The 'ginger Penaud', a rivalry renewed & Genge's coffee - Prem talking points

We could only read the body language, rather than hear the words, but Owen Farrell and Harvey Skinner's post-match chat looked short of festive goodwill.

Saracens against Exeter always comes with more spice than a mug of mulled wine.

The pair vied for supremacy at the top of the English game at the end of the last decade, and Exeter were most vocal in their condemnation when it turned out Saracens' all-star squad had been held together by off-books payments.

Since that era, both have slipped away from the top, but Saturday afternoon was evidence of a rivalry reborn.

Skinner and Farrell summed it up with a niggly fly-half battle, both ploughing into hits on each other after the ball was gone.

England hooker Jamie George celebrated pointedly in Skinner's face after Noah Caluori's try had put the hosts 11 points clear on 55 minutes.

But it was Skinner and the Chiefs who has the last laugh. Skinner levelled Farrell with a legal hit 10 minutes later, external and Exeter roared back with three tries in the last 17 minutes to take a bonus-point victory at the StoneX.

It is just the latest episode of Exeter's late, late roadshow.

They fought back from 33-7 to draw away to Northampton in the opening round of the season. Last weekend, they came back from 13 points down to beat Sale in the north west.

In total, they have scored 16 tries and conceded only four in the second half of Prem matches this season.

Sitting second, if they can finish the second half of the season as strongly as they do individual matches, a play-off spot is on the cards at least.

It is a dramatic turnaround for a team that finished ninth last season and did not win a single away game.

The 'ginger Penaud' is a big nickname to live up to. But it is fitting pretty well for George Hendy right now.

The languid socks-down, heads-up, high-speed look - akin to star France wing Damian Penaud - is now being matched with a glorious strike rate. The 23-year-old's double in the win over Sale took him to six tries in Saints' past three games.

He made a game-high103 metres and beat three defenders, setting up Henry Pollock's opening score in the process.

George Furbank's rumoured move to Harlequins makes more sense in light of Hendy's continued upward trajectory.

Hendy harboured hopes of getting on England's tour of Argentina and the United States in the summer, but was overlooked. Instead he had to make do with an appearance for England A against Spain this autumn.

There is a log-jam of quality back-three options ahead of him in the queue for an England spot, but his ability to carve through traffic is notable.

If his stellar form carries over into a mouth-watering match against Bath - Henry Arundell, Joe Cokanasiga and the rest at the Rec on 27 December - he will edge further into contention.

"I thought, in terms of attitude, the ability to stick in the game for 80 minutes was the most pleasing."

Those were Harlequins coach Jason Gilmore's words after his side stuck to cross-town rivals Saracens with a performance of cunning and commitment back in October.

He has not seen much to please him since. Quins have lost three out of their last four Prem games, with Bristol running in four unanswered first-half tries to wreck the hosts' Big Game party at Allianz Stadium.

It was a worryingly feeble showing on the biggest stage.

Their tackle success was down at 76% and despite shading 22 entries 17 to 12, they had little of Bristol's attacking glint, until Marcus Smith jinked over late on with the game already gone.

Quins have plenty of quality. Luke Northmore and Oscar Beard are a punchy, play-making midfield duo, Cadan Murley and Rodrigo Isgro offer pace and panache out wide while Tyrone Green and Nick David are consistent top-flight performers.

Up front, Harry Williams and Guido Petti arrived in the summer to add grunt and snarl to a pack that already contains Fin Baxter, Chandler Cunningham-South, Alex Dombrandt and Jack Kenningham as well as Will Evans' ground game.

But it isn't clicking.

A coaching cooperative stepped into the breach after Paul Gustard's departure in 2021 and led Quins to an extraordinary Premiership triumph, but the same model doesn't seem to be having the same effect after Danny Wilson left for Wales at the start of this campaign.

Defeat on a Boxing Day trip to Sale, where Quins have won only once in their last eight visit, could confirm this season as a write-off.

There was no try more joyously scored or collectively celebrated than Ellis Genge's 50m romp in Bristol's win over Quins.

The England prop was not even supposed to be on the pitch. Having been replaced 10 minutes earlier, he was forced back into the fray by an injury to replacement Jake Woolmore.

As he came back on, Genge signalled to Woolmore that his team-mate owed him a coffee for his double-shift.

Genge will enjoy regaling him with the story of his score over that beverage. The 30-year-old received a quick line-out, swerved between Lucas Friday, cantered into space and barged aside Nick David before being engulfed in a pack of celebrating Bears., external

He was not the only free-running forward on show. Northampton's Australian flanker Josh Kemeny beat five tacklers on his way to the Sale line, crumping full-back Arron Reed with a jagging right-foot step., external

Honourable mentions, too, for Kemeny's Saints team-mate Tom Pearson, Exeter's Greg Fisilau and Bristol's Joe Batley, who crossed for some fast-twitch tries, along with Bath second row Ewan Richards for a lovely carve through Newcastle's broken-field defence.

A couple of tactical innovations to chew over.

Exeter, defending a single-point lead, were on the ropes late on against Saracens as the hosts fired up their driven maul and motored towards the line.

The Chiefs got out of jail however. Referee Luke Pearce ruled that Exeter has pulled the maul to ground, but were entitled to do so as all their players were back over their own line. With the ball off the ground, amid a heap of bodies, the visitors were awarded a drop-out under their own posts and a chance to clear.

It is a risky tactic to pull off. The timing has to be impeccable and a penalty try and a yellow card are the punishment for getting it wrong. But might we see more teams attempt to pull it off?

At Kingston Park, with 55 minutes gone, Bath boss Johann van Graan brought on all eight of his replacements at once against Newcastle.

A clever way to reset energy levels without the drip-drip disruption of introducing the subs more gradually?

Or more evidence that replacements, initially brought into the game as insurance against injury, are now too much of a tactical weapon?