Bears on loose and Tigers' next hire - Premiership talking points

Leicester have filled one of their big vacancies, bringing in Geoff Parling to replace the outgoing head coach Michael Cheika.

The hunt for a 10 goes on though.

Handre Pollard was superb in the Tiger's comeback win over Sale under the Friday night lights, landing seven out of seven from the tee and sparking the fightback with a pinpoint crossfield kick to unleash Ollie Hassell-Collins.

The 31-year-old is returning to South Africa and the Bulls at the end of the campaign however and, with Jamie Shillcock also bound for French side Brive, a big-name stand-off is top of the shopping list.

Munster's Jack Crowley reportedly considered a big-money offer from the Midlands, external before renewing terms with Munster. Gloucester's Gareth Anscombe, now off to Bayonne, was apparently under consideration. Even an audacious succession plan that featured England and Northampton's Fin Smith has been floated., external

Parling won't have much time to get his feet under the table, before he has to do some heavy telephone lifting to sell the upwardly mobile Tigers to some stand-offs.

A theme of the Lions squad announcement on Thursday was the value of versatility, with head coach Andy Farrell making it clear the ability to play at full-back as well as fly-half had been Marcus Smith's trump card.

With only Jack Conan as a specialist in the party to tour Australia, number eight might be Ben Earl's best route into the Test team, however, the 27-year-old is working up his side hustle as a centre.

Having shifted into midfield mid-match against Italy and Wales during the Six Nations, the mere prospect of his hard-line running pinched the Falcons defence in Saracens' win over Newcastle.

He also picked up a try after tracking wing Tobias Elliott's full-pelt break.

If Farrell wants plug seven forwards into a power-heavy bench, Earl might be the adapter he needs down under.

Transferring a regular-season home game onto a grander stage is a difficult trick to get right.

Harlequins, with Twickenham's Allianz Stadium just over the road, have managed to make their Christmas fixture an annual tradition. Saracens make use of north London neighbours Tottenham's home ground for their derby against Quins. Northampton have staged some European ties half an hour up the road at 30,000-seater Stadium MK in Milton Keynes.

But most clubs are already the biggest show in their local area.

Bristol's plan to host a game at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, which has 47,000 more seats, but is an hour away from Ashton Gate, was bold and took some negotiating with the Welsh Rugby Union.

But it paid off.

With 51,095 tickets sold, the Bears gave value for money by beating Bath, with a win which featured six tries, a superb performance from centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg and a trademark Viliame Mata big hit., external

Bristol's chief operating officer Tom Tainton told Planet Rugby afterwards that there is an aspiration to follow rugby league's lead and take a game to the United States in future., external

Going from crossing the Severn to crossing the Atlantic is ambitious, but so was this first foray into Wales.

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…

Don't be deceived by the scoreline.

Rob Baxter wasn't.

The Exeter boss "fuming, absolutely fuming" over the deficiencies that lay beneath a flattering 42-14 scoreline against a much-rotated Northampton.

With more of a cutting edge Saints, who had more possession and entered the Exeter 22m 18 times compared to the Chiefs' 12 visits to the danger zone, might easily have won.

Fortunately for the hosts, they have wing Paul Brown-Bampoe, who has six tries in 11 Premiership appearances this season and an excellent chance of earning a call-up to England's tour of Argentina and the United States this summer.