Despite being just four games into the Gallagher Premiership, the table is already starting to take shape with Bristol currently leading the way with Saracens and Bath just behind.
Despite setting the early pace, Bristol is only the fifth favourite for the title, with Bath and Saracens the current favourites and Northampton and Sale Sharks in third and fourth respectively.
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Getting a good idea of the players to look out for this season will help gamblers significantly, and the stats from the opening four fixtures can already provide us with valuable information.
Attack
Despite the Exeter Chiefs languishing in 9th place, fullback Josh Hodge is currently the division’s top points scorer with 42. Their next match is against Newcastle who sit bottom of the table on 0 points, making it a great opportunity for Hodge to increase his 3-point lead over Bath’s Scottish fly-half Finn Russell.
Hodge has seen a steady increase in his weekly point totals, starting with four points in a Round 1 defeat to Leicester. The following week he amassed 9 points against Northampton, followed by 14 and 15 against Saracens and Bristol respectively.
League leaders Bristol currently boasts the top tries scorer and goal kicker, both of which help their team’s great early form. 34-year-old Irish fly-half AJ MacGinty’s 36 points see him lead Northampton Saints’ Fin Smith by one point as the league’s top goal kicker. This tally also sees him in third place in the top overall point scorer table.
English Winger Max Malins is the eighth top-point scorer in the league with all of his 25 points coming from his table-topping five tries.
What makes his achievement all the more impressive is that it was completed in just three games. He enjoyed two tries in each of the first two games of the season against Newcastle and Gloucester. His fifth try came against Bath, but a knee injury ruled him out of Bristol’s fourth game at Exeter.
This knee injury could see him ruled out for as much as eight weeks, which will come as a bitter blow to his team and fans after scooping the Player of the Month award for September.
Defence
While Newcastle have struggled this season, their recent acquisition Tom Gordon has established himself as a tough tackling back row. The star from New Zealand had already clocked up 55 tackles after just three games, and his side will be relying on him to continue this form if they are going to transform their fortunes.
Harlequins back row Will Evans has also been solid at the back with 7 turnovers from his opening three matches.
Though there is still a long way to go, these early stats can help us understand why teams are performing well or what areas need to be strengthened.
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