Showstopping Ibitoye & other top-flight talking points

Gabriel Ibitoye's rugby pathway has taken the road less travelled.

In 2018, Eddie Jones called him up to an England senior squad as a teenage apprentice, but a little more than three years later he had signed up to Tel Aviv Heat, a globe-trotting mix of out-of-favour overseas stars and local Israeli players.

Finally at Bristol Bears, the Londoner seems to be nearing the destination his promise indicated.

For three-quarters of their game at Exeter, the 26-year-old had been overshadowed by his opposing wings. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Paul Brown-Bampoe, the Chiefs' double-barrelled dual threat, had scored two tries apiece and given the hosts a 20-point lead after an hour.

But Ibitoye's dizzying nine-minute hat-trick – all red-line, top-end speed to finish off openings created by AJ MacGinty, Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Harry Randall – flipped the match on its head.

Last season Ibitoye made more metres (1,432), threw more offloads (30) and beat more defenders (75) than any other player in the Premiership's regular season. He topped all those categories by a distance.

He was also joint top for line breaks with Northampton's Tommy Freeman - all while playing for a team that finished fifth.

Ugo Monye, speaking on Rugby Union Weekly last week, suggested international rugby might rein in what makes Ibitoye special.

Bristol boss Pat Lam, though, backed his man to finally make the step up.

"I believe he's good enough to play at the next level," he said.

"His fundamentals as a winger are great, and then on top of that, we get the Gabriel Ibitoye who's brilliant. He's one of the fittest guys, he's electric, but it's about him staying in the game and he's done that very well."

England announce their squad for the autumn internationals on Wednesday.

Mercer at centre of 'Glawsball' revolution

If local reports are to be believed, Zach Mercer will head back to France at the end of this season, with a switch to Toulon already signed and sealed.

In the meantime though, no-one is encapsulating Gloucester's campaign better.

Mercer has been at the centre of George Skivington's ‘Glawsball’ revolution, a stark all-action, free-running makeover.

The number eight often pops up at first receiver or in midfield to dictate the play. Only Saracens' Tom Willis has more carries so far this season.

When it works, it is scintillating. Mercer's outside break and offload for Charlie Atkinson's first-half try against Bath was reminiscent of the player who cut a swathe through the French Top 14 while at Montpellier.

But, like his team, there are bloopers that play alongside Mercer's highlight reel.

Twelve points down with 16 minutes to go at Bath, still in the game and deep in the visiting side's 22m, Mercer forced a basketball-style pass out of the tackle.

It went to ground, Tom de Glanville went the length and the contest was over.

Mercer hurled his water bottle to the 4G in frustration and was replaced shortly after.

Skivington, though, said three defeats in four games have not dented belief in the new gameplan.

And the entertainment is undeniable.

As well as couple of shanked kicks from Bath's shusher-in-chief Finn Russell, a sold-out Kingsholm revelled in George Barton's casual snapped drop-goal conversion, prop star Afolabi Fasogbon's set-piece celebrations and scrum-half Tomos Williams' ferrety performance.

If this is to be Mercer's final season at Kingsholm, it is the one with a team and a plan that best fits his all-court talents. Unless they make the maths stack up soon though, it won't be extended to the play-offs.

Gilmore fashions thrifty Quins

"You can have all the detail in the world, but at the end of the day, it is people putting their bodies on the line."

In a coaching world of system-speak and corporate jargon, Jason Gilmore's call to arms for Harlequins this summer was clear: less complexity, more commitment.

The Australian was taking over a notoriously leaky defence.

Harlequins were one of only three sides to ship more than 500 points last year. They were third bottom of the defensive stats in 2022-23 as well. This season, albeit with only four games gone, they are second top.

Their victory over London rivals Saracens, their first in almost five years, was built on titanic tackling. Young English stars Fin Baxter, Jack Kenningham and Lennox Anyanwu, filling the substantial midfield hole left by Andre Esterhuizen, came to the fore. In total, the hosts made 229 tackles, well clear of any other team this weekend.

When the final whistle blew it looked like there were a few moist eyes in the home coaching box.

Last season Lee Radford's ratcheting up of Northampton's defence was key to their title win. Gilmore's influence could promote Quins from wannabes to contenders this term.

Scotland profit from Sale of the century

The drive from Sale's Salford Community Stadium north to Murrayfield is only nine minutes longer than the trip south to Twickenham.

Last December, Scotland coach Gregor Townsend crossed the border to take a check on the Sharks' Scottish-qualified players - wings Arron Reed and Tom Roebuck, and scrum-half Gus Warr.

Three years ago, Sale front-rowers Bevan Rodd and Ewan Ashman, both eligible for England and Scotland, were considering their options.

Back then, Ashman went north to Scotland, Rodd went south to England.

On this occasion, Townend came away with a majority decision, with Warr and Reed, both 25, making their Scotland debuts this summer.

It was worth the petrol money. Reed, who pulled off an incredible double try-saving tackle in defence against Gloucester last week, scored two jet-heeled tries opposite Newcastle's Adam Radwan last Friday, while Warr was his usual niggly, gnarly self, bringing pace to the Sale backline.

Sale have previously felt they have not been shown much love by selectors and broadcasters down south. England's loss might well prove Scotland's gain.

Onyeama-Christie on long road to recovery

Two contrasting corridor scenes played out in London over the weekend.

Before kick-off at the Stoop, Saracens hooker Jamie George and Harlequins prop Joe Marler made light of their teams' rivalry as they jokingly scuffled in the tunnel.

A little over an hour later, Saracens' back row Andy Onyeama-Christie was lying outside a hospital ward, huffing on oxygen, while watching the game he had been stretchered out of on a mobile phone.

The Scotland international has suffered a bad ankle injury, his third serious setback in the space of 18 months after twice breaking his arm.

Onyeama-Christie didn't get the result he wanted to at the Stoop, but hopefully the 25-year-old will get the recovery he deserves.