Top 3: Quick men in Round 2 of the Premiership

Top 3: Quick men in Round 2 of the Premiership

It is a wingers’ league and we are just living in it.

That was certainly how it felt in Round 2 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby where wingers combined for 12 tries across five matches on a thrilling weekend.

From Friday night’s try-fest of a West Country derby to Bath Rugby’s victory in a Super Sunday clash at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, the wide men earned their corn and then some.

But who were our top three?

3. Cassius Cleaves (Harlequins)

Of the 12 tries scored by wingers this weekend, none were scored by Harlequins 21-year-old Cassius Cleaves, and yet we could not leave him out of this list.


The Stoop lost one alliterative winger in Louis Lynagh this summer, but Cleaves has stepped right in and seized his opportunity, making two tries in the 28-14 victory over Newcastle Falcons on Saturday.

His footwork is electric, and allowed him to race outside Falcons’ first up defence before slipping one grab and producing a devastating sidestep to beat a covering tackler.


When the numbers game meant that there was no way he could finish it off himself, Cleaves made the sensible play, feeding to the onrushing Leigh Halfpenny to send the Lions and Wales great over for his first league try.

In the second half, we got a taste of Cleaves’ raw speed, as he was given an inch of space on the left wing and streaked clear down the touchline.

Again, he did not try to do too much, playing the ball back inside to Oscar Beard to take out one defender. Beard could have returned the favour with Cleaves keeping up in support but the replacement chose the inside ball to send Will Porter in.

In a selfless display, Cleaves might not have scored, but he played as big a part as anyone in Quins’ first victory of the campaign.

2. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)

The first few weeks of last season gave us an introduction to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who looked like the brightest light of the new era at Sandy Park.

A year on and we are getting to the point where Feyi-Waboso looks like a budding superstar.

Every time he touches the ball, something happens, and he notched two more tries against Northampton Saints as Chiefs snatched a late bonus point away to the champions.

Of course, Exeter would love to have a win under their belts from these opening two games against East Midlands opposition, but two points are better than none.

And Feyi-Waboso gives them a point of difference, his combination of speed, footwork and power perhaps unique to the entire league.

That he is shining in a Chiefs side that is currently being forced to play Olly Woodburn out of position at outside centre because of an injury crisis, only adds to what Feyi-Waboso has achieved so far.

Almost every time the ball reaches him, you sense heightened excitement from the fans, and a level of attention from the defence who know they have to close down the space immediately.

Once Henry Slade is back fit, you have to assume the ball will reach Feyi-Waboso even more regularly, and that can only be a good thing for Exeter.

1. Christian Wade (Gloucester Rugby)

The youngsters might be coming, but Christian Wade provided a reminder of just why it looked at one point as if he would rewrite every record in the book.

After a six-year absence from Gallagher Premiership Rugby, spent trying his hand at American football and then a couple of seasons in France, Wade is back.

And even at 33, he is as devastating a finisher as ever. In a sensational game against Bristol Bears, it was his hat-trick that proved the difference in the 44-41 win.

At times he seems to move at a different speed to others – there was never any question that he would not finish his first, when he was found on the left. Likewise when he picked off a pass around his own 22, Wade had more than enough gas to race away with James Williams having no chance of catching him while Gabriel Ibitoye did not make up any ground either.

There was a touch of good fortune in the hat-trick score, but Wade made his own luck with his chase of his own kick forward.

Now with six Premiership hat-tricks, he stands alone with the most of anyone in the competition’s history, while he is now 16 tries behind Chris Ashton’s all-time record.

That will take some catching, but Wade has picked up right where he left off.

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