Category: Rugby

The Sharks made it two wins out of two in the Currie Cup but were made to work as they edged the Free State Cheetahs 33-29 in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

A brace of tries from Chiliboy Ralepelle and further five-pointers by Lwazi Mvovo, Wian Vosloo and Daniel du Preez helped the Sharks secure the result but the Cheetahs were in the contest until late on.

The visitors made a terrific start and after taking the ball through several phases, Marius Louw found himself in space inside the Cheetahs’ 22 before offloading to Mvovo, who crossed for the opening try in the 14th minute.

The Sharks dominated the possession and territorial stakes but had nothing to show for that dominance and that proved costly as the home side opened their account in the 23rd minute when Louis Fouche took a tap penalty on the visitors’ five-metre line before barging over for a deserved try.

Shortly afterwards, the Cheetahs took the lead when Lloyd Greeff crossed for their second try after running onto a well-timed pass from Fouche deep inside the Sharks’ 22.

The Sharks struck back in the 37th minute when Ralepelle crossed for their second try – off the back of a lineout drive close to the Cheetahs’ try-line – before Fouche added a penalty which gave the Cheetahs a 15-12 lead.

That did not deter the visitors though and on the stroke of half-time they scored another try from a maul at a lineout deep inside Cheetahs territory and this time it was Vosloo who dotted down under a mass of bodies.

Robert du Preez added the extras which gave the Sharks a slender 19-15 lead at half-time.

The Sharks continued to set up mauls off lineouts when they were close to their opponents’ tryline and five minutes into the second half that tactic yielded reward again when Ralepelle crossed for his second try.

Du Preez’s conversion gave the Sharks a 26-15 lead but the Cheetahs soon narrowed the gap when Fouche went over from close quarters after running onto a well-timed pass from Rudy Paige.

The Sharks eventually regained the initiative in the 68th minute when Daniel du Preez dotted down after running onto an inside pass from Curwin Bosch but despite holding a 33-22 lead, the visitors still looked vulnerable on defence.

Two minutes before full-time, the Cheetahs were awarded a penalty try after the Sharks illegally halted a maul close to their tryline with the guilty party Khutha Mchunu also sent to the sin bin for his indiscretion.

Despite having a numerical advantage, there was too little time left for the home side to add to their points tally in a bid to secure the win.

The scorers:

For Free State Cheetahs:
Tries: Fouche 2, Greeff, Penalty try
Cons: Fouche 2
Pen: Fouche

For Sharks:
Tries: Mvovo, Ralepelle 2, Vosloo, D du Preez
Cons: R du Preez 3, Bosch
Yellow Card: Mchunu

Free State Cheetahs: 15 Adriaan Carelse, 14 Ali Mgijima, 13 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 12 Tersius Kruger, 11 Lloyd Greeff, 10 Louis Fouche, 9 Rudy Paige (c), 8 Niell Jordaan, 7 Gerhard Olivier, 6 Stephan Malan, 5 Dennis Visser, 4 Louis Conradie, 3 Gunther Janse van Vuuren, 2 Reinach Venter, 1 Kevin Stevens
Replacements: 16 Jannes Snyman, 17 Johan Kotze, 18 Luigi van Jaarsveld, 19 Abongile Nonkontwana, 20 Dian Badenhorst, 21 Vuyani Maqina, 22 Reinhart Erwee

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 Luke Stringer, 20 Cameron Wright, 21 Johan Deysel, 22 Aphelele Fassi

Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Ben Crouse, Divan Uys
TMO: Lourens van der Merwe

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Click:Hunter

The Golden Lions claimed a hard-fought come-from-behind 38-35 victory over the Blue Bulls in a topsy-turvy encounter at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Tries from Shaun Reynolds, James Venter, Dillon Smit and a Hajcivah Dayimani brace proved too much for the Blue Bulls who scored through Johnny Kotze, Andre Warner and a Ruan Steenkamp hat-trick.

The away side bossed the opening exchanges and were rewarded with the game’s first try. Having taken a quick-tap penalty close to the Blue Bulls’ try-line, the ball was swung to centre-field, where fly-half Reynolds showed dazzling footwork to cut through the centre of the hosts’ defence.

Warner would hit back for the home side, however, as a Blue Bulls’ counter-ruck forced the turnover. The scrum-half pounced on the loose ball and dummied his way past a couple of defenders to go in untouched under the posts.

Soon after, the Blue Bulls took the lead for the first time in the match when flank Steenkamp scored a superb individual effort, breaking his way past a number of tacklers.

The visitors’ second came after come superb interplay between backs and forwards. Howard Mnisi was the creator as his long pass put Venter in for the score-equalling try as Reynolds added the extras to make it 14-14.

Kotze would go over due to some questionable Golden Lions’ defending moments later to regain the lead but the away side would restore parity once again through scrum-half Smit with a fine individual effort.

The home side would have the last laugh of the first-half as enforcer Steenkamp spun his would-be-tackler to twist his over way from close range and grab his brace as Manie Libbok added the extra two points for a 28-21 lead as the sides went into the interval.

10 minutes after the break, the visitors found themselves even further behind as Steenkamp went over for his hat-trick. However, the Blue Bulls enforcer would turn from hero to zero moments later, when he was sin-binned for a neck roll.

This would give the Lions a route back into the game as they capitalised on their numerical advantage through a magical Dayimani brace – the flanker showing his winger-like speed on both occasions to snatch the back lead dramatically at 38-35.

It looked as if the Blue Bulls might steal it in the closing stages, but for a brilliant turnover steal by Golden Lions’ hero Dayimani at the breakdown to seal victory.

The scorers:

For Blue Bulls:
Tries: Steenkamp 3, Kotze, Warner
Cons: Libbok 5
Yellow Card: Steenkamp

For Lions:
Tries: Reynolds, Venter, Smit, Dayimani 2
Cons: Reynolds 5
Pen: Reynolds

Blue Bulls: 15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Jade Stighling, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 JT Jackson, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Andre Warner, 8 Hanro Liebenberg (c), 7 Jano Venter, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Hendre Stassen, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Matthys Basson
Replacements: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Conrad van Vuuren, 18 Ruan Nortje, 19 Thembelani Bholi, 20 Ivan van Zyl, 21 Tinus de Beer, 22 Duncan Matthews

Golden Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Shaun Reynolds, 9 Dillon Smit, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Len Massyn, 6 James Venter, 5 Marvin Orie (c), 4 Rhyno Herbst, 3 Johannes Jonker, 2 Corne Fourie, 1 Sti Sithole
Replacements: 16 Pieter Jansen, 17 Danie Mienie, 18 Jacobie Adriaanse, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Vincent Tshituka, 21 Madosh Tambwe, 22 Wandisile Simelane

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistant referees: Jaco Pretorius, Ricus van der Hoven
Television match official: Willie Vos

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Defending Premiership champions Saracens got their campaign off to an excellent start following a 32-21 victory over Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park.

The Falcons opened the game well, going 6-0 ahead via Toby Flood, but the defending champions hit back through Owen Farrell’s penalty and Jamie George’s well-taken try.

Flood added another three-pointer to reduce the arrears before Alex Lewington scored for Sarries with his first touch after coming on as a replacement.

Mark Wilson reduced the deficit in the second half but Lewington’s second moved Mark McCall’s charges clear once again. Wilson went over for his second late on but it was not to be for Newcastle as Tompkins and Farrell made sure of the win.

Although the Falcons finished last season in fourth and qualified for the semi-finals, they have often struggled against Saracens and, despite a valiant effort, the title-holders just had the edge.

Newcastle began impressively, however, putting the visitors under pressure and earning two penalties which Flood converted, but the Londoners soon asserted their authority on proceedings.

Firstly, Farrell reduced the arrears from the tee after an infringement at the set-piece before they produced a wonderful move that ended in the opening try.

Alex Lozowski was the instigator, breaking through the middle and taking play up towards the opposition 22. With the hosts on the back foot, Sarries spotted space on the right and Jamie George and David Strettle brilliantly combined to allow the hooker to cross the whitewash.

To the Tynesiders’ credit, they were resilient and prevented the champions from gaining too much front-foot ball. Their first-up defence was excellent and they were rewarded by another Flood effort off the tee to reduce the arrears to one point.

However, Dean Richards’ men were hit by a blow late in the half when Sarries produced a second incisive attack of the match. Lozowski was once again to the fore, off-loading to a charging Farrell, and the fly-half fed Lewington, who touched down on debut.

Following that score, which gave them a 17-9 advantage at the interval, the Londoners controlled the early exchanges of the second period, but the Falcons were stout in defence.

Buoyed by that effort, they started to gain the ascendency in the scrum and, after they had moved upfield following a dominant shove, Wilson spotted a hole in the opposition rearguard to go over.

Although Flood was awry with the conversion, Newcastle were back in the contest, but the visitors simply upped the intensity and appeared to have completed the victory via Lewington. The wing latched onto Farrell’s looping pass to cross the line in the corner, going over unopposed.

Richards’ charges did not yield, though, and ill-discipline from the visitors saw Sarries reduced to 13 men as Tompkins and Alex Goode were sin-binned. With their opponents short in defence, the hosts charged forward through their maul and Wilson was the beneficiary of his team-mates’ good work.

The Tynesiders had the momentum but, in typical Saracens fashion, they clinically put the game to bed through Tompkins’ score and Farrell’s penalty.

The scorers:

For Newcastle:
Tries: Wilson 2
Con: Flood
Pens: Flood 3

For Saracens:
Tries: George, Lewington 2, Tompkins
Cons: Farrell 3
Pens: Farrell 2
Yellow Cards: Tompkins, Goode.

Newcastle: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Adam Radwan, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Callum Chick, 7 Will Welch (c), 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Will Witty, 4 Calum Green, 3 Logovi’i Mulipola, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Sami Mavinga
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Jack Payne, 19 Tevita Cavubati, 20 Gary Graham, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Alex Tait

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 David Strettle, 13 Alex Lozowski, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Mike Rhodes, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Sione Vailanu, 21 Tom Whiteley, 22 Nick Tompkins, 23 Alex Lewington

Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant referees: Tim Wigglesworth, John Meredith
TMO: Sean Davey

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Full-back Israel Folau has been named in the wider Australia squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship encounter against South Africa.

The 29-year-old is a surprise inclusion after injuring his ankle against New Zealand in Sydney. Folau was expected to be out for a month and is only rated 50-50 for next weekend’s match but could now feature versus the Springboks.

He joins Taniela Tupou in the 31-man group, with the prop set to recover from a hamstring issue which kept him out of the Wallabies’ two Bledisloe Cup games.

“If Cheik wants me to start I will take that with both hands,” Tupou said. “It’s something I’ve been really looking forward to.

“I’ve been on the bench and I’ve been playing a few games but if Cheik wants me to start I’ll take that chance.”

Although further along his recovery than Folau, Tupou admits that he is still not quite at full fitness.

“I started running last week in New Zealand slowly but now I have started to go full speed. From what they have said I am doing really well.

“This week I’ve been comfortable and just need to do a few tests to see if I’m able to go 100 percent and be ready to play.”

Australia’s 31-man squad

Forwards: Allan Alaalatoa, Rory Arnold, Adam Coleman, Folau Fainga’a, Ned Hanigan, Michael Hooper (c), Sekope Kepu, Tolu Latu, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, David Pocock, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tom Robertson, Izack Rodda, Pete Samu, Rob Simmons, Scott Sio, Caleb Timu, Lukhan Tui, Taniela Tupou

Backs: Tom Banks, Kurtley Beale, Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Marika Koroibete, Jack Maddocks, Nick Phipps, Joe Powell, Matt Toomua

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There were two significant victories in the Top 14 on Sunday with Clermont Auvergne defeating fellow play-off hopefuls Racing 92 and Agen overcoming Perpignan.

Results

Sunday
Racing 17-40 Clermont Auvergne
Agen 25-23 Perpignan

Racing 92 17-40 Clermont Auvergne
U Arena

Clermont Auvergne displayed their title credentials by gaining their second victory of the season following an outstanding triumph over Racing 92.

Franck Azema’s men were the better side from start to finish and scored three tries via Wesley Fofana, Peter Betham and Damian Penaud, but it was the performances of Greig Laidlaw and Camille Lopez which made a significant difference.

Laidlaw kicked five penalties and a conversion while Lopez added a drop-goal and controlled matters expertly as they eased to a comfortable win.

Les Jaunards appear to be rejuvenated this season having struggled in 2017/18 and they were impressive in the opening exchanges.

Laidlaw and Finn Russell traded early penalties before the visiting forwards took command and earned two more three-point opportunities, which moved them 9-3 in front.

Auvergne were dominant and the hosts were looking a shadow of the team that overcame Toulon in Round One. The Clermont half-backs were dictating proceedings superbly and Lopez’s grubber through allowed Fofana to touch down.

Lopez then kicked a drop-goal to extend their buffer at the interval before the hosts began the second period on the front foot.

Russell went flat to the gain line and found Virimi Vakatawa, who broke through a flimsy tackle and crossed the whitewash to get them back into the contest.

They were nowhere near their best, however, and ill-discipline allowed Laidlaw to kick two more penalties.

Even at that point, the game was effectively over but tries via Betham and Penaud, as well as five points from Morgan Parra, made sure of the victory in a performance which no doubt sent a message to the rest of the Top 14.

Racing had the final word through Simon Zebo but they were simply outplayed by the visitors.

The scorers:

For Racing:
Tries: Vakatawa, Zebo
Cons: Russell, Iribaren
Pen: Russell
Yellow Cards: Le Roux, Gomes Sa

For Clermont:
Tries: Fofana, Betham, Penaud
Cons: Laidlaw, Parra
Pens: Laidlaw 5
Drop goal: Lopez
Yellow Card: Fofana

Racing: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Teddy Thomas, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Henry Chavancy, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Xavier Chauveau, 8 Jordan Joseph, 7 Baptiste Chouzenoux, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Boris Palu, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Ole Avei, 1 Eddy Ben Arous
Replacements: 16 Camille Chat, 17 Vasil Kakovin, 18 Fabien Sanconnie, 19 Bernard Le Roux, 20 Teddy Iribaren, 21 Ben Volavola, 22 Joe Rokocoko, 23 Cedate Gomes Sa

Clermont: 15 Isaia Toeava, 14 Peter Betham, 13 Rémi Lamerat, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Damian Penaud, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Alexandre Fischer, 6 Arthur Iturria, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Loni Uhila
Replacements: 16 Yohan Beheregaray, 17 Etienne Falgoux, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Peceli Yato, 20 Morgan Parra, 21 Patricio Fernandez, 22 Apisai Naqalevu, 23 Davit Zirakashvili

Referee: Mathieu Raynal
Assistant referees: Laurent Cardona, Jean-Luc Rebollal
TMO: Sebastien Minery

Agen 25-23 Perpignan
Stade Armandie

Jake McIntyre was Agen’s hero as the fly-half scored 17 points in their 25-23 triumph over Perpignan at the Stade Armandie on Sunday.

McIntyre touched down twice and kicked seven points from the tee, while Sam Vaka also went over, in the team’s victory over Christian Lanta’s outfit.

Karl Chateau and Enzo Selponi tries and Paddy Jackson’s place-kicking accuracy provided the away side’s response, but Hugo Verdu’s penalty secured the win for the hosts.

After a disappointing opening round performance, the newly-promoted outfit were far more competitive at the Stade Armandie but it was ultimately not enough.

Despite McIntyre’s early penalty, the visitors were on the front foot in the first quarter and a brace of Jackson three-pointers put them 6-3 ahead.

They were then handed a boost following Paul Abadie’s yellow card for taking a player out in the air but that was immediately cancelled out by Sylvain Charlet’s sin-binning.

Agen were far more assured during that 10-minute period and took the lead for the second time as their fly-half scampered across the whitewash for an 8-6 advantage.

Philippe Sella’s men soon extended their buffer through Vaka before Chateau crossed the whitewash for Perpignan late in the half. That provided a significant boost to Lanta’s charges and another successful Jackson effort off the tee moved them in front at the break.

Agen recovered their composure, however, and restored their lead minutes into the second period as McIntyre’s excellent day continued, with the pivot going over once again.

Verdu made it 25-16 in the hosts’ favour and that would prove significant, with Selponi’s try setting up a tense finale. Sella’s outfit held on, though, as they gained their first victory of the campaign.

The scorers:

For Agen:
Tries: McIntyre 2, Vaka
Cons: McIntyre 2
Pens: McIntyre, Verdu
Yellow Card: Abadie

For Perpignan:
Tries: Chateau, Selponi
Cons: Jackson 2
Pens: Jackson 3
Yellow Cards: Charlet, Acebes

Agen: 15 Clement Laporte, 14 Nicolas Metge, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Sam Vaka, 11 Valentin Saurs, 10 Jake McIntyre, 9 Paul Abadie, 8 Yoan Tanga, 7 Facundo Bosch, 6 Antoine Miquel, 5 Denis Marchois, 4 Tom Murday, 3 Dave Ryan, 2 Paula Ngauamo, 1 Quentin Bethune
Replacements: 16 Morgan Phelipponneau, 17 Opeti Fonua, 18 Mickael De Marco, 19 Romain Briatte, 20 Hugo Verdu, 21 Leo Berdeu, 22 Tamaz Mchedlidze, 23 Xerom Civil

Perpignan: 15 Enzo Selponi, 14 Jean Bernard Pujol, 13 Afusipa Taumoepeau, 12 Adrea Cocagi, 11 Mathieu Acebes, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Tom Ecochard, 8 Genesis Mamea, 7 Lucas Bachelier, 6 Karl Chateau, 5 Berend Botha, 4 Tristan Labouteley, 3 Sylvain Charlet, 2 Raphael Carbou, 1 Enzo Forletta
Replacements: 16 Seilala Lam, 17 Yassine Boutemane, 18 Shahn Eru, 19 Mike Faleafa, 20 Sadek Deghmache, 21 Sione Piukala, 22 Eroni Sau, 23 Nicolas Lemaire

Referee: Julien Castaignede
Assistant referees: Mathieu Noirot, Arnaud Blondel
TMO: Bruno Bessot

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Pau, Castres, Montpellier, Stade Francais and Toulouse claimed Top 14 wins on Saturday as they beat Toulon, Lyon, La Rochelle, UBB and Grenoble respectively.

Saturday
Pau 20-10 Toulon
Castres 19-16 Lyon
Montpellier 36-14 La Rochelle
Stade Francais 20-8 Bordeaux-Bègles
Grenoble 20-23 Toulouse

Pau 20-10 Toulon
Stade du Hameau

Pau were 20-10 winners over Toulon at Stade du Hameau in Saturday’s opening match.

A try from Sean Dougall and four penalties from Colin Slade and one from Tom Taylor proved too much for the visitors, who scored through Josua Tuisova while Anthony Belleau added five points off the tee.

This was a much-needed win for Pau after last week’s heavy defeat to Bordeaux-Begles while for Toulon it’s successive losses after falling at home to Racing 92, which will concern their passionate supporters.

The scorers:

For Pau:
Try: Dougall
Pens: Slade 4, Taylor

For Toulon:
Try: Tuisova
Con: Belleau
Pen: Belleau
Yellow Card: Rebbadj

Pau: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Adrien Planté, 13 Benson Stanley, 12 Jale Vatubua, 11 Watisoni Votu, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Thibault Daubagna, 8 Paddy Butler, 7 Sean Dougall, 6 Ben Mowen, 5 Fabrice Metz, 4 Dave Foley, 3 Malik Hamadache, 2 Quentin Lespiaucq, 1 Geoffrey Moise
Replacements: 16 Laurent Bouchet, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Baptiste Pesenti, 19 Martin Puech, 20 Julien Blanc, 21 Tom Taylor, 22 Charly Malie, 23 Lourens Adriaanse

Toulon: 15 Hugo Bonneval, 14 Filipo Nakosi, 13 Josua Tuisova, 12 Anthony Belleau, 11 Malakai Fekitoa, 10 Louis Carbonel, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Charles Ollivon, 7 Liam Messam, 6 Stéphane Onambele Mbarga, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Swan Rebbadj, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Anthony Etrillard, 1 Sebastien Taofifenua
Replacements: 16 Guilhem Guirado, 17 Xavier Chiocci, 18 Jaques Potgieter, 19 Jean Monribot, 20 Mathieu Bastareaud, 21 Julian Savea, 22 Anthony Meric, 23 Emerick Setiano

Referee: Pascal Gauzere
Assistant referees: Jonathan Dufort, Eric Soulan
TMO: Eric Gauzins

Castres 19-16 Lyon
Stade Pierre-Fabre

Castres managed to back up last week’s win at Montpellier with a 19-16 win over Lyon, who remain without a victory so far in 2018/19.

They had to do it the hard way as they were trailing 16-3 at the break following a try from Lyon hooker Jeremie Maurouard, with Jonathan Wisniewski firing over 11 points to stun Stade Pierre-Fabre.

But shortly after a break a brace from centre Thomas Combezou brought Castres back into the match, with penalties from Scott Spedding and replacement Rory Kockott completing the comeback.

The scorers:

For Castres:
Tries: Combezou 2
Pens: Urdapilleta, Spedding, Kockott

For Lyon:
Try: Maurouard
Con: Wisniewski
Pens: Wisniewski 2
Drop goal: Wisniewski

Castres: 15 Scott Spedding, 14 Armand Batlle, 13 Thomas Combezou, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 David Smith, 10 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 9 Ludovic Radosavljevic, 8 Alex Tulou, 7 Anthony Jelonch, 6 Mathieu Babillot, 5 Rodrigo Capo Ortega, 4 Christophe Samson, 3 Daniel Kotze, 2 Jody Jenneker, 1 Antoine Tichit
Replacements: 16 Marc-Antoine Rallier, 17 Tudor Stroe, 18 Victor Moreaux, 19 Camille Gerondeau, 20 Rory Kockott, 21 Julien Dumora, 22 Julien Caminati, 23 Marc Clerc

Lyon: 15 Jean-Marcellin Buttin, 14 Toby Arnold, 13 Rudi Wulf, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 Noa Nakaitaci, 10 Jonathan Wisniewski, 9 Baptiste Couilloud, 8 Deon Fourie, 7 Patrick Sobela, 6 Dylan Cretin, 5 Hendrik Roodt, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Clement Ric, 2 Jeremie Maurouard, 1 Raphael Chaume
Replacements: 16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Alexandre Menini, 18 Manuel Carizza, 19 Loann Goujon, 20 Jean-Marc Doussain, 21 Felix Lambey, 22 Thibault Regard, 23 Richard Choirat

Referee: Adrien Descottes
Assistant referees: Maxime Chalon, Frederic Chazal
TMO: Eric Gonthier

Montpellier 36-14 La Rochelle
Altrad Stadium

Montpellier bounced back from last week’s loss to Castres by beating La Rochelle in a comfortable 36-14 win at Altrad Stadium on Saturday.

Leading 19-0 at half-time, Montpol held a healthy lead but could not go on to claim a bonus-point as Castres rallied either side of the hour.

Yvan Reilhac and Vincent Martin went over for Montpellier in the first-half while Paul Willemse and Romain Ruffenach crossed in the second.

La Rochelle, who beat Grenoble last week, scored through Jeremy Sinzelle and Marc Andreu and now lick their wounds before Round Three.

The scorers:

For Montpellier:
Tries: Reilhac, Martin, Willemse, Ruffenach
Cons: Pienaar, Steyn
Pens: Pienaar 3, Steyn

For La Rochelle:
Tries: Sinzelle, Andreu
Cons: Camou, Lamb

Montpellier: 15 Benjamin Fall, 14 Vincent Martin, 13 Yvan Reilhac, 12 Francois Steyn, 11 Gabriel Ngandebe, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Kelian Galletier, 7 Wian Liebenberg, 6 Julien Bardy, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Konstantin Mikautadze, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Vincent Giudicelli, 1 Gregory Fichten
Replacements: 16 Romain Ruffenach, 17 Yvan Watremez, 18 Julien Ledevedec, 19 Kevin Kornath, 20 Julien Tomas, 21 Timoci Nagusa, 22 Henry Immelman, 23 Levan Chilachava

La Rochelle: 15 Romaric Camou, 14 Elliot Roudil, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Geoffrey Doumayrou, 11 Marc Andreu, 10 Jeremy Sinzelle, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Remi Bourdeau, 6 Kevin Gourdon, 5 Jone Qovu Nailiko, 4 Mathieu Tanguy, 3 Arthur Joly, 2 Jean Charles Orioli, 1 Vincent Pelo
Replacements: 16 Hikairo Forbes, 17 Dany Priso, 18 William Demotte, 19 Gregory Alldritt, 20 Jean Victor Goillot, 21 Ryan Lamb, 22 Jules Favre, 23 Uini Atonio

Referee: Thomas Charabas
Assistant referees: Laurent Millotte, Sebastien Hebert
TMO: Akim Hadj-Bachir

Stade Francais 20-8 Bordeaux-Bègles
Stade Jean-Bouin

Stade Francais made it two victories out of two in the Top 14 after they came from behind to beat Bordeaux-Begles 20-8 at Stade Jean-Bouin.

Trailing 8-6 at half-time after Blair Connor’s try for UBB, Stade clicked into life early in the second period with two tries lifting their supporters.

Waisea Nayacalevu and Kylan Hamdaoui got those tries in the 44th and 51st minute respectively, with Jules Plisson adding 10 points off the tee.

This result will disappoint UBB as they started the season so brightly in Round One, thumping Pau 41-19, and will hope to respond next week.

The scorers:

For Stade Francais:
Tries: Nayacalevu, Hamdaoui
Cons: Plisson 2
Pens: Plisson 2

For Bordeaux-Begles:
Try: Connor
Pen: Serin

Stade Francais: 15 Kylan Hamdaoui, 14 Waisea Nayacalevu, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Julien Arias, 10 Jules Plisson, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Sekou Macalou, 6 Ryan Chapuis, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Paul Gabrillagues, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Remy Bonfils, 1 Heinke van der Merwe
Replacements: 16 Laurent Sempere, 17 Siegfried Fisi’ihoi, 18 Alexandre Flanquart, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 Arthur Coville, 21 Morne Steyn, 22 Tony Ensor, 23 Paul Alo-Emile

Bordeaux-Begles: 15 Romain Buros, 14 Eto Nabuli, 13 Semi Radradra, 12 Ulupano Seuteni, 11 Blair Connor, 10 Brock James, 9 Baptiste Serin, 8 Afaesetiti Amosa, 7 Alexandre Roumat, 6 Luke Braid, 5 Cyril Cazeaux, 4 Jandré Marais, 3 Lekso Kaulashvili, 2 Florian Dufour, 1 Jefferson Poirot
Replacements: 16 Thierry Paiva, 17 Adrien Pelissie, 18 Cameron Woki, 19 Mahamadou Diaby, 20 Jules Gimbert, 21 Romain Lonca, 22 George Tilsley, 23 Vadim Cobilas

Referee: Vincent Blasco-Baque
Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset, Laurent Breil
TMO: Cedric Marchat

Grenoble 20-23 Toulouse
Stade des Alpes

A 73rd minute penalty from Thomas Ramos helped Toulouse pick up their first win of the season over Grenoble at Stade des Alpes in the late game.

The scores were locked at 20-20 with 11 minutes remaining as there was little to separate the two sides, with both crossing for two tries apiece.

Toulouse scrum-half Sébastien Bézy went over first in the 37th minute before wing Daniel Kilioni responded before the break for a 13-7 cushion.

However, Toulouse struck first after the break when Joe Tekori crossed but this time it was Grenoble who hit back, through hooker Mike Tadjer.

That try made it 20-17 to the hosts before Ramos struck those two aforementioned penalties to break Grenoble hearts as Toulouse prevailed.

The scorers:

For Grenoble:
Tries: Kilioni, Tadjer
Cons: Pourteau 2
Pens: Pourteau 2

For Toulouse:
Tries: Bezy, Tekori
Cons: Ramos 2
Pens: Ramos 3

Grenoble: 15 Lolagi Visinia, 14 Daniel Kilioni, 13 Pablo Uberti, 12 Alaska Taufa, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Franck Pourteau, 9 Lilian Saseras, 8 Loic Godener, 7 Francois Uys, 6 Killian Geraci, 5 Hans Nkinsi, 4 Leva Fifita, 3 Davit Kubriashvili, 2 Etienne Fourcade, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg
Replacements: 16 Mike Tadjer, 17 Dylan Jacquot, 18 Antonin Berruyer, 19 Steeve Blanc-Mappaz, 20 Theo Nanette, 21 Adrien Latorre, 22 Taleta Tupuola, 23 Halani Aulika

Toulouse: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Pierre Fouyssac, 12 Romain Ntamack, 11 Sofiane Guitoune, 10 Zack Holmes, 9 Sébastien Bézy, 8 Jerome Kaino, 7 Alban Placines, 6 Rynhard Elstadt, 5 Joe Tekori, 4 Florian Verhaeghe, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Lucas Pointud
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Piula Faasalele, 20 François Cros, 21 Pierre Pages, 22 Maxime Mermoz, 23 Arthur Bonneval

Referee: Cyril Lafon
Assistant referees: Mathieu Delpy, Richard Duhau
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure

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Check out the highlights from the third week the Mitre 10 Cup.

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Glasgow, Ulster, Munster and Benetton opened the PRO14 with wins on Saturday as they beat Connacht, Scarlets, the Cheetahs and Dragons respectively.

Connacht 26-27 Glasgow Warriors
The Sportsground

In an evenly contested match, in which the lead changed hands several times, the visitors eventually outscored Connacht by four tries to two although the Irish province will be kicking themselves as they were in front for large periods.

Glasgow Warriors were fastest out of the blocks and two minutes into the match Tommy Seymour collected a perfectly-weighted kick from Stuart Hogg before crossing for the opening try.

10 minutes later, Jack Carty opened Connacht’s account when he slotted a penalty after the Warriors were blown up for collapsing a maul illegally.

Shortly afterwards, Carty launched a cross-field kick which was gathered by Cian Kelleher, who cantered in for the home side’s first try which Carty converted to give his team a 10-5 lead.

The visitors struck back in the 19th minute courtesy of a try from George Turner, who did well to exploit a gap in Connacht’s defence before crossing the whitewash. George Horne slotted the conversion which meant the Warriors held a slender 12-10 lead midway through the opening half.

That lead did not last long though as shortly afterwards Finlay Bealham went over for Connacht’s second try after Tiernan O’Halloran laid the groundwork with a powerful run in the build-up.

The topsy turvy nature of this game continued when Glasgow’s co-captain, Ryan Wilson, powered through a tackle before dotting down which meant the sides were deadlocked at 17-17 before two penalties from Carty gave Connacht a six-point lead at half-time.

The second-half was a more subdued affair as both sides tried to gain the ascendancy but Connacht extended their lead when Carty added his fourth penalty three minutes after the restart.

The next 25 minutes was a slugfest but the Warriors suffered a setback in the 58th minute when Adam Hastings was yellow carded for a high tackle on Caolin Blade.

But despite Hastings’ stint on the sidelines, Glasgow did not surrender and narrowed the gap in the 65th minute when Adam Ashe dotted down after a rolling maul deep inside Connacht’s 22.

Hogg slotted the conversion which gave Connacht a two-point lead before landing his drop goal from 30 metres out to secure a memorable away win for the Warriors.

The scorers:

For Connacht:
Tries: Kelleher, Bealham
Cons: Carty 2
Pens: Carty 4

For Glasgow Warriors:
Tries: Seymour, Turner, Wilson, Ashe
Cons: Horne, Hogg
Drop goal: Hogg
Yellow Card: Hastings

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Cian Kelleher, 13 Kyle Godwin, 12 Tom Farrell, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Caolin Blade, 8 Eoin McKeon, 7 Jarrad Butler, 6 Paul Boyle, 5 James Cannon, 4 Ultan Dillane, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Peter McCabe, 18 Conor Carey, 19 Quinn Roux, 20 Cillian Gallagher, 21 James Mitchell, 22 Craig Ronaldson, 23 Niyi Adeolokun

Glasgow: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Nick Grigg, 12 Peter Horne, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 George Horne, 8 Ryan Wilson (cc), 7 Callum Gibbins (cc), 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Oli Kebble
Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Alex Allan, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Adam Ashe, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Alex Dunbar, 23 Niko Matawalu

Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant referees: Adam Jones (Wales), Eddie Hogan-O’Connell
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)

Ulster 15-13 Scarlets
Kingspan Stadium

Ulster pipped Scarlets 15-13 thanks to a last-gasp John Cooney penalty in a hard-fought PRO14 Round One encounter at Kingspan on Saturday.

Scarlets would score as early as the fifth minute. A penalty ensured the visitors got up to the Ulster five-metre line, then following several bruising phases fly-half Rhys Patchell darted over in the left corner before adding his own touchline conversion.

But three Cooney penalties (’14, ’17, ’25) meant Ulster would take a 9-7 lead into the interval.

Dan Jones’ 55th minute penalty edged the visitors in front after the break but Cooney would respond four minutes later only for Jones to edge the away side in front again at 13-12 after 62 minutes.

Scarlets replacement forward Ed Kennedy would receive a yellow card, making it a tense final 12 minutes for the men in red.

And Cooney would confirm Scarlets’ worst fears when he slotted a penalty after the hooter to snatch a dramatic last-gasp 15-13 victory.

The scorers:

For Ulster:
Pens: Cooney 5

For Scarlets:
Try: Patchell
Con: Patchell
Pens: Jones 2
Yellow Card: Kennedy

Ulster: 15 Will Addison, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Billy Burns, 9 John Cooney, 8 Nick Timoney, 7 Sean Reidy, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Iain Henderson, 4 Alan O’Connor (c), 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 John Andrew, 1 Andrew Warwick
Replacements: 16 Adam McBurney, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Ross Kane, 19 Kieran Treadwell, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Dave Shanahan, 22 Angus Curtis, 23 Angus Kernohan

Scarlets: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Tom Prydie, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Kieron Fonotia, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 8 Josh Macleod, 7 James Davies, 6 Blade Thomson, 5 Steve Cummins, 4 David Bulbring, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Ken Owens (c), 1 Rob Evans
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Phil Price, 18 Simon Gardiner, 19 Ed Kennedy, 20 Dan Davis, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Dan Jones, 23 Ioan Nicholas

Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant referees: Andrea Piardi (Italy), John Carvill (Ireland)
TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)

Munster 38-0 Cheetahs
Thomond Park

Munster opened their PRO14 campaign in emphatic fashion, blanking the Cheetahs six tries to zero and 38-0 at Thomond Park on Saturday.

Munster’s first try came from a piece of Darren Sweetnam magic, as the winger showed his dazzling footwork before releasing Rory Scannell out on the right flank for the finish in the corner.

That 16th minute score was the only action of a low-scoring opening 32 minutes as the Cheetahs attempted to stretch a Munster defence that stood firm.

As the half went on, the Cheetahs began to tire and inevitably ended up giving Munster more front-foot advantage. The pressure was too much for the visitors when prop Dave Kilcoyne powered over from close range, JJ Hanrahan converted for the 12-0 lead with eight minutes to go until half-time. It was a sweeping move that spanned the length of the field with new recruit Arno Botha prominent in the build-up with a typically rambunctuous carry.

The second-half saw much of the same of the first, with Munster in complete control of proceedings and the Cheetahs brave on defence but offering very little on attack.

Having to endure a period of 12 minutes of sustained pressure from Munster, the visitors’ defence finally cracked 12 minutes after the break. After the hosts won a turnover penalty five metres from the Cheetahs’ try-line, Neil Cronin took the quick tap and go with the Cheetahs defence unable to recover in time as Tommy O’Donnell sauntered through a gap and over as the lead became 17-0.

14 minutes later, Munster had their fourth through Hanrahan and in the 71st minute, the icing was all but on the cake when Dave O’Callaghan bashed over after excellent hands by replacement back Joey Carbery.

And with seven minutes to go, Sweetnam got in on the act with an intercept try, running in under the posts from 60 yards out, while Hanrahan added the simple conversion for a commanding 38-0 victory.

The scorers:

For Munster:
Tries: Scannell, Kilcoyne, O’Donnell, Hanrahan, O’Callaghan, Sweetnam
Cons: Hanrahan 4

Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Darren Sweetnam, 13 Dan Goggin, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Shane Daly, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Neil Cronin, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Tommy O’Donnell, 6 Dave O’Callaghan, 5 Billy Holland (c), 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 John Ryan, 2 Mike Sherry, 1 Dave Kilcoyne
Replacements: 16 Rhys Marshall, 17 Brian Scott, 18 Stephen Archer, 19 Darren O’Shea, 20 Gavin Coombes, 21 James Hart, 22 Joey Carbery, 23 Sammy Arnold

Cheetahs: 15 Malcolm Jaer, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Nico Lee, 11 William Small-Smith, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Oupa Mohoje (c), 6 Junior Pokomela, 5 JP du Preez, 4 Justin Basson, 3 Luan de Bruin, 2 Jacques du Toit, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Joseph Dweba, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Aranos Coetzee, 19 Walt Steenkamp, 20 Aidon Davis, 21 Tian Meyer, 22 Ernst Stapelberg, 23 Ryno Eksteen

Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Craig Evans (Wales), Mark Patton (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Dragons 17-21 Benetton Rugby
Rodney Parade

Benetton Rugby began the new PRO14 season with an impressive 21-17 victory over a disappointing Dragons side at Rodney Parade on Saturday.

This win takes the Italians second in Conference B after Round One.

Benetton were 11-7 ahead at the turnaround thanks to a try from Alessandro Zanni and two penalties from fellow Azzurri player Tomasso Allan.

However the Italians had to come from behind to lead at the break, this after Dafydd Howells crossed with just over one minute played, with the wing intercepting a pass on the visitors’ 22 and strolling over the whitewash for the perfect opening to the game for the Welsh region.

It did not take long for Benetton Rugby to hit back though as in the sixth minute second-row Zanni went over after they kicked to the corner.

Gavin Henson would cut the scores to 11-10 in Benetton’s favour five minutes into the second-half, but when Braam Steyn crossed in the 52nd minute suddenly the Italians were 16-10 in front. They now had just under half-an-hour to hold on and join Zebre in claiming an opening win.

That prospect became even more likely four minutes after flanker Steyn’s crossing when lock Zanni grabbed his second try, making it 21-10.

Dragons scrum-half Rhodri Williams gave the home side hope in the 75th minute when he scampered in for a converted try that made it 21-17, but it was too little too late as Benetton held on for an away win.

The scorers:

For Dragons:
Tries: Howells, Williams
Cons: Henson, Lewis
Pen: Henson

For Benetton:
Tries: Zanni 2, Steyn
Pens: Allan 2

Dragons: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Dafydd Howells, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Gavin Henson, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Ollie Griffiths, 7 Aaron Wainwright, 6 Lewis Evans, 5 Cory Hill (c), 4 Brandon Nansen, 3 Leon Brown, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Ryan Bevington
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Lloyd Fairbrother, 19 Matthew Screech, 20 Huw Taylor, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Josh Lewis, 23 Adam Warren

Benetton Rugby: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Ratuva Tavuyara, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Marco Barbini, 7 Sebastian Negri, 6 Abraham Steyn, 5 Dean Budd (c), 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Tiziano Pasquali, 2 Hame Faiva, 1 Federico Zani
Replacements: 16 Engjel Makelara, 17 Derrick Appiah, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Marco Lazzaroni, 22 Giorgio Bronzini, 23 Tommaso Iannone

Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Frank Murphy, Simon Rees (Wales)
TMO: Sean Brickell (Wales)

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Leicester Tigers boss Matt O’Connor admitted that Exeter Chiefs “will make you pay” if they are given opportunities following his side’s 40-6 defeat.

In the opening round of the Premiership season, Tigers led in the opening quarter of Saturday’s game, but the Chiefs scored two tries to lead 14-6 at half-time and then collected four more scores in the final 20 minutes to bag maximum points.

“They looked after the ball better than we did, they played in the right areas and they executed on them,” said O’Connor.

“Exeter were very good. I thought they took their chances, as they do, they are very clinical and, when they got field position, they make you pay.

“We didn’t get a lot of dominance at set-piece and they defended very well in the middle of the field.”

With eight points separating the teams at half-time, O’Connor and his team looked for a way back into the game after the break but the Chiefs scored twice in five minutes just after the hour mark and two more in the last four minutes of the Round 1 encounter.

“The last 20 minutes were disappointing, we have let up a lot of points at the back-end of the game,” O’Connor said.

“We thought we were a bit light in the amount of minutes some of the forwards had got under their belts and then we had to work a lot in defence in the opening 25 minutes, and that took its toll in the end. They were very good at taking their chances. We didn’t get field position to put them under any pressure.”

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The Brumbies have been linked with former Wallabies prop James Slipper as they look to fill the void left by the recently retired Ben Alexander.

It would represent something of a lifeline for Slipper’s career, having found himself on the fringes of the Reds squad after twice testing positive for cocaine.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the former Wallabies and Reds skipper met with Brumbies head coach Dan McKellar while Slipper was in Canberra last weekend for the first round of the National Rugby Championship.

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