Stuart Barnes looks at the impact of two coaches, Gregor Townsend and Ali Hepher

My theme is coaching and two men caught my eye at the weekend. The first of them is Gregor Townsend.

His stamp was all over the performance of Glasgow. Quite how they conspired to win by a late penalty goal would be a mystery if we didn’t know that winning games is a standard part of the Leinster DNA.

But Matt O’Connor will have left Scotland aware that his team almost nicked it on the scoreboard but were pretty much second best in every aspect of the game for 70 minutes. Glasgow were fast and accurate at the breakdown whereas the Guinness champions (although technically I guess they are RABO champions) committed limited resources and lost the chance of winning the quick ball required to ignite their game.

But it was what they did with the ball in hand that was such a throwback to when Townsend was in his pomp. He is one of those players critics love to refer to as a "maverick” as if anyone who thinks quickly has to be an outsider. Townsend as a fly-half played within the system - he just played and saw what was happening quicker than most.

His team had a hint of Townsend about them. Rather than run head down into contact all 23 players looked for space instead of brick walls. The off-loading game makes it hard for smart defensive teams to get bodies into the breakdown and slow down attacks. It is difficult to combat attacks that shift shapes at speed.

Glasgow played largely between the two 15-metre lines which also stopped Leinster’s rush defence from outside centre. They probed for the gaps between the front five forwards and the rest where there might be just half a metre’s difference in acceleration off the defensive line, but that half metre can offer the slight dogleg the offence requires.

Glasgow got behind Leinster at and around the fringes and this pulled the visitors infield. That is the time the wide parts of the field become most vulnerable to attack. Glasgow’s balance of tight and wide was impressive, especially as this was the first competitive game of the season. Clever and incisive, the team plays in his image. Such a team will be enjoyable and interesting to watch and, on the evidence of the first weekend, successful.

Surpassed

Twenty-four hours later I watched Exeter demolish London Welsh in Oxford. Rob Baxter usually takes most of the plaudits but a word here for another former fly-half. Whereas Townsend was an acclaimed Lions series winning fly-half (South Africa 1997) Ali Hepher was less distinguished. The former Northampton Saint was good enough to be a Heineken Cup winner but his was not the stellar career of the Scot.

Where Townsend probably has a way to go before he is as good a coach as player – and I already think him a fine coach – Hepher has surpassed his quality as a 10. He looks to be one of the brightest of the attack coaches in this Hemisphere.

London Welsh were blown away by the pace and the angles of the Chiefs. Again the sum of their team seems to exceed the parts. This is always one of the distinctive marks of good coaching. Support running and support lines are markedly inferior compared to down under but Exeter run onto the ball like a good New Zealand side.

The 10-12-13 combination was excellent. Gareth Steenson’s experience was a perfect blend with the youthful qualities of Sam Hill and Henry Slade. The bustle of Hill and the elegance of Slade was also easy on the eye. Throw in an eye catching performance from Dave Ewers at number 8 and it was a good day for Exeter’s developing players.

A good day for these current players but an outstanding one for the ex-fly-halves turned coaches to keep both eyes on. 

Stuart answers your emails...

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Stuart, how big a blow is the loss of Sam Whitelock and Liam Messam for New Zealand? Would you opt for Luatua or Cane to replace Messam and who would you put in the second row? Ian Benson
STUART SAYS: Sam Whitelock is playing superbly but New Zealand are hardly thin on cover. Jeremy Thrush went pretty well as a replacement. As for Messam, I like the idea of Cane and McCaw which enhances the All Black ability to maintain their high tempo. Again, whoever takes the field is a high class operator.

A lucky win for the Wallabies - thanks in part to an unwarranted card. I was wondering if you were a fully paid up member to the Kurtley Beale love-in though? Everyone seems to be raving about him when he came on but the first thing he did was give away the ball by getting totally isolated in a try scoring position. Yes he played okay after, but that's what he is - a broken play specialist. Easy to look incisive when half the opposition are knackered. I think Australia look much better with a solid halves combination and a bloke at 13 who can actually pass the ball. When was the last time AAC passed - when he played with the Brumbies? Robert Perr
STUART SAYS: Yes Robert, the Wallabies were lucky. George Clancy's poor decision regarding Habana was probably influential in the outcome and overall South Africa will feel the game should have been theirs but Australia has a habit of hanging in there and that is the mark of a good team. As for Kurtley Beale, I 100 per cent disagree. I thought he made the creative diffrence. A few years ago he was the best number 15 in the world and this year he has been the best number 12 in Super Rugby. The AAC point is an interesting one. Australia seem to play a 3/4 system, with numbers 9 to 12 creative, and 11, 13, 14 and 15 all runners.

What a great start to the PRO12 with some superb results. I know it is only the first round but the theme has been on which teams can hit the ground running and it looks like the Irish big guns have stumbled at the first hurdle though. Connacht on the other hand were excellent value against a dangerous Dragons side. I see some Leinster fans are already having a go at O'Connor but lets not forget that Leinster have started every successful season with a loss so maybe they just need to get that out of their system and get back on the horse. James Ditchfield
STUART SAYS: It was an exciting start to the PRO12 season but as far as trends go, I wouldn't spend too much time looking for them. Glasgow impressed me in so many ways and were the better team for 70 minutes and yet it took a last minute penalty to beat Leinster. They will be up there this season.

Hi Stuart, thoroughly enjoyed watching the PRO12 on Sky and great coverage. I was really impressed with Ulster’s fight back to secure the draw against Scarlets. My question is surrounding Jared Payne who has been touted as the man to replace Brian O'Driscoll in the Ireland team. He is a superb No.15 but an average 13 and I think he is totally wasted in this position for Ulster. Grant Austine
STUART SAYS: Well Grant, I agree with you. He is a better 15 than 13 and sometimes jamming full backs to outside centre is a recipe for disappointment. Think back to Christian Cullen at the 1999 World Cup.

Stuart, where is the consistency from referees? Duane Vermeulen was penalised for a legitimate tackle that the ref said rode up. Then De Villiers was hit with a late and high tackle that the ref penalised but no yellow card. So how could he sin-bin Habana for that tackle? I'm not blaming the ref for the loss - South Africa should have closed that game down and don't get me started on their 'tactical' kicking but I just want to see consistency from the refs... is that too much to ask. Benjamin Humaan
STUART SAYS: George Clancy had a poor game and made a poor decision regarding Habana. Inconsistency only highlights the poor performance. But you are right. If Morne Steyn finds touch South Africa wins. Your team look like they could do with the other Steyn right now.