lineout, kicking, defence but tries are celebrated more than anything and the more tries we have the better our product will be.
There has been a rise in attendances across the Premiership and in Europe in recent weeks, what do you put that down to?
It’s brilliant. You wonder is it the legacy effect of the World Cup and utilising it. We’re fortunate on TNT Sports to talk about some of the best players in the world that play in our domestic competition. Some of the head to heads and match ups you get every single week are outstanding. For people to be flooding in their droves to the stands or sat at home watching on TV is brilliant because there’s this true genuine excitement about our sport.
How much of a loss will Owen Farrell (below) be to the Premiership when he leaves Saracens for Racing 92 in the summer?
I wish him all the best. What an amazing opportunity to go to Paris and play for a great team with a great stadium.If people haven’t been to the La Defense Arena just go because it’s an incredible spectacle.The best way I can explain it to someone that hasn’t been is it’s like watching rugby at the O2 Arena. He gets to play with some quality players and link up with a former England coach in Stuart Lancaster, who he knows really well. There’s legends like Siya Kolisi there and Farrell is only going to boost them. It’s going to be a brand new stimlus, new challenge for him and his family and one that I know he’ll absolutely thrive in.
He’s domestically completed rugby with six Premiership titles, three European Cups. He’s been an unbelievable servant to the English game; a Test centurion, was the England captain and having given so much it’s only right and fair at the age of 32 that he thinks about himself and his family. He’ll be a loss because he’s one of the world’s best and we love the competitive nature he brings, the standards he drives and the type of rugby he plays. We’ll enjoy him until the end of the season and he’s got some massive matches to come.
It’s handy for England that they’re well stocked in the fly-half department with Marcus Smith, Fin Smith and George Ford battling it out now. Who would you pick?
I’d have Marcus Smith at 10. The consistency of his performances, while sprinkling his stardust means he’s having a great season and is showing everything. You’ve got Fin Smith off the back of him masterminding the win away at Munster which showed his composure, control and they are two key attributes to lead a team at international level. George Ford knows a thing or two about international rugby, he has a wealth of experience. He’s probably the closest thing to a player-coach as he’s a selfless, team-first player that drives his standards which rises everyone elses.
George just being there makes everyone a better player but he’s a hugely competitive player hence he’s got 90-plus caps for his country. It’s good to see him come back from injury and he won’t just be there to better those two others, his job is to win that 10 shirt. With those three in camp the competition for that sole place is going to be brilliant. It’s also a great fight at 9 with Ben Spencer, Alex Mitchell and Danny Care, the competition for places in key areas is as strong as it has been for a while.
Jamie George is the new England captain, what do you make of that appointment?
There isn’t anyone who’s unhappy that he’s been given the role. He’s a natural born leader, winner and British and Irish Lion. He’s in a pivotal position and one of the key players that’s guaranteed his place in the team and is just a lovely bloke in terms of how he engages with his teammates, as well as the media. He’s a brilliant rugby player and a fantastic ambassador for our sport.
You can watch the Gallagher Premiership live on TNT Sports and discovery+. For more info visit: tntsports.co.uk/rugby
