Month: March 2019

Highlights from New Zealand‘s 40-12 victory over Australia in Auckland on Saturday.

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Western Province laid down a marker for the Currie Cup campaign with a comprehensive 32-0 victory over Free State Cheetahs at Newlands on Saturday.

Tries from Ruhan Nel, Juarno Augustus, Scarra Ntubeni and JD Schickerling proved far too much for the visitors.

The inclement conditions made handling and passing difficult, with plenty of errors making for a stop-start affair. Augustus would be yellow-carded in the fifth minute for tackling a player in the air, but the visitors would fail to make anything of their numerical advantage.

The first half was a drab and low-scoring affair with a lot of time taken up due to scrum resets due to the terrible conditions.

SP Marais would slot two penalties but the first try of the match would only come after the half-time hooter when Nel exploited a gap in the defence to dot down after some persistent Province pressure. Marais added the conversion as the home side took a 13-0 lead into the interval.

Five minutes after the break, a Jano Vermaak box-kick forced Rabz Maxwane into taking the ball over his own dead-ball line. From the five-metre scrum, the hosts would capitalise with Augustus scoring a superb individual try as he shrugged off four defenders for a magnificent finish. Marais somehow added the extras as the heavens well and truly began to open up, making it even more difficult for the players.

The hosts would then score two tries ten minutes apart from each to other to put the game beyond doubt. First, Ntubeni crashed over at the back of a driving maul before Schickerling powered over from close range as Province surged into an unassailable 32-0 lead.

No points would be scored in the final quarter as Province held on for a precious clean sheet.

The scorers:

For Western Province:
Tries: Nel, Augustus, Ntubeni, Schickerling
Cons: Marais 3
Pens: Marais 2
Yellow Card: Augustus

Western Province: 15 SP Marais, 14 JJ Engelbrecht, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan Kriel, 11 Dillyn Leyds (c), 10 Josh Stander, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Michael Kumbirai, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Ali Vermaak
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Caylib Oosthuizen, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Herschel Jantjies, 21 Dan du Plessis, 22 Sergeal Petersen

Free State Cheetahs: 15 Malcolm Jaer, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Dries Swanepoel, 12 Nico Lee, 11 William Small-Smith, 10 Louis Fouche, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Aidon Davis, 7 Oupa Mohoje (c), 6 Jasper Wiese, 5 Dennis Visser, 4 Justin Basson, 3 Güther Janse van Vuuren, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Erich de Jager, 18 Luan de Bruin, 19 Stephan Malan, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Shaun Venter, 22 Ernst Stapelberg

Referee: AJ Jacobs
Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni, Nathan Swartz
TMO: Shaun Veldsman

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Wallabies coach Michael Cheika bemoaned the amount of turnovers his side conceded in their 40-12 defeat to the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday.

All four of Beauden Barrett’s tries came from turnover ball and broken field play, with the All Blacks exploiting the tired legs of the Wallabies from deep once the game had opened up.

“The same areas killed us, that’s turnovers. Last week it was turnovers … that killed us and it was the same again tonight,” Cheika told Reuters.

“When we do cough the ball up we do know they will come with it and you have to get up, work extra hard and get the ball back otherwise they will hurt you.

“The rest of the game we worked our butts off and it was those five or six key moments on turnover that really cost us.”

Meanwhile, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen believed his side’s ability to play the situation was crucial to their success.

“They play what is in front of them and we try to drum that into them,” Hansen said. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s from deep or not.

“If it’s on to run you have to run and we have players that can punish you when they do.”

Hansen admitted he had to be “incredibly pleased” with the result, especially because the Wallabies were an improved outfit this week.

“They (the Wallabies) were better,” Hansen added. “They played particularly well and it took us a lot longer to get on top.

“It was an improvement from last week. We were a lot more accurate in some of the things we were doing. There’s still a lot of room for improvement, but we have to be incredibly pleased.”

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The Sharks opened their Currie Cup campaign on a positive note with a 26-10 victory over the Blue Bulls at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.

Tries from Juan Schoeman, Kobus van Wyk, Aphelele Fassi and Curwin Bosch proved too much for the visitors who scored through Jesse Kriel’s converted try and a Manie Libbok penalty.

With more experience and no less than six Springboks in the side, the Sharks had too much firepower for the men from Pretoria on the day.

The first try came from a Sharks’ five-metre attacking scrum after Jamba Ulengo had knocked on chasing back to retrieve Bosch’s kick and chase. From the resulting set-piece, the ball was taken through a couple of phases before Schoeman powered over from close range. Robert du Preez added the extras for a 7-0 lead on six minutes.

The Bulls began to assert their dominance on the tie and hit back through a try in the 15th minute. After superb interplay between backs and forwards, Thembelani Bholi sent a looping pass over the top for Ulengo on the overlap, who was halted inches short. The ball was quickly recycled to Kriel, who showed good strength to muscle his way over.

However, six minutess later the home side would regain the lead from a move that started from a turnover on their own try-line. Louis Schreuder made the clean break and just when it looked as if he had run out of options, he swivelled and found the onrushing Bosch, who showed excellent turn of pace to scythe through and under the posts for a scintillating team try.

Great hands by the Sharks backs saw Van Wyk released down the right-hand flank before the winger stepped inside Andre Warner and Ulengo to complete a clinical finish. Du Preez slotted the conversion to take the home side out to a 21-10 lead as the sides headed into the interval.

Soon after, a Wright up and under again bamboozled the Bulls defence, with replacement winger Fassi pouncing on the loose ball and tearing away over the whitewash, scoring with his first touch of the ball as the hosts extended their lead to 26-10 with 15 minutes to go.

Despite having more opportunities to make the scoreline more flattering, the Sharks were unable to extend their lead as no further points were scored in the last quarter of an hour.

The scorers:

For Sharks:
Tries: Schoeman, Bosch, Van Wyk, Fassi
Cons: Du Preez 3

For Blue Bulls:
Try: Kriel
Con: Libbok
Pen: Libbok

Sharks: 15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Jeremy Ward, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 Wian Vosloo, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Gideon Koegelenberg, 3 John-Hubert Meyer, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle (c), 1 Juan Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Khutha Mchunu, 18 Andrew Evans, 19 Lubabalo Mtembu, 20 Cameron Wright, 21 Johan Deysel, 22 Aphelele Fassi

Blue Bulls: 15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Jade Stighling, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Johnny Kotze, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Andre Warner, 8 Hanro Liebenberg (c), 7 Thembelani Bholi, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Hendre Stassen, 3 Conrad van Vuuren, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Matthys Basson
Replacements: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 18 Eli Snyman, 19 Jano Venter, 20 Raegan Orange, 21 Tony Jantjies, 22 JT Jackson

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: Archie Sehlako, Vusi Msibi
TMO: Christie du Preez

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Following a 32-19 victory for Argentina over South Africa in their Rugby Championship game, here’s our five takeaways from the Mendoza clash.

Nicolas Sanchez the star: A full house for the Pumas fly-half as he scored a try, conversion, penalty and drop-goal in Mendoza. The latter score was crucial on 36 minutes as with nothing on, he sat back from 40 metres out to move his side into a 27-7 lead. While Handre Pollard had troubles again off the tee, Sanchez led with authority and was the catalyst of all that was good about Argentina’s much improved display.

Argentina addressed and fixed their problems: Physically in Durban the Pumas were bullied up front and they admitted to that following the 34-21 defeat. It’s clear they were using it as ammunition during this week and certainly banished a few demons from that Kings Park loss in Mendoza on Saturday. Their pack was much more reliable at the set-piece while in contact they never took a backward step, with the Boks visibly stunned at how they were not getting things their own way just one week on. Now they must bottle this performance for September 8 and beyond.

Steven Kitshoff shines again: It was noticeable yet again that Kitshoff made a significant impact to the Springboks’ game when he came on at the break. Lovely touches with ball in hand sees him fix defenders and with a solid set-piece to boot, the Stormers loosehead continues to push for a starting spot. He was also unlucky not to claim a try due to crawling for the line – a score he would have richly deserved.

It’s now New Zealand’s to lose: Before this game the masses had expected South Africa to be either level or one point behind New Zealand on the standings, thus setting up crucial games in Rounds 4 and possibly 6. Now, however, this year’s Rugby Championship looks like being the All Blacks to lose as they have a five point cushion at the summit, playing some fine rugby at present. It’s surely now a fight for second.

Reprieve for Wallabies: Following on from that, this incredible turnaround in Mendoza means the door is still ajar for Australia to claim second place when the Rugby Championship resumes in two weeks’ time. Michael Cheika’s outfit will be buoyed by the fact they’re only five points off the Boks, who must face New Zealand twice, with Australia having a chance to cut the gap against South Africa at home next up.

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Highlights from Argentina‘s 32-19 win over South Africa in Mendoza on Saturday.

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Argentina ended an eleven-match losing streak in the Rugby Championship when they claimed a deserved 32-19 win over South Africa in Mendoza on Saturday.

The home side were full value for their win as they dominated for large periods and eventually outscored the Springboks by four tries to three with Nicolas Sanchez leading the way with a 17-point haul courtesy of a try, three conversions, a penalty and a drop goal.

Apart from a brief period during the first half, when they held the upper-hand, the Springboks found the going tough and they seemed shell-shocked by the intensity with which los Pumas approached this match.

The hosts’ forwards deserve plenty of credit for matching the Boks’ physicality and this allowed their backs to play with freedom and Sanchez to dictate proceedings.

South Africa made the brighter start but despite doing most of the early attacking, it was Argentina who opened the scoring courtesy of a Sanchez penalty in the fifth minute, after Frans Malherbe was blown up for not releasing the ball on the ground.

The Boks had an opportunity to draw level in the 12th minute, after Pablo Matera strayed offside on defence on the edge of his 22, but Handré Pollard pushed an easy shot at goal wide of the uprights.

Shortly afterwards, the visitors took the lead courtesy of a well-taken try from their captain, Siya Kolisi. This, after he slipped out of a tackle from Sanchez close to Argentina’s 10-metre line and although he still had plenty of work to do, he did well to sell the cover defence a dummy before diving over.

Pollard added the extras but Argentina put that setback behind them and soon took the game by the scruff of the neck as they would score three tries during a 10 minute blitz.

First, Bautista Delguy rounded off in the right-hand corner in the 20th minute after Emiliano Boffelli tore the Bok defence to shreds with a superb line break just inside the visitors’ half. Boffelli then drew in a defender before offloading to Bautista Ezcurra, who got a pass out to Delguy and he went over the whitewash despite a desperate cover tackle from Willie le Roux.

Three minutes later, the Pumas forwards did well to get the better of their counterparts at a scrum close to the halfway line before Javier Ortega Desio gathered and made a telling break before the ball was shifted to Delguy, who beat Le Roux with ease before crossing for his second try.

The home side had their tails up and things went from bad to worse for the Springboks in the 26th minute when Eben Etzebeth was yellow carded for slowing the ball down cynically close to his try-line.

And two minutes later, Argentina went further ahead when Sanchez rounded Malcolm Marx down the left-hand touchline before diving over for his side’s third try. He made no mistake with the conversion attempt which gave his side a 24-7 lead.

Argentina were now brimming with confidence and in the 36th minute, Sanchez hammered home their advantage when he landed a drop goal from 35 metres out which meant los Pumas held a commanding 27-7 lead at half-time.

They continued to dominate after the restart and six minutes into the second half Matias Moroni did well to get a pass out to Ramiro Moyano, who had an easy run-in for his side’s fourth try.

Sanchez failed to convert with his side holding a 32-7 lead, which meant the visitors had a mountain to climb if they wanted to wanted to win this Test. And although the Boks showed more urgency on attack, they committed far too many unforced errors which cost them dearly in the end.

Two minutes after Moyano’s try, Warren Whiteley, Aphiwe Dyantyi and Le Roux combined brilliantly to create space for Lionel Mapoe, who went over for his first Test try.

That try seemed to reinvigorate the Boks and they held a slight advantage for the next 15 minutes. On the hour-mark, they thought they had narrowed the gap when Dyantyi crossed the whitewash, but his effort was disallowed when the final pass from Lukhanyo Am went forward.

South Africa continued to chase the game and were rewarded in the 65th minute when Mapoe crossed for his second try after good work from his forwards in the build-up.

The rest of the match was a topsy-turvy affair with both sides running the ball from all areas of the field and although the Boks spent large periods camped inside los Pumas‘ half, the home side finished stronger and held on for the win.

The scorers:

For Argentina:
Tries: Delguy 2, Sanchez, Moyano
Cons: Sanchez 3
Pen: Sanchez
Drop goal: Sanchez

For South Africa:
Tries: Kolisi, Mapoe 2
Cons: Pollard 2
Yellow Card: Etzebeth

Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Agustin Creevy (c), 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Tomas Cubelli, 22 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 23 Juan Cruz Mallia

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Makazole Mapimpi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Siya Kolisi (c), 6 Francois Louw, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Lionel Mapoe, 23 Damian Willemse

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

By David Skippers

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Stade Francais opened their Top 14 season with a bonus-point victory at Perpignan, despite having Sergio Parisse red carded late in the first-half.

Bordeaux-Bègles, Clermont and La Rochelle also won while Lyon and Toulouse drew their opener before Racing 92 won the late game against Toulon.

Results

Saturday
Perpignan 15-46 Stade Francais
Bordeaux-Bègles 41-19 Pau
Clermont Auvergne 67-23 Agen
La Rochelle 28-21 Grenoble
Lyon 16-16 Toulouse
Toulon 9-25 Racing 92

Perpignan 15-46 Stade Francais
Stade Aime Giral

Stade Francais began their Top 14 campaign with a 46-15 win over newly promoted Perpignan.

Leading 29-3 at half-time thanks to an impressive 40 minutes that saw flank Sekou Macalou (2), full-back Kylan Hamdaoui and centre Waisea Nayacalevu cross, Stade were in excellent form early on.

However, a red card for Sergio Parisse on 36 minutes for leading with the elbow in contact offered USAP a possible route back into the game.

New signing Paddy Jackson did cross wide out on 53 minutes and when Perpignan were awarded a penalty try after a strong scrum on the hour mark, they were just 29-15 adrift of the Parisians.

But Stade responded well with scores from Hamdaoui and Piet van Zyl putting the result beyond doubt, as they kick-off with a maximum.

The scorers:

For Perpignan:
Tries: Jackson, Penalty try
Pen: Jackson

For Stade Francais:
Tries: Macalou 2, Hamdaoui 2, Nayacalevu, Van Zyl
Cons: Steyn 5
Pens: Steyn, Plisson

Perpignan: 15 Julien Farnoux, 14 Jonathan Bousquet, 13 Afusipa Taumoepeau, 12 Sione Piukala, 11 Mathieu Acebes, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Tom Ecochard, 8 Genesis Mamea Lemalu, 7 Alan Brazo, 6 Karl Chateau, 5 Berend Botha, 4 Masalosalo Tutaia, 3 Gert Muller, 2 Rapahel Carbou, 1 Enzo Forletta
Replacements: 16 Manu Leiataua, 17 Yassin Boutemani, 18 Tristan Laboutely, 19 Shahn Eru, 20 Sadek Degmache, 21 Enzo Selponi, 22 Adrea Cocagi, 23 Eric Sione

Stade Francais: 15 Kylan Hamdaoui, 14 Julien Arias, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Tony Ensor, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Sekou Macalou, 6 Ryan Chapuis, 5 Alexandre Flanquart, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Remi Bonfils, 1 Hendrik van der Merwe
Replacements: 16 Laurent Panis, 17 Siegfried Fisiihoi, 18 Mathieu de Giovanni, 19 Charlie Frncoz, 20 Clement Daguin, 21Jules Plisson, 22 Julien Delbouis, 23 Paul Alo-Emile

Referee: Laurent Cardona
Assistant referees: Thomas Charabas, Richard Duhau
TMO: Denis Grenouillet

Bordeaux-Bègles 41-19 Pau
Stade Chaban-Delmas

A seesaw encounter in French wine territory eventually saw the home side run away with it thanks to three tries in the final quarter.

Romain Lonca scored twice as did Nans Ducuing to earn Bordeaux a 41-19 win that wasn’t always as comprehensive as it looked.

Baptiste Serin kicked five penalties and two conversions to keep the scoreboard ticking over whilst Pau used three different kickers throughout the match as they constantly looked to stay in touch.

Tom Taylor kicked their opening two penalties before Thibault Daubagna also added his own effort to cancel out Serin’s opening two attempts. Taylor’s fellow All Black Colin Slade kicked himself a penalty to close the gap to 13-12 after Ducuing scored the first of his two tries.

Serin added another three before Daubagna crossed the whitewash to put Pau in the lead. Serin then kicked a further two three pointers before Ducuing’s second try opened up an eight point gap.

Pau had nothing left to respond with and Lonca’s two tries in the final minutes, both converted by Serin, gave the hosts a rewarding first win.

The scorers:

For Bordeaux-Bègles:
Tries: Ducuing 2, Lonca 2
Cons: Serin 3
Pens: Serin 5

For Pau:
Try: Daubagna
Con: Slade
Pens: Taylor 2, Daubagna, Slade

Bordeaux: 15 Nans Ducuing, 14 George Tilsley, 13 Romain Lonca, 12 Ulupano Seuteni, 11 Blair Connor, 10 Brock James, 9 Baptiste Serin, 8 Afa Amosa, 7 Alexandre Roumat, 6 Mahamadou Diaby, 5 Cyril Cazeaux, 4 Kane Douglas, 3 Vadim Cobilas, 2 Florian Dufour, 1 Lekso Kaulashvili
Replacements: 16 Maxime Lamothe, 17 Thierry Paiva, 18 Jandre Marais, 19 Cameron Woki, 20 Jules Gimbert, 21 Semi Radradra, 22 Eto Nabuli, 23 Lasha Tabidze

Pau: 15 Charly Malie, 14 Adrien Plante, 13 Julien Fumat, 12 Jale Vatubua, 11 Watisoni Votu, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Thibault Daubagna, 8 Antoine Erbani, 7 Sean Dougall, 6 Benjamin Mowen, 5 Fabrice Metz, 4 Daniel Ramsay, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Quentin Lespiaucq, 1 Geoffrey Moise
Replacements: 16 Laurent Bouchet, 17 Jamie Mackintosh, 18 David Foley, 19 Baptiste Pesenti, 20 Martin Puech, 21 Julien Blanc, 22 Tom Taylor, 23 Nicolas Corato

Referee: Pierre Brousset
Assistant referees: Ludovic Cayre, Arnaud Blondel
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure

Clermont Auvergne 67-23 Agen
Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin

Two tries in the space of five second-half minutes turned a nervous contest in Clermont’s favour as they began their campaign with a win.

Keen to abolish any memories of last year’s woeful campaign by their high standards; Samuel Ezeala and Sipili Falatea both crossed to turn a one point half-time deficit into a 29-16 lead and the home side never looked back.

11 points from the boot of Jake McIntyre coupled with Tamaz Mchedildze’s try had usurped Isaia Toeava’s first-half brace and five points from Greig Laidlaw to send the visitors in 16-15 up at the break.

Ezeala and Falatea then turned the game on its head and Alivereti Raka’s quick double ended the contest as he scored Clermont’s fifth and sixth try to make the score 41-16.

A further four tries in 12 minutes of the final quarter sealed a ten try rout for the hosts as Ezeala sealed his brace, Peter Betham entered to grab a quick fire brace of his own and Apisai Naqlevu also got in the act.

Sandwiched in Clermont’s late rally was a further consolation for Agen but there’s no doubting who got the better of this contest on opening day.

The scorers:

For Clermont:
Tries: Toeava 2, Ezeala 2, Falatea, Raka 2, Betham 2, Naqalevu
Cons: Laidlaw 7
Pen: Laidlaw

For Agen:
Tries: Mchedlidze, Tanga
Cons: McIntyre, Vincent
Pens: McIntyre 3

Clermont: 15 Setariki Tuicuvu, 14 Alivereti Raka, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Apisai Naqalevu, 11 Samuel Ezeala, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Damien Chouly, 6 Peceli Yato, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Davit Zirakashvili, 2 John Ulugia, 1 Etienne Falgoux
Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Loni Uhila, 18 Arthur Iturria, 19 Alexandre Fischer 20 Charlie Cassang, 21 Patricio Fernandez, 22 Peter Betham, 23 Sipili Falatea

Agen: 15 Mathieu Lamolie, 14 Loris Tolot, 13 Sam Vaka, 12 Tamaz Mchedlidze, 11 Valentin Saurs, 10 Jake McIntyre, 9 Paul Abadie, 8 Yoan Mangene, 7 Antoine Miquel, 6 Romain Briatte, 5 Thomas Murday, 4 Denis Marchois, 3 David Ryan, 2 Marc Barthomeuf, 1 Giorgi Tetrashvili
Replacements: 16 Paula Ngauamo, 17 Quentin Bethune, 18 Mickael de Marco, 19 Andres Tarazone, 20 Lucas Rubio, 21 Thomas Vincent, 22 Clement Laporte, 23 Yohan Montes

Referee: Maxime Chalon
Assistant referees: Vincent Blasco-Baque, Laurent Breil
TMO: Eric Gauzins

La Rochelle 28-21 Grenoble
Stade Marcel-Deflandre

Newly promoted Grenoble reintroduced themselves to the Top 14 and gave a strong account of themselves as they narrowly went down at La Rochelle.

Trailing 18-8 at the break, Grenoble staged somewhat of a comeback when Leva Fifita’s try made it 23-21 with a quarter of an hour to play but Jean-Charles Orioli’s try on 75 minutes sealed the contest.

Eight points from Alexi Bales’ boot coupled with a try from new man Marc Andreu and Brieuc Plessis-Couillaud had given the home side a commanding lead with Grenoble only having a solitary Lolagi Visinia try and a penalty from Franck Pourteau to show for their efforts.

He kicked a further two penalties in the second 40 before Greg Alldritt had scored La Rochelle’s third try to once again extend the gap. But Fifita’s late try bore hope to sealing a memorable win before the home side showed their experience to see out their opening game.

The scorers:

For La Rochelle:
Tries: Andreu, Plessis-Couillaud, Alldritt, Orioli
Con: Bales
Pens: Bales 2

For Grenoble:
Tries: Visinia, Fifita
Con: Pourteau
Pens: Pourteau 3

La Rochelle: 15 Arthur Retiere, 14 Vincent Rattez, 13 Brieuc Plessis-Couillaud, 12 Pierre Aguillon, 11 Marc Andreu, 10 Jeremy Sinzelle, 9 Alexi Bales, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Remi Bourdeau, 6 Zeno Kieft, 5 Lopeti Timani, 4 Romain Sazy, 3 Arthur Joly, 2 Pierre Bourgarit, 1 Vincent Pelo
Replacements: 16 Jean-Charles Orioli, 17 Mike Corbel, 18 Mathieu Tanguy, 19 Gregory Alldritt, 20 Jean-Victor Goillot, 21 Ryan Lamb, 22 Jules Favre, 23 Leo Aouf

Grenoble: 15 Lolagi Visinia, 14 Raymond Rhule, 13 Pablo Uberti, 12 Alaska Taufa, 11 Lucas Dupont, 10 Franck Pourteau, 9 Lilian Saseras, 8 Loic Godener, 7 Stephen Setephano, 6 Francois Uys, 5 Salesi Fifita, 4 Mickael Capelli, 3 Davit Kubriashvili, 2 Etienne Fourcade, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg
Replacements: 16 Mike Tadjer, 17 Dylan Jacquot, 18 Hans Nkinsi, 19 Clement Ancely, 20 Jeremy Valencot, 21 Ben Lucas, 22 Taleta Tupuola, 23 Halani Aulika

Referee: Jonathan Dufort
Assistant referees: Julien Castaignede, Jean-Luc Rebollal
TMO: Bruno Bressot

Lyon 16-16 Toulouse
Matmut Stadium de Gerland

Lyon’s draw at Toulon last year was a memorable one in the Top 14 quarters, this however was one that got away.

Thomas Ramos’ drop-goal with five minutes left sealed a 16-16 draw for Toulouse in Lyon after their former player Jean-Marc Doussain had almost kicked Lyon to victory.

He and Ramos both kicked 11 points in a contest than had Toulouse trailing for much of it. Etienne Oosthuizen’s first-half try had Lyon leading 10-6 at the break but Yoann Huget notched a try for Toulouse to make it 13-10 to the visitors.

Two penalties from Doussain then pushed Lyon back in front but Ramos remained cool under pressure to earn his side a draw.

The scorers:

For Lyon:
Try: Oosthuizen
Con: Doussain
Pens: Doussain 3

For Toulouse:
Try: Huget
Con: Ramos
Pens: Ramos 2
Drop-Goal: Ramos

Lyon: 15 Delon Armitage, 14 Toby Arnold, 13 Rudi Wulf, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 Noa Nakaitaci, 10 Jean-Marc Doussain, 9 Baptiste Couilloud, 8 Loann Goujon, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Julien Puricelli, 5 Francois van der Merwe, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Jeremie Maurouard, 1 Raphael Chaume
Replacements: 16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Alexandre Menini, 18 Hendrik Roodt, 19 Patrick Sobela, 20 Jonathan Pelissie, 21 Jean-Marcellin Buttin, 22 Thibaut Regard, 23 Clement Ric

Toulouse: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Pierre Fouyssac, 12 Romain Ntamack, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Zack Holmes, 9 Sebastien Bezy, 8 Jerome Kaino, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Piula Fa’asalele, 4 Florian Verhaeghe, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Lucas Pointud
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Joe Tekori, 19 Selevasio Tolofua, 20 Pierre Pages, 21 Maxime Mermoz, 22 Sofiane Guitoune, 23 Dorian Aldegheri

Referee: Alexandre Ruiz
Assistant referees: Luc Ramos, Sebastien Hebert
TMO: Eric Briquet-Campin

Toulon 9-25 Racing 92
Stade Mayol

The mercurial – and immensely well paid – Finn Russell began justifying both his talent and salary within his first competitive 80 minutes at the Parisian side.

Scorer of two tries as well as 10 points from his boot; the Scotsman single handedly turned what looked to be a kicking contest into a one man show.

Patrice Collazo’s debut at his new Stade Mayol home was an unsuccessful one but his Toulon outfit were made to pay for a 10 minute period in which Racing scored 12 points whilst Malakai Fekitoa was in the sin bin.

Louis Carbonel initially kicked the first points of the game; kicking two first-half penalties to Russell’s one to give the hosts a 6-3 lead at the interval.

Racing then turned the game with their quick burst of 12 points in less than five minutes to make it 15-6 before Carobnel kicked his third penalty to cut the gap.

Racing’s advantage though was hammered home minutes later when the irresistibly quick Juan Imhoff notched his first try of the year. Russell kicked the conversion and a further penalty to make it 25-9 taking his personal haul for the night to 20 points.

No doubting who the star of the show was on opening night, his employers will be hoping it continues. Those on the Cote d’Azur however will be hoping to turn the tables as the season progresses.

The scorers:

For Toulon:
Pens: Carbonel 3

For Racing 92:
Tries: Russell 2, Imhoff
Cons: Russell 2
Pens: Russell 2

Toulon: 15 Hugo Bonneval, 14 Filipo Nakosi, 13 Josua Tuisova, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 11 Daniel Ikpefan, 10 Louis Carbonel, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Charles Ollivon, 7 Raphael Lakafia, 6 Swan Rebbadj, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Mamuka Gorgodze, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Florian Fresia
Replacements: 16 Anthony Etrillard, 17 Sebastien Taofifenua, 18 Juandre Kruger, 19 Stephane Onambele, 20 Mathieu Smaili, 21 Jacques Potgieter, 22 Anthony Meric, 23 Emerick Setiano

Racing: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Henry Chavancy, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Teddy Iribaren, 8 Antonie Claassen, 7 Baptiste Chouzenoux, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Boris Palu, 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Ole Avei, 1 Eddy Ben Arous
Replacements: 16 Teddy Baubigny, 17 Vasil Kakovin, 18 Edwin Maka, 19 Jordan Joseph, 20 Xavier Chauveau, 21 Olivier Klemenczak, 22 Ben Volavola, 23 Census Johnston

Referee: Romain Poite
Assistant referees: Cyril Lafon, Bruno Gabaldon
TMO: Laurent Sclafer

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Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has described his side’s 32-19 Rugby Championship defeat to Argentina in Mendoza on Saturday as embarrassing.

One week after suffering a 34-21 defeat at the hands of the Springboks in Durban, the resurgent Pumas produced a physical performance to snap an 11-match Rugby Championship losing streak in front of an ecstatic crowd at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, following a 27-7 lead at half-time.

Erasmus was brutally honest in his assessment of the Springboks’ poor performance.

“It was embarrassing and not the kind of performance you expect to see from the Springboks,” he said.

“We made only one change to the starting team from last week, when we dominated them. We have to point the fingers to ourselves, firstly as coaches and then as players, and we will have to fix it.”

Erasmus said that travelling to Argentina was definitely not a factor.

“We travelled a day later and in the second half we outplayed them because we were the fresher team,” he added.

“We were playing better rugby in the second half but we just didn’t make use of our opportunities.

“I’m not going to look for positives after a performance like that. We have no excuses, we knew exactly what to expect, we prepared for it but we just didn’t handle it.”

Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi scored his side’s only try in the first half and the Boks delivered a much better performance in the second half.

Lionel Mapoe (replacement wing) scored twice in the right-hand corner after the break for his first tries in the green and gold jersey. Mapoe was an early replacement for Makazole Mapimpi, who suffered a knock to the knee.

Argentina outscored the Springboks by four tries to three, with Nicolas Sanchez instrumental, scoring 17 points courtesy of a try, three conversions, a penalty and a drop goal.

The Springboks return home on Tuesday and the squad will re-assemble on Saturday in Johannesburg, from where they will travel to Brisbane for their next fixture, on September 8 against the Wallabies at the Suncorp Stadium.

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With the start of the Gallagher Premiership season less than a week away, Planet Rugby spoke to Bristol Bears number eight Jordan Crane.

Recent history suggests that the joy of promotion to the English Premiership often gives way to the pain of fighting for survival the very next season but, if there is a team which can reverse that trend, it is Pat Lam’s ambitious Bristol squad.

Not since Exeter Chiefs in 2010/11 has the team coming up from the second-tier thrived in the league above. Even money means little should they get it wrong behind the scenes, as the experienced Crane knows all too well.

For a club whose financial power is significant, the Bristolians’ foray back in England’s top-flight in 2016/17 was an unmitigated disaster. And it all began before the season had even started. Recruitment was poor, there was upheaval in the coaching staff following Sean Holley’s departure and the squad was simply not prepared for the rigours of the Premiership.

The play-offs certainly played its part in that. Having dominated the Championship, winning 20 of their 22 matches during the campaign, they still had to go through four more games to secure promotion.

Andy Robinson’s charges did just that and they deservedly took their place at the highest echelon of England’s domestic pyramid, but realistically the Ashton Gate outfit were ill-equipped to compete.

It is something Crane readily admits but the 32-year-old is confident that those mistakes will not be repeated. Time, something that was lacking two years ago, has been handed to them after the abolition of the play-off system and, as a result, they appear far more self-assured.

“With the play-offs, it’s difficult for the team coming up because of recruitment and all that sort of stuff. You end up starting pre-season later so you’re not as prepared,” the number eight told Planet Rugby.

“Last time, we changed defence coach and attack coach so that wasn’t a smooth transition. This year we’ve had the luxury of Pat and Conor (McPhillips) being in all last season so we’ve got that continuity. Hopefully it’s going to give us a good head start on the rest of the teams.”

Following Bristol’s relegation in 2017, Lam came in from Connacht and immediately set about making changes. Of course, the all-singing, all-dancing approach, which was a hallmark of his time at the Irish province, was prevalent but the New Zealander also sought to alter other areas.

Crane said: “It’s just an accountability of players knowing their roles and knowing their responsibilities to the team, that’s one of the big things, and then we’ve worked hard on our culture; what sort of team and what sort of group we want to be.

“Pat’s done that really well. You look at most good teams, they’ve got a good culture, and that’s what we’re trying to build at Bristol. We’re trying to build it with the whole city as well.

“Away from the spotlight, it gave Pat a chance to implement his style and what he wanted from us as a team, and we could embed his culture into the side. It gave us an opportunity, so we are better prepared this time around for the Premiership.

“It’s inevitable that it’s going to be more intense, the physicality’s higher. Pat implemented a role and responsibility and for boys to know their detail, and there’s a real big emphasis on that in the team.

“That will help us to be more accurate as well and give us a better opportunity in terms of staying in games and winning games.”

Lam may have looked at improving the culture but the spending has not stopped, however, with Charles Piutau, John Afoa and George Smith among those to join a squad already boasting significant talent. Steven Luatua, Ian Madigan and Luke Morahan – all international quality players – unsurprisingly dominated in the Championship and Crane has been impressed the players’ attitude.

According to the back-rower, some showed their desire in pre-season by “coming in off their own back”, while the addition of Smith will both add competition and give them an opportunity to learn off a genuine great of the game.

“We’re all looking forward to learning from him,” Crane added. “He’s been one of the best players in the world for a long time so it will be great to learn off him, even us older guys.

“We’ve got quality in the back-row, plenty of competition and, if we’re all competing for spots, it’s only going to make us better as a team. It should be a good year.”

The Premiership is still a difficult beast for all promoted sides to crack but this Bristol outfit are the best placed for several years to not concern themselves with simply battling for survival.

by Colin Newboult

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