It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.
THEY’RE ON FIRE!
Unbeaten URC duo: Five rounds into the new season and there are only two unbeaten sides in the form of Leinster and the Lions. It is standard procedure for the Dublin-based side who have performed incredibly well in the regular season since the inception of the URC and even before, but the same cannot be said for the Lions who seem to have really found something in their squad who consistently produce at the moment.
Leinster will certainly look to double down on their start to try to claim their first bit of silverware since 2021, with their good start laying the foundations. There may only be one unbeaten side after Round Six as the two teams meet in Dublin, however, a draw would keep the situation as it is.
Newcastle Falcons: The Steve Diamond effect has started to sink as, FINALLY, Newcastle snapped a 25-game losing streak in the Premiership as they downed Exeter Chiefs 24-18 at home on Friday. It has been a difficult period for the club and it’s fantastic to see the guidance of Diamond making an impact. This season is already an improvement by virtue of that win and it will be fascinating to see how the side gets on with the monkey off their backs.
Sharks: Talking about finally, the Durban men seem to eventually be making the most of their star-powered Springboks as they beat defending champions Glasgow Warriors 28-24. The game saw Siya Kolisi make his return to the black jersey and it only took him 27 minutes to cross the whitewash while other heavy-hitting Springboks like Eben Etzebeth made a notable impact along with the rapid pace of Grant Williams. With the Challenge Cup and Currie Cup under their belts, it could well be the season the other URC teams have been fearing. If the Sharks catch fire in a big way it could spell trouble for the league.
Scarlets: It may have come on the back of controversy (more on that below) but the Welsh side fought hard to claim an epic first win over a 14-man Bulls side by just one point, 23-22. There is of course the debate about the red card for the Pretoria side in the 67th minute but the fact remains that Scarlets had to make the most of their numerical advantage and they did just that, stealing the game late on. It was an inspired effort, to say the least.
Alex Lozowski: The centre celebrated his England recall with a match-winning performance from the boot where he kicked 17 points including a penalty with the clock in the red to secure the 37-35 result against Bristol. It was another shift in a string of great form for the man who last represented the Red Rose in 2018.
Damian Willemse: With some suggesting the Stormer may struggle to break back into the Springboks side due to the rise of Aphelele Fassi, Willemse well and truly silenced his critics. It was with a 10 and not 15 on his back but the manner in which the double World Cup winner grabbed the game by the throat against Munster was sensational. He scored 14 points in the 34-19 win including a crucially timed drop goal to remind everyone of his class. Rassie Erasmus certainly will be smiling at his selection headache in November.
Jacob Stockdale: The Ulster star looks like a man re𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 as his soaring aerial finish in the corner against Ospreys suggests. That was his second try of the day as he continued some impressive try-scoring form. We all know that when Stockdale hits his straps he can be an absolute game-changer given the physical attributes he has at his disposal. It is competitive at wing in the Ireland set-up but performances like that cannot be ignored.
COLD AS ICE!
Sale Sharks: Firstly in the not-so-good news is Alex Sanderson’s side who fell to defending champions Northampton 47-17 on Friday in a game where they looked nowhere compared to their rivals. The coach shouldered the blame for the loss but it was Alex Willis’ yellow card that proved costly with the Saints scoring three tries during the sin bin period. The loss leaves Sale sixth and with some work to do.
Exeter Chiefs: A memorable day for Newcastle meant a horror day for Rob Baxter’s men which was made even worse by the fact it was their fifth loss on the bounce. It leaves the side only one point above bottom-placed Newcastle on the Premiership table and plenty to think about for Baxter. It doesn’t get much easier as they host Harlequins on Sunday.
Munster: The former champions had never lost to the Stormers and would have gone to Cape Town with confidence, but it didn’t materialise as they fell to defeat. The hosts were much improved on their past efforts but Munster also made life easier for the Capetonians with poor discipline and some basic errors at times which resulted in them failing to capitalise on their dominance in certain periods. That is two losses in a row and a tricky trip to Durban looms for Graham Rowntree’s side.
Refereeing inconsistency: At Planet Rugby we acknowledge the game is being played at such a high pace and that it is difficult for officials to always get things right especially considering rugby’s focus on protecting players’ heads, but consistency in decision-making is essential for the game. That was not the case in the Scarlets v Bulls clash where Johan Grobbelaar was given his marching orders with 13 minutes to go for a fairly innocuous tackle.
Many feel it was harsh but that wouldn’t matter as much if the same treatment was given for every potentially dangerous challenge in that game. However, clips quickly emerged of Scarlets man Sam Lousi going in high on Cobus Wiese in a tackle that was arguably more dangerous but there was no punishment. Again we reiterate that we understand the difficulties of refereeing at the highest level but for the sake of player welfare and given all the technology at match officials’ disposal we cannot afford an inconsistency to that extent.
