Category: Rugby

Bath and Gloucester were forced to settle for a share of the spoils, while Exeter, Leicester and Saracens secured victories in England’s top-tier.

Wasps 31-42 Exeter

Exeter made it two Premiership bonus-point victories in a row to start the new campaign with a solid performance at Wasps keeping them atop the table.

Wasps led 24-21 at the interval following a thrilling first-half of Premiership rugby in Coventry, with each side crossing the line for three tries.

Elliot Daly got the hosts moving in the third minute with a try but nine minute later Santiago Cordero hit back for Exeter with a good finish.

Josh Bassett would make it 14-7 shortly after the restart before Exeter responded once again, this time Sam Simmonds powering over to make it 14-14 in a see-saw start to the game.

Henry Slade sliced through from 25 metres but Wasps fly-half Billy Searle’s penalty and a converted Nathan Hughes try sent his side in ahead.

Exeter turned the screw early in the second-half with another Simmonds try via the maul and an intercept score from Slade making it 35-24.

And they would have one final try to their name late on, with Don Armand powering over from close range as the Chiefs proved too strong.

The scorers:

For Wasps:
Tries: Daly, Bassett, Hughes, Robson
Cons: Daly, Searle 2, Sopoaga
Pen: Searle

For Exeter:
Tries: Cordero, S Simmonds 2, Slade 2, Armand
Cons: Steenson 6

Wasps: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Juan De Jongh, 12 Gaby Lovobalavu, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Joe Atkinson, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ben Harris
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Will Stuart, 19 James Gaskell, 20 Ashley Johnson, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Rob Miller

Exeter: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Ian Whitten, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Santiago Cordero, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Stuart Townsend, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Don Armand, 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Ollie Atkins, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Jack Yeandle (c), 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Greg Holmes, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Toby Salmon, 20 Sean Lonsdale, 21 Jack Maunder, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 Alex Cuthbert

Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant referees: Jack Makepeace, Simon McConnell
Television match official: Trevor Fisher

Leicester 49-33 Newcastle

Manu Tuilagi scored an excellent individual try as Leicester Tigers’ first game under Geordan Murphy ended in a thrilling 49-33 triumph over Newcastle Falcons.

The Midlanders were superb early on and touched down four times in the opening 23 minutes, with George Ford, Jonny May, Adam Thompstone and the aforementioned Tuilagi going over.

Ford was also successful off the tee six times, kicking three conversions and penalties apiece, while Sonatane Takulua responded for the Falcons.

At that point, Dean Richards’ men were 32-7 in arrears but they did well to reduce the deficit via a couple of Vereniki Goneva tries.

May went over for his second on the stroke of half-time but Mark Wilson and Sami Mavinga efforts gave Newcastle hope in the second period. However, three further Ford penalties kept the visitors at arm’s length and meant that Murphy’s reign got off to an excellent start.

For Leicester:
Tries: Ford, May 2, Thompstone, Tuilagi
Cons: Ford 3
Pens: Ford 6
Yellow Card: Veainu

For Newcastle:
Tries: Takulua, Goneva 2, Wilson, Mavinga
Cons: Flood 4

Leicester: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Brendon O’Connor, 6 David Denton, 5 Will Spencer, 4 Mike Williams, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs (c), 1 Greg Bateman
Replacements: 16 Jimmy Stevens, 17 Campese Ma’afu, 18 David Feao, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Guy Thompson, 21 Sam Harrison, 22 Tom Hardwick, 23 Jordan Olowofela

Newcastle: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 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

Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant referees: Adam Leal, Wayne Falla
Television match official: Claire Hodnett

Saracens 44-23 Bristol

George Smith’s red card proved crucial as Saracens eventually secured a comfortable victory over newly-promoted Bristol at Allianz Park.

Wallabies legend Smith was sent off for a dangerous tackle with the scores level at 18-18 after the West Countrymen had given the champions a fright in the opening period.

Pat Lam’s men were excellent in the first half and, despite Matt Gallagher going over early on for the Londoners, the visitors moved 10-7 ahead thanks to Alapati Leiua’s try and Callum Sheedy’s penalty.

Sheedy extended their buffer before Farrell responded from the tee with successive three-pointers, but Bristol were playing some excellent rugby and Leiua rewarded their endeavour by crossing the whitewash.

However, Sarries increased the intensity in the second period, levelling matters via Alex Lewington. Smith was then red carded and the hosts duly completed a bonus-point victory through Billy Vunipola, who was returning from injury, and Liam Williams’ hat-trick.

Nick Haining did gain some consolation for Bristol but the red card ultimately hampered their chances in the second half.

The scorers:

For Saracens:
Tries: Gallagher, Lewington, B Vunipola, Williams 3
Cons: Farrell 4
Pens: Farrell 2

For Bristol:
Tries: Leiua 2, Haining
Cons: Sheedy
Pens: Sheedy 2
Red Card: Smith

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Matt Gallagher, 13 Alex Lozowski, 12 Brad Barritt (c), 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Sione Vailanu, 7 Jackson Wray, 6 Michael Rhodes, 5 Nick Isiekwe, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Titi Lamositele, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Billy Vunipola, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Nick Tompkins, 23 Liam Williams

Bristol: 15 Piers O’Conor, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Will Hurrell, 12 Siale Piutau, 11 Alapati Leiua, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Jack Lam, 7 George Smith, 6 Steve Luatua (c), 5 Joe Latta, 4 Ed Holmes, 3 Lewis Thiede, 2 Harry Thacker, 1 Jordan Lay
Replacements: 16 Shaun Malton, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 John Afoa, 19 Joe Joyce, 20 Nick Haining, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Tom Pincus

Referee: Andrew Jackson
Assistant referees: Matthew O’Grady, Robert Warburton
Television match official: Stuart Terheege

Bath 31-31 Gloucester

On his return to the Rec, ex-Bath wing Matt Banahan went over with three minutes remaining as the West Country rivals were forced to settle for a draw.

Bath had produced a superb comeback and led 31-24 late on, despite being 21-0 in arrears at one stage, but Banahan, who departed the club in the summer after over a decade’s service, inevitably had the final say.

Buoyed by their excellent start against Northampton Saints last weekend, the Cherry and Whites began this contest confidently and dominated the match.

Once again, Danny Cipriani was orchestrating proceedings and Johan Ackermann’s men opened the scoring after 15 minutes. It was his son, Ruan, who got on the scoreboard, touching down from close range, before the back-rower notched a double after Cipriani found him with a superb pass.

Todd Blackadder’s outfit were evidently rocked and Callum Braley added to their woes, but Semesa Rokoduguni’s try at the end of the first half lifted spirits at the Rec.

Bath began the second period on the front foot and a mistake at the lineout allowed Tom Dunn to cross the whitewash before a nasty-looking injury to visiting wing Charlie Sharples halted the game for several minutes.

The hosts’ momentum could have stalled, but, if anything, their intensity increased and Dunn remarkably levelled matters with 16 minutes left.

Billy Twelvetrees and replacement Rhys Priestland then traded penalties, but Elliott Stooke went over in the latter stages and appeared to have completed an outstanding turnaround.

However, inside the final three minutes, Cipriani floated another excellent pass which gave Jason Woodward a chance to send Banahan across the whitewash. Twelvetrees converted as the teams went away with three points each.

For Bath:
Tries: Rokoduguni, Dunn 2, Stooke
Cons: Burns 2, Priestland 2
Pens: Priestland

For Gloucester:
Tries: Ackermann 2, Braley, Banahan
Cons: Twelvetrees 4
Pen: Twelvetrees

Bath: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Max Green, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Zach Mercer, 5 Matt Garvey, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Nathan Catt
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Elliott Stooke, 20 Tom Ellis, 21 Chris Cook, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Aled Brew

Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Mariano Galarza; 4 Ed Slater (c), 3 Fraser Balmain; 2 James Hanson, 1 Val Rapava Ruskin
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Josh Hohneck, 18 Ciaran Knight, 19 Freddie Clarke, 20 Jake Polledri, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Mark Atkinson, 23 Tom Hudson

Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson, Roy Maybank
Television match official: Geoff Warren

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The Golden Lions scored 33 unanswered first-half points on their way to a 47-14 victory over the Free State Cheetahs in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Tries from Marvin Orie, Howard Mnisi, Hacjivah Dayimani and two apiece from Sylvian Mahuza and Shaun Reynolds proved too much for the visitors, who scored through Louis Fouche and Rudy Paige.

The Golden Lions began on the front foot, playing an attacking brand of running rugby and were rewarded with the game’s first try. Marvin Orie’s delightful offload freed up Howard Mnisi, who in turn fed Mahuza, the winger showing a brilliant stop-and-go to bamboozle his defender for the finish as Shaun Reynolds converted for the 7-0 lead after eight minutes.

Seven minutes later, the Free State Cheetahs were penalised for a deliberate knockdown and Reynolds kicked for the corner. The fly-half would go over after the ball went through a couple of phases from the lineout, converting his own score to make it 14-0.

Soon after, the hosts had their third try as Mahuza showed excellent pace and a neat sidestep to grab his second, beating two defenders in the process. The visitors were losing their structure on defence and the Golden Lions were running them ragged out wide.

It was becoming all too easy as first Orie went over after a good lineout and a good set. Then, Reynolds bagged his brace, after some poor tackling from the men from Bloemfontein. The hosts’ fly-half converted his fourth attempt from five to give the home side a 33-0 lead heading into the interval.

After the break, the away side showed some fight, applying pressure on the Golden Lions before and hitting back with two five-pointers. First, Fouche crossed the whitewash before captain Paige dotted down after a give-and-go with Ali Mgijima.

With five minutes to go, Mnisi got in on the act for the Golden Lions as he showed good awareness when not held in the tackle to get himself over the line as Reynolds converted.

Dayimani was not to be denied a try in the closing stages, adding to his impressive tally of five for the season Reynolds converted to cap off a 47-14 victory.

The scorers:

For Golden Lions:
Tries: Mahuza 2, Reynolds 2, Orie, Mnisi, Dayimani
Cons: Reynolds 6

For Free State Cheetahs:
Tries: Fouche, Paige
Cons: Fouche 2

The teams:

Golden Lions: 15 Sylvian Mahuza, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 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 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Pieter Jansen, 1 Sti Sithole
Replacements: 16 Corne Fourie, 17 Danie Mienie, 18 Stephen Bhasera, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Vincent Tshituka, 21 Bradley Thain, 22 Wandisile Simelane

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

Referee: AJ Jacobs
Assistant referees: Stephan Geldenhuys, Eduan Nel
Television match official: Lesego Legoete

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Sale Sharks responded from last week’s loss to Harlequins with a 21-15 Premiership win over Worcester Warriors at AJ Bell Stadium on Sunday.

First-half tries from Josh Beaumont and Denny Solomona saw them to the four points while AJ MacGinty slotted 11 points off the kicking tee.

For Worcester it was a game of two halves as they were poor in the first but scored two in the second through Bryce Heem and Chris Pennell.

Sale took the lead as early as the seventh minute thanks to a penalty from MacGinty, this coming after Francois Venter had strayed offside.

It was all the Sharks in the opening quarter and eventually the try came on 20 minutes as a poor pass out to wing Marland Yarde saw number eight Beaumont wrap around his team-mate for the crossing on the left wing. MacGinty could not add the extras but Sale were looking strong.

They almost added to their lead five minutes later but tighthead prop WillGriff John lost the ball over the line after a short-range carry.

However a further three points from MacGinty after Marco Mama came offside and then intercept try from Solomona saw Sale into an 18-0 lead.

To their credit Worcester finished the half strongly as they set up camp in the Sharks’ 22. But even 38 phases couldn’t result in any score.

Heem changed that in the 48th minute when he powered over Will Cliff from close range to cut the scoreline to 18-7 with plenty of time left.

Worcester scrum-half Jonny Arr came agonisingly close to doubling his side’s tally when he reached out for the post protector shortly after. However, referee JP Doyle adjudged him to have not made it so the Warriors had to settle for three points from Duncan Weir for an offside.

MacGinty did respond two minutes later from distance to make it 21-10 to Sale. But Worcester then continued their dominance of the second-half when Josh Adams’ superb offload after another 38-phase attack saw Pennell dive over on the right. The Warriors were now 21-15 adrift.

Sale though managed to hold on for the victory which is their first of the campaign while for Worcester it’s back-to-back league defeats.

The scorers:

For Sale:
Tries: Beaumont, Solomona
Con: MacGinty
Pens: MacGinty 3

For Worcester:
Tries: Heem, Pennell
Con: Weir
Pen: Weir

Sale: 15 Byron McGuigan, 14 Denny Solomona, 13 Sam James, 12 Mark Jennings, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Will Cliff, 8 Josh Beaumont, 7 Ben Curry, 6 Jono Ross (c), 5 James Phillips, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Cameron Neild, 17 Alexandru Tarus, 18 Joe Jones, 19 George Nott, 20 Josh Strauss, 21 Gus Warr, 21 Luke James, 23 Paolo Odogwu

Worcester: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Jonny Arr, 8 GJ van Velze (c), 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Marco Mama, 5 Darren Barry, 4 Pierce Phillips, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Niall Annett, 1 Callum Black
Replacements: 16 Joe Taufete’e, 17 Ryan Bower, 18 Simon Kerrod, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Alafoti Faosiliva, 21 Michael Heaney, 22 Jono Lance, 23 Ashley Beck

Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant referees: Hamish Smales, Paul Dix
Television match official: Keith Lewis

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Check out the highlights from Round Four of the Mitre 10 Cup. 

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New Zealand have confirmed that both Brodie Retallick and Ngani Laumape have been ruled out of next week’s fixture against South Africa.

The duo came off injured in the 10th minute of the 46-24 win over Argentina, with Retallick having a shoulder issue and Laumape a knee complaint.

Lock Retallick is set to have a scan this week to determine the extent of his injury while centre Laumape is ruled out for “at least a couple of weeks”.

All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen confirmed that Auckland second-row Patrick Tuipulotu has been called into the squad as cover for Retallick.

“Patrick will come in and Brodie will get scanned on Monday and then we’ll have a better idea how long he’ll be, but it could be a maximum six weeks,” he said.

“Hopefully that will be all. Minimum maybe three, so he’ll be out for a wee while. Ngani’s got grade-one ligament damage so he’ll be two to three weeks.”

It is likely that the All Blacks will bring Sam Whitelock back into their starting team alongside Scott Barrett in the second-row while Anton Lienert-Brown could earn a start at inside centre after impressing from the bench in recent matches.

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Wasps have suffered an early-season blow after back-row Brad Shields was ruled out for between three to eight weeks with a broken cheekbone.

Shields sustained the injury during the Premiership game against Exeter.

“Having attended hospital this evening, it was decided that Shields needs to see a specialist on Monday, to decide whether an operation is necessary,” read a short statement from Wasps.

“It is estimated that the back-rower will be out for three to eight weeks.”

Wasps lost 42-31 to the Chiefs at the Ricoh Arena and face Leicester at the same venue next Sunday.

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The Dragons overcame the Southern Kings before the Ospreys, Connacht, Scarlets and Benetton won later on in Saturday’s PRO14 action.

Dragons 27-22 Kings

The hosts started the game off on the front foot, with Ollie Griffiths scoring the first try after just three minutes following a break from deep. Aaron Wainwright then added a second 10 minutes later after charging down Masixole Banda’s clearance.

With two conversions and a penalty to their name in addition to the early tries, Dragons led 17-0 after 21 minutes, but their momentum was derailed five minutes later when Rhodri Williams was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on.

After a sustained spell of Kings pressure, Michael Willemse scored in the corner following a lineout maul immediately after the yellow card. Just three minutes later, the South African side added another try through Bjorn Basson, who surged down the touchline from halfway to get the ball down in the corner.

The visitors carried their momentum into the second half, and although the Dragons kept them at bay with some solid defending initially, Godlen Masimla scored in the corner 15 minutes after the break.

Following Banda’s conversion, the scores stayed level until Josh Lewis’ penalty 62 minutes into the game. Four minutes later, Lewis got on the end of an up-and-under from Rhodri Williams and ran all the way to score, extending the lead beyond a converted try.

An 80th minute consolation try from Yaw Penxe came too late for the Kings as they came up just short of their first away win in PRO14 history.

The scorers:

For Dragons:
Tries: Griffiths, Wainwright, Lewis
Cons: Lewis 3
Pens: Lewis 2
Yellow Cards: R Williams

For Southern Kings:
Tries: Willemse, Basson, Masimla, Penxe
Cons: Banda

The teams:

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

Kings: 15 Yaw Penxe, 14 Michael Makase, 13 Harlon Klassen, 12 Berton Klassen, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Masixole Banda, 9 Rudi van Rooyen, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Martinus Burger, 6 Stephan De Wit, 5 Bobby De Wee, 4 Schalk Oelofse, 3 Luvuyo Pupuma, 2 Michael Willemse (c), 1 Justin Forwood
Replacements: 16 Alandre Van Rooyen, 17 Schalk Ferreira, 18 Lupumlo Mguca, 19 John-Charles Astle, 20 Ruaan Lerm, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Martin Du Toit, 23 Ulrich Beyers

Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Leo Colgan (Ireland), Gwyn Morris (Wales)
Television match official: Sean Brickell (Wales)

Connacht 32-13 Zebre

Connacht ran in five tries in their 32-13 win over Zebre at Galway’s Sportsground.

The first half was mostly one-way traffic in favour of the hosts. After Jack Carty’s early penalty had put them ahead, Caolin Blade pounced on a loose ball inside Zebre’s territory, setting up Paul Boyle for the opening try of the game eight minutes in.

12 minutes later, the number eight had his second after capitalising on a Connacht rolling maul. For the second time in a row, Carty converted, and the only other points before the break came through a Carlo Canna penalty for Zebre.

Things went from bad to worse for the visitors after the break, with Giosue Zilocchi and Oliviero Fabiani picking up yellow cards within six minutes.

Blade went over for Connacht just two minutes after Zebre were reduced to 13 men, with the hosts capitalising after piling pressure on the Italian side at the scrum.

Canna clawed back a penalty for Zebre, but in the 60th minute, Carty’s grubber set Eoin Griffin up for another Connacht try.

10 minutes later, substitute Niyi Adeolokun went over for Connacht’s fifth try, and although Zebre scored a late consolation through Guglielmo Palazzani, the damage had already been done.

The scorers:

For Connacht:
Tries: Boyle 2, Blade, Griffin, Adeolokun
Cons: Carty 2
Pens: Carty

For Zebre:
Tries: Palazzani
Cons: Brummer
Pens: Canna 2
Yellow Cards: Zilocchi, Fabiani

The teams:

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Cian Kelleher, 13 Eoin Griffin, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Caolin Blade, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Jarrad Butler, 6 Sean O’Brien, 5 Quinn Roux, 4 Gavin Thornbury, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Conán O’Donnell, 18 Dominic Robertson-McCoy, 19 James Cannon, 20 Colby Fainga’a, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Craig Ronaldson, 23 Niyi Adeolokun

Zebre: 15 Edoardo Padovani, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Giulio Bisegni, 12 Nicolas De Battista, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Renato Giammarioli, 7 Johan Meyer, 6 Matu Tevi, 5 George Biagi (c), 4 David Sisi, 3 Giosué Zilocchi, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Massimo Ceciliani, 17 Daniele Rimpelli, 18 Roberto Tenga, 19 Apisai Tauyavuca, 20 Jimmy Tuivaiti, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Francois Brummer, 23 Tommaso Boni

Referee: Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Fin Brown (Scotland), John Carvill (Ireland)
Television match official: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Ospreys 46-14 Cheetahs

The Cheetahs succumbed to their second heavy defeat of the season, going down 46-14 to the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.

The team from South Africa struggled to deal with the Ospreys’ attacking lineouts, and it took just seven minutes before Alun Wyn Jones slipped through a gap in the defence to open the scoring.

The Cheetahs levelled the score at a converted try apiece after Jasper Wiese crashed over in the 18th minute, but another move off a lineout nine minutes later sent George North through a gap in the defence. He was unable to go all the way, but Scott Otten finished off.

North finally got himself on the scoreboard in the 37th minute, finishing off a well-worked move in the Ospreys’ left corner. After a Sam Davies penalty on the stroke of half-time, the hosts went into the break 22-7 up.

It took until the 59th minute for the second half scoring to open, but at last, Alex Jeffries crashed over to secure the bonus point, with the formidable Ospreys lineout once again paying dividends.

Just four minutes later, the Ospreys’ lineout maul took them over for their fifth try, with Justin Tipuric getting the ball down.

69 minutes in, Rabz Maxwane chipped, chased, and went all the way for a superb Cheetahs try on the left, but it proved nothing more than a consolation as the Ospreys lineout maul took Tipuric over again before Jones crashed over to cap off a dominant display.

The scorers:

For Ospreys:
Tries: Wyn Jones 2, Tipuric 2, Otten, North, Jeffries
Cons: S Davies 4
Pens: S Davies

For Cheetahs:
Tries: Wiese, Maxwane
Cons: Schoeman 2

The teams:

Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 George North, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Tom Williams, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Aled Davies, 8 James King, 7 Justin Tipuric (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Scott Otten, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Alex Jeffries, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Sam Cross, 21 Tom Habberfield, 22 James Hook, 23 Joe Thomas

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 Aidon Davis, 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 Gerhard Olivier, 21 Tian Meyer, 22 Ernst Stapelberg/Marnus van der Merwe, 23 Ryno Eksteen

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Gareth John (Wales)
Television match official: Tim Hayes (Wales)

Scarlets 23-21 Leinster

Scarlets claimed a hard-fought victory over Leinster at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.

Leinster suffered a blow early on with Josh Murphy being sin-binned after just five minutes. Scarlets would capitalise on their numerical advantage when Ken Owens bashed over after 12 minutes, converted by Leigh Halfpenny.

But the visitors would find a response through Fergus McFadden, as Ross Byrne added the extras to level matters at 7-7 after 25 minutes. Halfpenny slotted another penalty in the 35th minute.

The game would turn on its head when it was Leinster this time who enjoyed the extra man as Samson Lee was yellow carded for Scarlets on the hooter, allowing James Lowe to go over for a 14-10 lead heading into the interval.

Two Halfpenny penalties after the break would edge the home side back in front at 16-14 and, when Gareth Davies dotted down in the 69th minute, it appeared to be a bridge too far for Leinster.

However, the defending champions hit back through a converted try from Rhys Ruddock, setting up a tense final five minutes as they trailed the hosts by just two.

But Scarlets would held on for the victory, enacting revenge for their PRO14 final defeat and European Champions Cup semi-final loss last season.

For Scarlets:
Try: Owens, Davies
Cons: Halfpenny 2
Pens: Halfpenny 3
Yellow Card: Lee

For Leinster:
Tries: McFadden, Ruddock, Lowe
Cons: Byrne 3
Yellow Card: Murphy

The teams:

Scarlets: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Tom Prydie, 10 Dan Jones, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Josh Macleod, 7 James Davies, 6 Blade Thomson, 5 Steve Cummins, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens (c), 1 Rob Evans
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Phil Price, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 Lewis Rawlins, 20 Ed Kennedy, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Paul Asquith, 23 Ioan Nicholas

Leinster: 15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Rory O’Loughlin, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Rhys Ruddock, 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Ian Nagle, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Seán Cronin, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Mick Kearney, 20 Max Deegan, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Noel Reid, 23 Joe Tomane

Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: David Sutherland (Scotland), Wayne Davies (Wales)
Television match official: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

Benetton Rugby 27-25 Cardiff Blues

Benetton claimed a 27-25 come-from-behind victory over Cardiff Blues at Stadio Comunale di Monigo.

Tomasso Allan gave the home side a 3-0 lead from the tee in the 12th minute before Jarrod Evans responded in similar fashion nine minutes later for the Cardiff Blues.

Allan would then get himself on the try column in the 29th minute, converting his own try for a 10-3 lead with 10 minutes to go until the interval.

But the away side were beginning to turn the screw up front and were rewarded with a penalty try after winning another penalty at the scrum. Evans would slot a second three-pointer to give the visitors a 13-10 advantage heading into the break.

11 minutes after the interval, Jayden Hayward put Braam Steyn through. Allan converted to give Benetton a slender 17-16 lead. Soon after, Allan extended the lead to four with another penalty.

Gareth Anscombe would slot three penalties in succession to wrestle the lead back for the visitors at 25-20. However, they would lose both Olly Robinson and Rhys Gill to the sin-bin in the final few minutes, allowing Monty Ioane to cross three minutes into injury time and level the scores.

Allan had the responsibility of taking the all important kick and kept his nerve to claim a dramatic victory for the home side.

The scorers:

For Benetton:
Tries: Allan, Steyn, Ioane
Cons: Allan 3
Pens: Allan 2

For Cardiff Blues:
Try: Penalty Try
Pens: Evans 3, Anscombe 3
Yellow Cards: Robinson, Gill

The teams:

Benetton: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Ratuva Tavuyara, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Robert Barbieri, 7 Sebastian Negri, 6 Abraham Steyn, 5 Dean Budd (c), 4 Marco Fuser, 3 Tiziano Pasquali, 2 Hame Faiva, 1 Nicola Quaglio
Replacements: 16 Engjel Makelara, 17 Cherif Traore, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Irne Herbst, 20 Marco Lazzaroni, 21 Marco Barbini, 22 Dewaldt Duvenage, 23 Marco Zanon

Cardiff Blues: 15 Matthew Morgan, 14 Jason Harries, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Willis Halaholo, 11 Owen Lane, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Ellis Jenkins (c), 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 George Earle, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Brad Thyer
Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 Rhys Gill, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Josh Navidi, 20 Olly Robinson, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Gareth Anscombe, 23 Garyn Smith

Referee: Seán Gallagher (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Television match official: Stefano Pennè (Italy)

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Springbok wing Makazole Mapimpi has returned to South Africa after he sustained a knee injury in Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane.

No replacement will be added to the South African squad.

Mapimpi was withdrawn from action just before half-time at the Suncorp Stadium on Saturday and replaced by Cheslin Kolbe, who earned his debut Test cap for the Springboks.

The injured player arrives in South Africa on Tuesday and will undergo a specialist review of his injured right knee. Apart from Mapimpi, there are no other Springbok injury concerns.

“We have a squad of 30 players here in Wellington and we’re not going to call up a replacement,” said Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus.

“Makazole flew back today (Monday) and if we call up someone in his place, he will only arrive here on Wednesday and have one training session with us.”

The injury withdrawal of Mapimpi has however forced Erasmus to relook at his back-three options for Saturday’s clash with the world’s top ranked team.

“We have Cheslin Kolbe with us who played a full second half last Saturday on the wing, but we have some other options as well such as Jesse Kriel and even Lukhanyo Am, who has played some rugby out on the wing,” added Erasmus.

“We will try and pick the most experienced side for this match, with the least amount of changes.”

Meanwhile, the Springboks kicked off their week’s preparations on Monday with a lively late afternoon training at Porirua Park, their training base for rest of the week.

Tuesday is another full training day, followed by a non-training day on Wednesday, while Erasmus will announce his Springbok match-23 at lunchtime on Thursday.

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Australia have cut the gap on England in the World Rugby Rankings after responding from successive losses with Saturday’s win over South Africa.

The Wallabies picked up a fraction under half a rating point for the win to move on to 84.45 points – 1.22 behind England in fourth position.

Rassie Erasmus’ South Africa stay in seventh place in the World Rankings, behind Scotland, with 2.25 points between themselves and France.

Elsehwere, New Zealand‘s victory over Argentina maintains their perfect start to the season, and they remain 4.39 points clear of Ireland.

World Rugby Rankings
Previous position in brackets

1(1) New Zealand 94.52
2(2) Ireland 90.12
3(3) Wales 85.94
4(4) England 85.68
5(5) Australia 84.45
6(6) Scotland 83.02
7(7) South Africa 81.35
8(8) France 79.10
9(9) Argentina 77.02
10(10) Fiji 76.54

With thanks to World Rugby

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All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen is not underestimating the Springboks ahead of the teams’ Rugby Championship Test in Wellington on Saturday.

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus believes his side’s underdog status will make preparing to play the All Blacks easier but Hansen knows the strength of the old rivalry will make South Africa – who lost their last two matches to Argentina and Australia – dangerous.

A bonus point win for New Zealand would secure another Rugby Championship in Wellington, with two rounds still to play.

“They’ll be a big challenge,” Hansen told the All Blacks’ official website.

“They pride themselves on lifting their performance particularly when they play us. They’ve lost two now so they’ll be pretty desperate and we’ll need to match that and be desperate ourselves.”

With more time to reflect on Saturday’s win over Argentina, Hansen said the positives to come from it were securing a bonus point win, scoring some nice tries and the chance for players to grow.

Lock Brodie Retallick’s rotator cuff shoulder injury will rule him out of consideration to play South Africa and with Luke Romano suffering a calf strain the replacement would be Auckland lock Patrick Tuipulotu, who marked his return to rugby with a hat-trick of tries in the Mitre 10 Cup win over Tasman.

A scan on Monday would confirm how long Retallick would be out of action but a worst case scenario was six weeks and a minimum of three weeks.

Inside centre Ngani Laumape had grade one ligament damage to his knee so would be out for two to three weeks.

Sonny Bill Williams was having an X-ray on Monday and if it was clear he would be available while Rieko Ioane was already set to play.

Hansen said hooker Dane Coles had turned the corner in his recovery and was starting to look more like an athlete with definition showing in his calf muscles while he was also exhibiting some of his more familiar chirpy traits. That was important, he said, because when high performance sportspeople had injury-enforced breaks from the game it could start to effect them. But Coles was back to his usual self.

The play of full-back Ben Smith had again demonstrated the worth in players having sabbatical breaks and Hansen said it was a consistent pattern that had been seen with players.

When Ma’a Nonu returned from a long break after suffering a broken arm he had played the best rugby of his career while similar qualities had been seen from Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, who suffered an injury upon his return but who once clear showed the benefits, he said.

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