If Bristol’s Big Day Out, Harlequins’ Big Summer Kick-off event and confirmation of a new television deal, were all boosts to the Premiership, two matches being skewed by second-string teams detracted from the weekend.
Northampton and Bath, with the Champions Cup final to come and a play-off berth secured respectively, both rested stars and took defeats.
A plan to scrap relegation, at least as a concept decided solely on the pitch, in the English top flight will only lower levels of jeopardy at the back end of the season.
It was difficult not to cast an envious eye over the Channel where Vannes, bottom of the Top 14, were only beaten by a final-play drop-goal at home to La Rochelle and Perpignan and Stade Francais fought out an enthralling basement dogfight, with never more than a converted score between them.
Pounds of prizemoney for regular-season points tallies? Reprimands for unduly weakened sides? More ambitiously, a draft of centrally contracted young stars to spread talent through the league?
It is difficult to see a solution…
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